Talon ETA · Flight training management
Flight training management that follows your syllabus
Talon ETA runs scheduling, student records, dispatch, billing, and compliance in one web-based system. Because it works from your curriculum, ETA checks each student's next lesson and the required currencies and qualifications before a flight is booked.
- Serving flight schools since 2001
- Part 61, 141, 142, and collegiate programs
- 11 national authorities outside EASA, plus EASA
- Most schools live in 2 to 3 weeks
One System, From First Lesson to Checkride
Each step works from the same records as the step before it.
- 1
Build the course
Stages, phases, units, and line items, with grading standards and prerequisite rules.
- 2
Schedule
ETA determines each student's next activity and checks currencies before booking.
- 3
Dispatch
Electronic check-in, instructor authorization, and overdue-aircraft alerts.
- 4
Grade
Electronic grade sheets and logbooks; incomplete items roll to the next lesson.
- 5
Bill and report
Activity costs, invoices, and 300+ reports delivered automatically.
How Talon ETA Works
Scheduling
The syllabus drives the schedule
Based on each student's course, ETA determines the next activity that should be scheduled, then verifies instructor and student currencies and qualifications before it's booked.
- Flight, simulator, oral, and academic activities
- Block scheduling for instructors, students, and resources
- Unavailability and miscellaneous activities such as safety meetings
- Management authorization for anything outside the syllabus

Student records
Know who's ahead and who's behind
Student records update as training happens. See whether each student is ahead or behind plan, when their checkride is projected, and what their training has cost so far.
- Course minimums (dual, solo, night, cross-country) tracked in real time
- Projected checkride and course completion dates
- Up-to-the-minute cost of training, and projected cost to completion
- Automated audits of lessons, hours, and training objectives
- To date, no Talon customer has been rejected for electronic recordkeeping by an aviation authority such as the FAA

Dispatch
Dispatch that sees the whole ramp
ETA Operations tracks the schedule as it happens. Students check in electronically, instructors authorize, and dispatchers get audio and visual cues for aircraft assignments and overdue aircraft.
- Aircraft and simulator check-out and check-in, interfaced with Talon RMS
- Hobbs and Tach times feed billing automatically
- Passenger manifests and cross-country flight following
- Flight Information File review and sign-off
ETA Operations
- Real-time schedule tracking
- Overdue aircraft notification
- Electronic student check-in
- Instructor authorization
- Electronic logbooks updated
Billing and payroll
Every activity priced as it's completed
ETA computes the cost of each activity from contract rates or individual student rates, with resource, instructor, and surcharge broken out. Hourly instructor payroll entries are generated automatically.
- Debit accounts with warnings or hard stops at a minimum balance
- Electronic and paper invoices
- Training, rental, administrative, and merchandise sales
- Trial balance and debit account reports
ETA Cashier
- Contract or individual rates
- Cost breakout per activity
- Pay-as-you-go checkout
- Instructor payroll entries
Configuration
Set up for how your school runs
Labels, pick lists, operating rules, grading standards, and time thresholds are all Definitions that your administrators set. Run multiple locations in one database, each with its own rules, at no extra cost for additional sites.
- User types with page access: No Access, Read Only, Limited Read, or Read/Write
- Different operating capabilities for each location
- Who, what, and when audit trail on every training activity
- AICC and SCORM compatible
ETA Definitions
- Courses, currencies, and qualifications
- Grading standards and course minimums
- Locations and resource configurations
- Contracts, charge codes, and payment methods
- User field labels and display names
Built for Everyone at Your School
Chief Instructors and Managers
- Every student's progress against plan
- Instructor pass rates and workload
- Alerts for activity outside the syllabus
Instructors
- Their schedule and pending authorizations
- Grade sheets that know the syllabus
- Currency expirations ahead of time
Students
- Their next lesson and schedule
- Course map, grades, and logbook
- Training cost to date
Dispatch and Front Desk
- Live schedule and aircraft status
- Check-in, check-out, and billing
- Overdue aircraft alerts
Works With the Rest of Talon
Talon RMS
Aircraft status and inspections flow into ETA Operations and Dispatch.
TalonSMART
Names, tail numbers, and more pull straight into new incident reports.
Talon Mobile
ETA on iOS and Android, with push notifications for schedule changes.
Reports and API
300+ reports and the Data Services API with live business events.
Jim has never let me down. He responded late at night, delivered a solution quickly, and saved me hours. I’m still very satisfied with our purchase of ETA!
Sean E. Heiner, Chief Flight Instructor
Utah State University
Read more from our customersGetting Started With Talon ETA
Our support team has run Talon themselves, as managers, instructors, and students.
- 1
A demo for your operation
Tell us what you want to solve and we'll tailor the demonstration. It typically runs about 1.5 hours per system, plus time for questions.
- 2
Setup and configuration
We import your courses, definitions, currencies, qualifications, and personnel, and consult with you on configuring Talon to the way your school runs.
- 3
Go-live
Most schools go live in 2 to 3 weeks, with training on-site and remote, and on-site support during go-live.
Common Questions
What is Talon ETA?
Can I schedule students and instructors from the same screen?
Does ETA manage academic ground school as well?
Can I use Talon ETA on mobile devices?
Does ETA support Part 61, 141, and 142, and collegiate programs?
Can I monitor student performance and course progress?
More answers on our FAQ page.
From Talon Insights
Articles from our team on running a flight training operation.

Flight School Operations
Modernizing Flight School Dispatch with Talon ETA Operations
How Talon ETA's Operations module cuts flight dispatch errors and speeds up check-in, aircraft assignment, and training flow.
Read article
Flight School Recordkeeping
Audit-Ready Recordkeeping for Flight Schools with Talon Systems
Complete, searchable training records protect your school in an audit. See how Talon ETA makes records easy to manage, search, and defend.
Read article
Flight School Scheduling
Why Flight Schedules Fall Apart – And How to Prevent It
Why flight schedules break down at flight schools, and how Talon ETA prevents instructor conflicts, aircraft shortages, and missed lessons.
Read articleFull Feature Breakdown
Every Talon ETA capability, grouped by area.
Request a Talon ETA Demo
Tell us how your school schedules and records training today, and we'll show you how ETA would handle it.
Office hours Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central. Emergency support 24/7/365.