It’s been the summer of fun at Paragon Flight Training. Of course, there is always the thrill of flight, but it seemed to be amplified this summer due to several factors. First – and an overarching theme these past few months – has been action. There’s simply been an unprecedented amount of positive activity permeating around Paragon Flight’s orbit.

Our primary focus is always on our students, and it really is gratifying to see so many people of all ages and backgrounds pursuing their passion for flight in recent months. Student enrollment is exceptionally strong and reaching record levels as the number of individuals seeking careers as commercial pilots continues to increase, prompted by the pilot shortage and the opportunity for financially and professionally rewarding careers. (Follow us on Instagram to see all the new wall signings on what is affectionately known as our “Wall of Awesomeness” – an example of the importance we place on culture and tradition at Paragon Flight.)

I can’t think of June without again giving a shout out to the Birds of Paragon: Katie Truedson, Connie Hite, and Cassie Thompson-Pride. This trio of Paragon Flight talent brought home a second-place win as a rookie team as well as “Fastest Piper” in the 45th annual Air Race Classic (ARC) – an all-female cross-country air race that tests pilots’ skills over four days through changing terrain, weather, winds and airspace. Thank you to these women who represent the very best of what Paragon Flight has to offer.

In July, with national attention focused on the busy summer travel season and the magnified need for commercial pilots, Wink News reported in detail on our newly designed Professional Pilot Program (P3), which accelerates the training necessary to obtain one’s commercial license. You can watch the clip here.

What a perfect segue to recall another July milestone: our Chief Flight Instructor Jeff Wolf was named the 2021-2022 recipient of the Excellence in Pilot Training Award from the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). I’m planning a tribute blog of sorts in November when Jeff officially receives the award in Miami, but our entire organization was busting with pride at this well-deserved recognition.

In August, we expanded our reach with an office at the newly expanded Charlotte County Airport PGD Air Center in Punta Gorda. Poised for continued growth, Paragon Flight is pleased to be part of this growing aviation community – which coincidentally is an area that many of our students call home.

All of this action took place at a period where Paragon Flight experienced the highest fuel prices in our history – admittedly not fun. It’s one of the challenges of doing business in an era of high inflation. With a sliding scale on pricing, it was painful to pass along the price of the pump to students as well, but as fuel prices continue go back down as they are currently doing, so do the costs for students.

If you’ve caught the flying bug and think Paragon Flight might be the right fit for your training, we’d love to chat. Reach out to our student ambassador at SA@paragonflight.com.