PTC Flightline · Paid-Media Test
Paid social can become PTC's
most reliable enrolment channel.
A low-risk paid-advertising test for PTC Flightline - turning Meta spend into qualified student leads, with cost per lead as the single measure of success.
Prepared for PTC Flightline · July 2026
Alt Ventures · Private & confidential
How it works
The model is simple: an ad drives one call or message.
1
We run the ad
On Instagram & Facebook, shown to people near you who want to fly.
→
2
They call or message
One button on the ad. They tap it and reach you directly.
→
3
You close them
You talk to a warm lead who already raised their hand.
After a few weeks we'll know what one new lead costs. Then we decide together whether to keep going.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads01
Real examples
Competitors are already acquiring students through paid social.
Five flight schools running ads right now — what’s in each one, and exactly where it sends people.
Button · Send Message
Michael Layton · Fort Pierce, Florida
Credentials on camera build instant trust.
His script — word for word
"Hi, my name is Michael Layton. I'm a 16,000-hour, three-time master flight instructor, and I teach right here in Fort Pierce, Florida. You want to be a pilot for a living? I have multiple aircraft available, and I have housing options. Interested? Message me."
Where it lands → a direct message — no website, no form. He ends the ad by literally saying "message me," and the button does exactly that. A one-man operation running real ads.
FK
Flymkleighton ✔
Sponsored · 🌐
Chat about becoming a pilot
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads02
Button · Learn More
Illinois Aviation Academy · West Chicago, IL
B-roll plus one proof point does the work.
What's in the ad
No voiceover — clean footage of the planes and hangar with text on screen: "Interested in training to become a pilot? With 2,000+ graduates, a pillar of aviation training in the West Chicago region."
Where it lands → their flight-training page on illinoisaviation.com — program overview and a "book a discovery flight" step. Built to capture people just starting to look.
IA
Illinois Aviation Academy ✔
Sponsored · 🌐
Train to become a pilot
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads03
Button · Sign Up
FlyBright Pilot Academy · USA
Selling the career, not the lesson.
What's in the ad
No voiceover — cinematic flying footage with text overlays: "Accelerate your career — student to professional pilot at Allegiant. A direct flow-through partnership with a major airline."
Where it lands → iflybright.com/career-pathway — "Accelerate Your Path to the Airlines," Allegiant partnership, up to $50k loan repayment, and an Apply Now button.
FB
FlyBright Pilot Academy ✔
Sponsored · 🌐
Airline pathway program
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads04
Button · Send Message
Marwan Ali · independent CFI · Central New Jersey
One instructor wins DMs with a single video.
His script — word for word
"My name is Marwan, an independent flight instructor in central New Jersey. A lot of students start training, get busy, change instructors, and stop making progress. I offer a more personalized experience — you train with the same instructor start to finish, on a plan built around your goals and schedule. Whether you're starting out or getting back into it, reach out."
Where it lands → a direct message (no website). One tap and they're in his DMs. Based at Linden Airport (KLDJ).
MA
Marwan Ali · CFI ✔
Sponsored · 🌐
1-on-1 flight instruction
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads05
A polished static
CFI Flight Academy · Alberta, Canada
A single strong static can carry a campaign.
What's in the ad
A designed graphic — an aircraft, a badge, and bold type: "Private Pilot License — Enrolment now open. Ready for takeoff? We train with discipline, structure and real-world standards. Local & international students welcome."
Where it lands → their Instagram (@cfiflightacademy) — profile and DMs. Proof you don't need video to start; a clean static can pull its weight.
CF
CFI Flight Academy ✔
Sponsored · 🌐
Your aviation journey starts here
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads06
Why Meta ads
Meta is the lowest-cost, highest-attention path to your students.
7 ads
Competitors already in
We pulled seven live flight-school ads from Meta this week - solo instructors to big academies. PTC is running zero.
~33 min
A day on Instagram
The average person spends about 33 minutes a day on Instagram alone. Meta's apps reach 3.27 billion people every day.
$3-15
Cost per lead
A lead on Meta runs $3-15, versus $30-100+ on Google. 200M+ businesses use Meta to find customers - more leads per dollar.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads07
What we'll test
We test two levers: format and call-to-action.
The content — how we say it
Video
A short clip with a strong hook in the first 3 seconds — you talking, a student's story, a first flight. The hook stops the scroll so people actually watch.
Static image
One clean image with a single clear message and offer. Cheap and fast to make — great for testing lots of angles.
We mine what real students say. What people actually post about becoming a pilot becomes our next hooks and angles.
The action — what they do next
Message us
One tap into your DMs.
Call us
One tap and your phone rings.
Fill a form
A short form on a simple landing page.
We start with call & text. Lowest friction, fastest to set up. Forms and landing pages come later, once we see what's pulling.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads08
Where we'll go
Prove the model in the US, then expand abroad.
Phase 1 · Now
United States
Test across the entire US. Find the content that works and our real cost per lead.
Next
South America
Likely the simpler path in - an easier visa route for students.
Next
India · Pakistan · Middle East
Huge, fast-growing demand for pilot training.
We don't pre-commit the order of the next two markets. We open whichever makes sense once the US test tells us what works - and where entry is easiest.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads09
Campaign 01 · United States
Drive inbound calls.
Button · Call NowOne campaign to start. Every creative points to one action - tap to call - and we track one number above all: cost per lead.
Video 1
The trust ad
You on camera - your hours, your credentials, why you. Instant credibility.
Video 2
Community & experience
What it's actually like to train here - the people, the field, the feel.
Static 1
Speed offer
"Become a pilot in months, not years." Phone number on the image.
Static 2
Call-now card
Clean image, one clear offer, big "Call Now."
Static 3
Student win
A recent grad + a one-line result.
Later campaigns test the rest - other markets, other buttons (message, form), and new angles. Same method, same one metric: cost per lead.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads10
What we need from you
Three inputs from you; we handle the rest.
🎬
A few short clips
Filmed on a phone is fine - you talking, a lesson, the aircraft, a happy student.
📸
A few photos
The planes, the field, students, you. Whatever you already have.
🔑
Your Meta ad account
Access to your Meta (Facebook) ad account and page - or we help you set one up.
📋
The basics
Your pricing, programs, and what makes PTC different. We write the hooks from there.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads11
The offer
A $1,000 engagement and a $25/day test, judged on cost per lead.
$1,000
To run your first experiments
We build and run your first ad experiments - creatives, launch, tracking, and management.
$25/day
Ad budget · you control
About $750 for the month, paid straight to Meta, targeting the US. We run it for you.
Free
Strategy document
A full strategy doc to map the bigger rollout - included, on the house.
25%On launch of your first campaign.
75%At the end of six weeks - once ads have run four weeks with five or more creatives live.
One metric: cost per lead. Expect ~20-50 leads in month one. No long lock-in.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads12
Who's behind this
Alt Ventures.
A team that has managed $2M+ in paid media and built venture-backed companies - we run the whole funnel, from creative to conversion.
Companies & partners we've worked with
$20M+
Raised by our companies
$100M+
Portfolio value
100+
Ventures worked on
From global brands to venture-backed startups, we've turned ad spend into growth - and we bring that same rigor to PTC's first test.
PTC Flightline · Let's test paid ads13
Recommended next steps
Three steps to launch within a week.
1
A short alignment call
15 minutes to confirm goals, the US market, and the offer.
2
You share the essentials
A few clips and photos, plus access to your Meta ad account.
3
We build & launch
Creatives, tracking, and the campaign live within a week.
Let's fill those seats.
Alt Ventures · altventures.co