Horizon Aviation

What Horizon Aviation does

Horizon Aviation (legal name: New Horizon Aviation, Inc.) is a privately held, Part 141 FAA-approved flight school operating two locations in the Northeast US — a primary base at TF Green Airport (PVD) in Warwick, RI, and a secondary location at Norwood Memorial Airport (OWD) in Norwood, MA, together serving the Providence and Greater Boston metro areas. As an official Cessna Pilot Center since 2018, the school runs a fleet of 13 Cessna aircraft supported by a Redbird LD flight simulator, and holds FAA Examining Authority for both Private Pilot and Instrument Rating courses, enabling in-house checkrides. The school was founded and operated for over 20 years by Zeke and Vicky, with ownership formally transitioning to Mike and Brian in February 2026 while the founders retained Chief Instructor roles.

The company offers a full pilot certification pathway from Private Pilot through Commercial Pilot and CFI ratings, plus advanced modules (Instrument Rating, complex/tailwheel endorsements, tailwheel training in an ACA Super Decathlon), targeted programs for international students and VA-funded veterans, and 10-week ground school courses ($500/person at Warwick). Revenue is primarily usage-based — hourly aircraft rental plus instructor fees — with ground school as a fixed-fee supplement. Go-to-market is direct sales: prospective students contact the school by phone (Warwick: 401-736-5115, Norwood: 781-762-7600) or in-person, supplemented by content marketing through blog posts, Facebook/Instagram, and community events (Hangar Day, airport movie nights). Pricing is opaque publicly; rates were raised in March 2022 (the first increase since February 2020), and Horizon positions itself as the most affordable, well-maintained training fleet in the region.

Horizon serves five core customer segments: aspiring recreational pilots, career-focused pilots (aspiring airline/military/corporate aviators), international students, VA-funded veterans, and returning/rusty pilots resuming flying after a hiatus. The value proposition rests on structured curriculum, instructor quality (former airline and military pilots on staff), regulatory credentials (Part 141, Examining Authority), and OEM-backed materials via the Cessna Pilot Center designation. There is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, and no parent company — the business appears to be founder-financed and ownership-transitioned internally. There are no AI/ML capabilities, no software products, and no data-driven revenue streams; the proposition is fundamentally human-instructor-intensive, durable in its current form but with limited software-style scalability.

Name

Horizon Aviation

Legal name

New Horizon Aviation, Inc.

Website

https://horizonaviation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Horizon Aviation is a Part 141 FAA-approved flight school operating a 13-Cessna fleet and Redbird simulator at two Northeast US airports, serving aspiring recreational, career-focused, international, VA-funded, and returning pilots from first lesson through professional certification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flight Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Flight training services
• Pilot certification
• Aviation education
• FAA Part 141
• Cessna flight school

Headquarters

HQ city

Warwick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Flight Training Services: Hourly training rates for flight instruction and aircraft rental. Programs include Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, and CFI training. Effective March 21, 2022, hourly training rates increased for the first time in several years. Previous rate increase was February 1, 2020.
2. Ground School Courses: 10-week Private Pilot ground school offered at Warwick, RI location for $500 per person, covering all material for the Private Pilot written exam.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Horizon Aviation is a Part 141 FAA-approved flight school operating at two locations in Warwick, RI (TF Green Airport) and Norwood, MA (Norwood Memorial Airport). The school provides structured pilot training programs—from first lesson through Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial, and CFI certifications—delivered via a 13-aircraft Cessna fleet and a Redbird LD flight simulator. As an official Cessna Pilot Center with FAA Examining Authority for Private Pilot and Instrument Rating checkrides, Horizon Aviation sells recurring flight instruction hours and aircraft rental to aspiring recreational and professional pilots.

Product overview

Horizon Aviation is a Part 141 FAA approved flight school offering a comprehensive suite of pilot training programs. As an official Cessna Pilot Center, they operate a fleet of 13 Cessna aircraft for training. The core offering is their Private Pilot License program, supplemented by advanced training modules including instrument rating, career training, and tailwheel endorsement. Training is enhanced through Redbird flight simulators. The school operates two locations in Providence, RI and Norwood, MA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Pilot License Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Graduates have gone on to fly for major airlines, the military, and corporate aviation departments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cessna (Textron Aviation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Official Cessna Pilot Center designation. Horizon works directly with Cessna to access training materials and receive support for the most thorough training possible. The fleet of 13 Cessna airplanes is maintained under this relationship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ATP Flight School: Largest US Part 141 flight school chain with multiple locations nationwide. Operates a structured airline-oriented training pathway directly comparable to Horizon's career-track programs.
• Sporty's Academy: Part 141 flight academy affiliated with Sporty's Pilot Shop, offering Private through CFI programs. Comparable to Horizon in curriculum depth and recreational/career crossover customer base.
• Pan Am International Flight Academy: Flight training academy offering Part 141 programs with international student support and airline-oriented career pathways. Comparable to Horizon's career training and international student offerings.
• American Flyers: Multi-location Part 141 flight school chain offering Private through ATP training and instrument programs, similar in scope to Horizon's career training pipeline.
• Sierra Academy of Aeronautics: Part 141 flight academy offering career-track pilot training. Comparable to Horizon in program structure and target audience, though based in California rather than the Northeast.
• Above the Clouds Aviation: Flight school also based at Norwood Memorial Airport (OWD) in Massachusetts. Directly overlaps with Horizon on geography, target customers, and Part 141-style training offerings.

Broad incumbents

• CAE: Global aviation training provider operating flight training centers and full-motion simulators. Competes in the broader pilot training market, particularly for career-track and simulator-based instruction.
• FlightSafety International: Major aviation training company offering pilot, maintenance, and cabin crew training across simulator and aircraft platforms. Competes broadly with Horizon in the pilot training category but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: University-based aviation programs including Part 141 flight training through the student career pathway. Competes with Horizon for career-track candidates but offers a degree-based delivery model.

Emerging players

• King Schools: Aviation training content provider (online ground school, test prep, and live training) used widely by flight students. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but supports and competes for the same aspiring pilot audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FlyHorizonAviation
• Instagraminstagram.com/FlyHorizonAviation
• Xx.com/flyhorizonaviat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horizon-aviation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Horizon Aviation