Pilot Training Schools

As you evaluate pilot training schools, consider Paragon Flight. We provide professional flight lessons whether you are interested in flying for a major airline, for your business, or just for fun.

Paragon Flight, in Fort Myers, Florida, has been nationally honored in multiple years by AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) as one of the premier flight schools in the nation. These awards are based on direct customer feedback through polls conducted by AOPA.

You will train in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk,  the industry standard for professional flight training. The Skyhawk’s proven reliability, forgiving flight characteristics, and reputation as the safest general aviation aircraft ever built make it an amazing trainer and personal aircraft. It is the worldwide leader for flight training, and more pilots have launched their dreams in a Cessna 172 than in any other aircraft.

You can also earn hours toward the pilot license requirements by training on our ALSIM172 flight simulator which mimics a Cessna 172 equipped with Garmin G1000NXi avionics and is an exact button-for-button match to our standardized fleet of Skyhawks. This can be more cost effective than training in an aircraft. You’ll be able to land or depart from any airport in the country at the touch of a button.

FAA Certification

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has different requirements for pilot licensure or certification. The six types of U.S. pilot certificates a person can obtain are:

• Sport Pilot – This is the easiest and least restrictive certificate a student pilot can obtain. You are permitted to fly yourself and one passenger in daylight hours in good weather below 10,000 feet. It is the only pilot certificate that does not require an FAA medical certificate.
• Recreational Pilot – As a recreational pilot, you are certified to fly single-engine 4-seat aircraft of 180 horsepower or less only for pleasure in daylight hours in good weather below 10,000 feet. You are required to stay within 50 nautical miles of your home airport.
• Private Pilot – A private pilot is certified to fly day or night for pleasure or business, but cannot be paid to fly. The training requirements are more involved than those of the sport or recreational pilot, so private pilots are allowed to do much more.
• Commercial Pilot – The commercial pilot certificate allows you to be paid to fly (although there are some restrictions). Changes to FAA regulations now allow training received in Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA), such as our Cessna 172 Skyhawks, to substitute for training in a complex aircraft.
• Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) – The flight instructor certificate permits you to train other people to fly. If you have a commercial pilot certificate and want to gain hours or start a career in aviation, a flight instructor certificate is a logical next step. An instrument instructor rating (CFII) can also be added.
• Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) – Pilots who want to fly planes for scheduled commercial airlines are required to have the ATP certificate, which typically requires 1,500 hours of logged flight time.

Whether you’re looking for a fast-paced two-week program or a two-month program, Paragon Flight provides the finest pilot training programs available anywhere in the country.

As one of the best pilot training schools in the USA, Paragon Flight aims to provide every client with an outstanding flying and training experience. Get in touch with us today at (239) 274-3170 to explore the possibilities!