Pilot Instructional Center

What Pilot Instructional Center does

Pilot Instructional Center is a family-owned Federal Aviation Regulation Part 61 flight training school headquartered at New Century AirCenter (KIXD) in New Century, Kansas, serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The school offers a multi-tier certificate and rating portfolio — Sport Pilot, Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), and Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) — bundled into a structured Airline Pilot Track for aspiring professional aviators, alongside recreational and discovery flights for local residents. The instructor team is led by Gold Seal-certified CFIs with 30+ years of combined instructional experience, and the school has trained more than 15,000 pilots over its operating history, per company disclosure.

The school's operating asset base consists of three Cessna 172 airframes — a 1974 Cessna 172M (N13659), a G1000-equipped Cessna 172S (N6019V), and an IFR-equipped 1974 Cessna 172M (N46091) — augmented by a Redbird FMX Full Motion Aviation Training Device (AATD) used for instrument procedure and scenario training. This fleet-and-simulator combination supports both VFR and IFR syllabi and enables lower-cost simulator-based hours at a $60/hr block rate for relevant training tasks.

The business model is per-program, per-student tuition: Private Pilot packages are priced $12,000-$25,000, Instrument Rating $8,000-$15,000, Commercial $25,000-$35,000, CFI approximately $6,000, and CFII approximately $5,100, with a $200 Discovery Flight that converts to enrollment credit as the top-of-funnel acquisition mechanism. Distribution is omnichannel through the school website, local word-of-mouth, and (as of March 2026) a formal digital marketing partnership with Right Rudder Marketing. The school is privately held, founder- and family-run, and reports no external venture or institutional funding.

Name

Pilot Instructional Center

Legal name

Pilot Instructional Center

Website

https://pilotinstructionalcenter.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Pilot Instructional Center is a family-owned FAA Part 61 flight school at New Century AirCenter (KIXD) in the Kansas City metro, training individual students from Sport Pilot through Commercial and CFI/CFII ratings, including a packaged Airline Pilot Track.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Flight Training

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Technical and Trade Schools (61151)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Flight training school
• Pilot certification programs
• Instrument rating training
• Commercial pilot license
• Certified flight instructor

Headquarters

HQ city

New Century

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Flight Instruction Services: Revenue generated from hourly flight instruction with certified flight instructors. Includes all ratings from Sport Pilot through Commercial Pilot, CFI, and CFII.
2. Aircraft Rental: Charges for aircraft rental during training flights, billed per flight hour.
3. Simulator Training: Revenue from Redbird FMX simulator usage, offered at $60/hour block rates for 10+ hours purchased.
4. Discovery Flights: Introductory flight experiences at $200, with money-back guarantee upon enrollment.
5. Financing/Payment Plans: Partnership with aviation financing programs and pay-as-you-go options to make training more accessible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pilot Instructional Center provides FAA Part 61 flight training programs leading to Sport Pilot, Private Pilot (PPL), Instrument Rating (IR), Commercial Pilot (CPL), Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), and Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) certifications, delivered via one-on-one instruction in a Cessna 172 fleet and the Redbird FMX full-motion simulator. The school packages these into a structured Airline Pilot Track career pathway, supported by ground school instruction, simulator block rate packages, and Discovery Flights as the introductory entry point.

