A new flight school, TruFlight Academy, has opened at Gundy’s Airport (O38) in Owasso, Oklahoma.
Operated by Todd and Scarlett Guison, the school specializes in helicopter flight training using a Cabri G2 helicopter.
The new owners note that while there is a big general aviation presence in the area, with many small airports, there is a very small helicopter community.
In addition to hangar and office facilities for teaching, TruFlight has set up student housing on site for students traveling for their training. Company officials said they are working towards an FAA Part 141 program and partnering with community colleges, fixed-wing flight schools, and flying clubs.
Todd Guison grew up in a military family and was specifically influenced by his grandfather, who was a World War II aviator. At a young age, he went to his uncle’s change of command and sat in a helicopter for the first time.
“I remember thinking this is the coolest thing I’d seen in my whole life,” he said. “There was no going back.”
He began flight training as a teenager. After his freshman year of college, he enlisted with the Army for a year before moving to North Dakota to join the ROTC and its helicopter program. After he graduated from college, he went to Army flight school before going on to spend eight years in active duty flying all over the U.S., Europe, Afghanistan, and Korea. Most of his army time was spent in the Black Hawk.
He remains part of the National Guard and flies the Lakota on the weekends when he isn’t training his students in the G2.
For more information: TruFlightAcademy.com