Al and Tim Adelman, father and son owners of Chesapeake Sport Pilot, decided to leave their careers as lawyers to work in a field fueled by their passion for aviation. Their Stevensville, MD flight school opened its doors in February 2007 with a light sport aircraft. Al and Tim shared their experiences building the flight school this week at AirVenture. Tim Adelman first flew at age 16, and while completing his bachelor's and MBA, he offered his CFI services in parallel. He realized the potential of an LSA flight school while working on a program for the Department of Justice using LSA aircraft for law enforcement. The Sky Arrow was the first plane Tim and his father purchased, and its tandem seating and excellent visibility generated a lot of interest in the local industry. Performing a market analysis was an important part of starting Chesapeake Sport Pilot, and Tim says he went to many airports to simply talk to pilots and potential students about their interest in the sport aircraft segment. The Adelmans also studied the aircraft and products available on the LSA market and spent considerable time working on a financial structure that would make the school profitable. When the flight school opened, Chesapeake Sport Pilot actually had ten students lined up without paying a dollar for advertising. As seasoned lawyers and businessmen, the Adelmans saw the school's business plan as the most important foundation on which to build. “It is difficult to secure new LSA schools.” Tim says. Having a detailed business plan allowed them to legitimize their business with the insurance company and sell their business at the airport. Although they already had two fixed-wing schools in place, Chesapeake Sport Pilot's mission filled a niche that would differentiate them from other schools. Tim and Al Adelman decided to become a Part 61 school because, as Tim says, the process of forming a 141 school “is quite cumbersome.” Chesapeake Sport Pilot has chosen not to go the lease-back route for its planes, as owners of LSA planes are hard to find. Becoming an aircraft dealer for LSA manufacturers was another difficult process, as the Adelmans discovered that some European manufacturers expected the flight school to share some of the aircraft's warranty expenses. After much thought and research, the company decided to start with a Sky Arrow, largely due to Tim's experience with the aircraft.