Product overview

Pilot Instructional Center (PIC) operates as a flight training school offering a unified portfolio of pilot certification programs under Part 61 regulations. The core offering consists of sequential rating programs: Sport Pilot (entry-level), Private Pilot (PPL), Instrument Rating (IR), Commercial Pilot (CPL), Flight Instructor (CFI), and Instrument Instructor (CFII), which students progress through to build toward professional aviation careers. The Airline Pilot Track serves as the umbrella career pathway connecting all programs. Supporting these are add-on training resources: the Redbird FMX Full Motion Simulator (AATD) for instrument and commercial training, ground school instruction, and simulator block rate packages. The training fleet consists of three Cessna 172 aircraft variants (two 172M models and one 172S with G1000 glass cockpit) providing progressive aircraft technology from classic to modern configurations. Discovery Flights function as the entry touchpoint for prospective students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Pilot Program Entry-level Part 61 pilot training program for recreational flying, designed for individuals seeking to become sport pilots with lower time and cost requirements.
• Private Pilot (PPL) Program Foundational Part 61 pilot certification program teaching navigation, weather, and safety basics, typically completed in 3-4 months with dedicated training; the first milestone for all aspiring pilots.
• Instrument Rating (IR) Program Advanced Part 61 training enabling pilots to fly safely through clouds and low-visibility conditions using cockpit instruments only; a critical certification for professional aviation careers.
• Commercial Pilot License (CPL) Program Professional-grade Part 61 pilot certification qualifying graduates to be compensated for flying; the milestone certification for career-bound pilots pursuing airline, corporate, or charter operations.
• Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Program Certified Flight Instructor rating program enabling pilots to teach others to fly while building flight hours toward airline careers.
• Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) Program Certified Flight Instructor Instrument rating program for teaching instrument flying techniques to student pilots.
• Airline Pilot Track Structured Part 61 career pathway program guiding students from first flight through airline eligibility, designed to take aspiring pilots from zero experience to professional cockpit readiness.
• Discovery Flight
• Redbird FMX Full Motion Simulator Training
• Ground School
• Simulator Block Rate Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 40% reduction in flight hour expenses for active IFR candidates using simulator training
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Right Rudder MarketingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 March 2026Strategic partnership with Right Rudder Marketing, a digital marketing agency serving flight schools. Under the agreement, RRM leads PIC's digital marketing strategy using SEO, paid advertising, content marketing, and conversion services. The engagement aims to position PIC as the leading flight training provider in the Kansas City metropolitan area and increase enrollment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CAE: CAE is a global aviation training provider operating the world's largest network of full-flight simulators and ab initio pilot academies. It overlaps with PIC on professional pilot preparation and on simulator-based instruction, but at a much larger, often airline-sponsored scale.
• FlightSafety International: FlightSafety International, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, is a global aviation training organization serving professional pilots and operators with simulator-led programs. While much larger and corporate-focused, it overlaps with PIC's commercial/instrument training and competes for advanced-rating students and instructor talent.
• ATP Flight School: ATP is the largest US flight training chain, offering Part 141 and Part 61 programs from zero time through airline-oriented career tracks across dozens of locations. It is directly comparable to PIC on curriculum (PPL through ATP-CTP) and target customer (career-track pilots), but operates at vastly greater national scale.
• University of North Dakota Aerospace (UND): UND's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is one of the largest collegiate aviation programs in the US, offering PPL through ATP and related ratings. It competes for career-track pilot aspirants and produces airline-ready graduates comparable to PIC's Airline Pilot Track cohort.

Direct peers

• Guidance Aviation: Guidance Aviation operates Part 141 helicopter and fixed-wing programs in Arizona targeting career-track pilots. It is comparable to PIC as a private, mission-driven flight school with structured career-pathway curricula serving a similar persona.
• Epic Flight Academy: Epic Flight Academy is a Part 141 flight school with multiple US locations providing PPL, IR, CPL, and CFI programs similar to PIC's curriculum. It competes for the same aspiring professional pilots but with broader geographic reach and larger fleet capacity.
• Sporty's Pilot Shop & Flight Training Academy: Sporty's operates a well-known Part 61 flight academy in Batavia, Ohio alongside its pilot supplies business, offering the same ratings as PIC (PPL, IR, CPL, CFI). It is a leading direct-to-consumer alternative with strong content and brand assets analogous to PIC's blog and community-led GTM.

Regional players

• Kings Schools: Kings Schools is a long-established Part 141 flight school based in Florida offering the same certification ladder from Private through CFI/CFII as PIC. It is comparable on curriculum and customer persona but operates in a different geographic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Pilot Instructional Center