Florida-based Epic Flight Academy (EFA) has opened a satellite operation in Arizona.
The ribbon cutting was held Friday, October 27, at Tucson International Airport (KTUS).
“We chose the location because of the climate and variety of airspace, so the pilots get to experience the full range,” said Cindy Lovell, director of education for Epic Flight Academy.
Lovell added that the location has taken possession of three fresh-from-the-factory Cessna 172 Skyhawks with the understanding that more aircraft will be added as more pilots join the program. It also has an advanced aviation training device (AATD), a Precision Flight Control GTX Max, that can be used in a variety of training applications.
According to Lovell, the program is designed for both domestic and foreign students.
“For domestic applicants, they go from private pilot up through instructor, because in the U.S. they need to build their time,”Lovell said. “It takes approximately one year. We hire them to teach at our school because we need instructors all the time, and we know they have been trained to the highest standard. As soon as they hit 1,500 hours, they are off to our partner airlines.”
Lovell also pointed out that Epic has partnerships with colleges and encourages its clients to obtain a college degree in something they can fall back on just in case the aviation career doesn’t work out or meet their expectations.
The foreign students achieve their commercial certificates then return to their home countries, where they may be placed in the right seat of an airliner to build experience. This can take as little as seven months.
About Epic Flight Academy
Epic Flight Academy was established in 1999 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The location offers training for both pilots and maintenance technicians. As the needs of the aviation industry increased, EFA has been scouting and establishing new facilities to meet the demand.
“We’ve received an incredibly warm welcome from everyone at Tucson International Airport and Million Air Tucson,” said Brock Rees, director of satellite operations at Epic. “They have been extremely helpful in setting up the flight school.”
Added Danny Perna, Epic’s founder and CEO: “Tucson has been a great choice as another location for us. The climate and airspace are perfect for flight training. I also echo Brock’s sentiments. Everyone has been so helpful since we made the decision to open a new school here. The grand opening was an incredible event. We thank the [Tucson Metro] Chamber, CommuteAir, and the staff at Million Air Tucson.”
For additional information visit Epicflightacademy.com/locations.
