Six flight schools and six flight instructors were chosen as the most excellent in their region in the 2024 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Flight Training Experience Survey.
AOPA officials note they received thousands of submissions from students and pilots across the country.
The survey asked student pilots, newly minted pilots, and pilots pursuing advanced ratings or taking a flight review for feedback about the quality of their flight training and instruction experience. The survey gave respondents the opportunity to highlight the best parts of their flight training and identify where flight schools and instructors may want to make improvements.
Of the regional winners, one flight school and one flight instructor will be recognized as the nation’s best at the Redbird Migration, a flight training conference slated for March 5-6, 2024, at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Houston.
“This year we have seen something similar to past years,” said Chris Moser, AOPA’s senior director of flight training education. “The emphasis was on how much the best schools and instructors made their customers feel like family. Whether through creating a warm or welcoming atmosphere, or simply just being there when the client needs them, I am excited to hear about the strong community that is being built right from the start.”
Regional Winners
Flight Schools
- Central Southwest: Code 1 Flight Training, Wills Point, Texas
- Eastern: Air Ventures Flying School, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
- Great Lakes: Pilot Flight Training Courses, Lake in the Hills, Illinois
- Pacific: Mike Smith Aviation, Napa, California
- Southern: Aviator Zone Academy, Miami, Florida
- Western: Copper City Aviation Services, Bisbee, Arizona
Flight Instructors
- Central Southwest: Norm Rathje, Wills Point, Texas
- Eastern: Malinda (Lin) Caywood, Frederick, Maryland
- Great Lakes: Ernest Boys, Lake in the Hills, Illinois
- Pacific: Margaret Watt, Hollister, California
- Southern: Kurt Belsten, Melbourne, Florida
- Western: Kerry Constable, Scottsdale, Arizona
For more information: AOPA.org