You're here because you want to learn to fly.

We welcome and teach both career airline and private recreational flight students at all of our locations.

You can flight-train in the major metropolitan areas of New York and North Carolina.

Want to fly for fun?

Academy of Aviation has locations on Long Island and White Plains in New York and Charlotte/Gastonia in North Carolina. You will fly small planes in the same airspace as major flights going in and out of JFK and Charlotte Douglas International, and learning to become a pilot in these airspaces will give you the experience and confidence to fly anywhere.

If you are career-minded:

One of the most compelling comparisons between Academy of Aviation and a four-year college is the time/money factor. Unlike a full-time college commitment, we get you into the air for the full duration of your training. If you’ve got your heart set on a career as an airline pilot, our career-oriented programs will put you on a direct course to your goal in much less time, and for less money than a college or university.

A central distinction between an independent FAA-certified instructor and the Career Pilot track at Academy of Aviation is determined by our ACCSC Accreditation. You can train at a school recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. ACCSC serves as the designated institutional accrediting agency for 700 trade and technical schools that provide quality vocational education to over 150,000 students each year.

As an enrollee of Academy of Aviation's Career Pilot program, we encourage students to apply for a Certified Flight Instructor job upon graduation.

A position as an AOA flight instructor allows you to build experience and flight time; in about 18-22 months, you can build the flight experience required for the ATP Certificate and 1500-hour airline hiring minimums. The Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate is the highest level of aircraft pilot certificate.

A Full student financing option is available for our Career Pilot program.

F-1 Visa Training at Academy of Aviation

F-1 Visa Commercial Pilot plus Flight Instructor Program with work opportunity as a US Certified Flight Instructor (upon successful completion of the program) for the airline-oriented, career minded International Student.

Aerobatics Training at AOA!

Experience the total freedom and excitement of aerobatic flight training in Academy of Aviation's AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8KCAB SUPER DECATHLON. Improve your pilot skills in precision and coordination. Become a safer pilot and strengthen your self confidence.

6-Step Guide: How To Become A Pilot

Individuals interested in becoming a pilot will first need to determine what type of license they want to earn. The FAA offers several types of pilot certifications, including sport pilot, private pilot and commercial pilot. At Academy of Aviation, we specialize in both Private and Career Pilot course tracks.

We feature a definitive 6-step guide to becoming a pilot. You can do it, and our financial aid options can get you in the cockpit. Every hour of training and flight instruction is logged to ensure new pilots have completed the minimum hours needed to learn how to fly an airplane.

AOA Blog: What's on our minds?

Visit here often as pilots, instructors, people in the flight school business and people interested in what the current state of flight training have to say about the state and future of the aviation education industry. Also Academy of Aviation news and announcements will keep you updated on special events at all of our locations.

Take a look at some of our more popular and latest posts:

F-1 Visa
Academy of Aviation is fully approved to issue the F-1 Visa to international students.

Aerobatics Training
Experience the total freedom and excitement of aerobatic flight training in Academy of Aviation's AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8KCAB SUPER DECATHLON. Improve your pilot skills in precision and coordination. Become a safer pilot and strengthen your self confidence.

March 21, 2020 Open House!
Join AOA on March 21, 2020 at our Farmingdale (FRG) location for our biggest Open House ever. Free refreshments, airplane tours and guest speakers will guarantee a great day and an informative experience about learning about flight training.

The Vocational Trajectory
We consider two very different approaches to flight education: vocational private flight school training vs. going to college for a four-year degree program.

Flight School vs. College/University
Another education comparison that features an in-depth discussion about the merits of a shorter flight school timeline vs. a long-term college commitment, and why the time/experience/seniority factor should be considered when studying to become a professional pilot in today's job market.

The Pilot Shortage
You hear it everywhere: the world is experiencing a pilot shortage and there has never been a better time to become a commercial airline pilot. We check out the facts and link out to some really cool stats and discussions.

Alternative Professional Pilot Careers
So you want to fly but maybe not the on the traditional pilot/passenger jumbo jet route? Find out about other pilot career possibilities, and watch some videos that we feel will motivate you to start your journey to the skies, wherever your personal skies may be.

We've compiled a fun list of some of our favorite flight training and aviation articles for you to enjoy (tap here to go directly to our Flight Training courses).

How Much Do Pilots Make? Salaries From the Regionals to $400,000 Captains in Asia - Read about how and where you can make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year doing what you really love; flying airplanes.

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Insider Series: How Are Major Airlines’ Pilots Trained? - A fun read about the complexities of learning to fly a 747 and the disaster training that you'll most likely never need in the real world.

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What do long haul airline pilots do during cruise? - Wondering if your five-hour flight is all cockpit time, or is there a free moment for coffee? Read this interesting chat session and see what down-time on a flight crew is really like.

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Here’s Why It’s a Great Time to Be an Airline Pilot - Here are some real facts about why it's a job-seekers' market in the aviation industry today.

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Q&A With The Pilot - Squealing noises? 3/2 seat configuration? Deadheading? Read answers to questions you probably never thought about.

Q&A With The Pilot, 2 - We loved the first one, so here's the second installment. And what's up with Seat 13A??

Q&A With The Pilot, 3 - Back for more. Find out when and why a 757 cockpit's side window is opened for fresh air.

Q&A With The Pilot, 4 - These Q&A sessions are too good to resisit for aviation enthusiasts. Our caps off to Patrick Smith for his amazing blog.

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Why Pilots Are Always Calling Everyone 'Roger' - We'd like to know!

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How To Speak Airline: A Glossary for Travelers - Pretty self explanatory, although we think flight training students would get a kick out of this also.

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Thank You, Pilots - A personal story about knowing you're in good hands.

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How Becoming A Pilot Improved My Non-Aviation-Related Career - A different take, but an intersting one none the less.

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Boeing Powers Up 777X Test Aircraft's Systems - One for the techies... a first look and final-body-join video. Awesome stuff from Boeing!

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JANET, America’s Most Secret Airline, Is Hiring - Career goals: fly the non-existent skies!

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