A Tecnam aircraft at the Flight Academy of South Texas [Credit: Jorge Whitley]
Key Takeaways:
The Flight Academy of South Texas (FAST), which opened in January and is rapidly growing, has taken delivery of its first Tecnam P-Mentor aircraft and plans to acquire five more.
FAST was founded by Jorge Whitley for his daughter, Fernanda, with the mission to inspire more women and young people in their community to pursue careers in aviation.
The school addresses common challenges in pilot training, such as unreliable old aircraft and high instructor turnover, by providing new, modern planes and consistent instruction, alongside advanced VR simulators.
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.
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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)
