Most pilots know Sporty’s for its famous “Pilot Shop” mail-order pilot supply business. But for more than 20 years, Sporty’s has been not only a place where you can buy “Learn to Fly Here!” signs, but also a place where aspiring pilots can learn to fly.
Sporty’s founder and chairman, Hal Shevers, was a flight instructor even before he founded Sporty’s in 1960. In fact, one of the first products the company offered was a three-day ground school, and flight-training materials were always included in the Sporty’s catalog. But in 1987, Shevers expanded the flight-training portion of the business substantially when Sporty’s took over the FBO at the Clermont County Airport (I69) in Batavia, Ohio, purchased four training airplanes and launched the Sporty’s Academy flight school. At the same time, Sporty’s began expanding the development of its own training materials. Today, Sporty’s instructional DVD series are known throughout the industry.
