A Tecnam aircraft at the Flight Academy of South Texas [Credit: Jorge Whitley]
Key Takeaways:
The Flight Academy of South Texas (FAST) recently opened, founded by Jorge Whitley for his daughter Fernanda, with a mission to inspire women and youth in the community to pursue aviation.
FAST is experiencing rapid growth with 20 students and has taken delivery of its first new Tecnam P-Mentor, with plans to acquire five more to meet demand.
The academy aims to overcome common student pilot challenges by providing modern, reliable aircraft, advanced VR simulators, and stable instruction, addressing issues like old, frequently grounded planes and high CFI turnover.
The flight school opened in January and, according to school officials, is experiencing rapid growth, with 20 students enrolled. To meet the growing demand, plans are in place for the academy to acquire five more P-Mentors.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![A Tecnam aircraft at the Flight Academy of South Texas [Credit: Jorge Whitley]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Hunt-Panam-Jan22-370-1.jpg)
