Giving Wings Aviation, LLC

What Giving Wings Aviation, LLC does

Giving Wings Aviation, LLC is an independent, single-location flight center headquartered at 1170 Airport Access Rd., Traverse City, Michigan (KTVC). The company provides FAA Part 61 and Part 141 flight training, introductory flight experiences, aircraft maintenance under Part 43, and equipment rental, serving aspiring private pilots, aviation enthusiasts exploring Sport Pilot certificates, and aircraft owners in northern Michigan. Its core offerings are private-pilot and advanced-rating instruction (per-hour rates of $60 for fleet aircraft or $65 for non-fleet), wet rental of a four-aircraft fleet — two Van's RV-12iS light-sport aircraft with dual Garmin G3X Touch displays and Rotax 912 engines, and two legacy Cessna 172M aircraft retrofitted with dual Garmin G5 instruments and WAAS GPS — plus a Gleim Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD) simulator (N172SP) running X-Plane 11 with configurable 6-pack/GNS530 or G1000 avionics at $35/hr.

Revenue is generated through five usage-based streams: flight instruction, wet aircraft rental, $165 introductory flight lessons, $110/hr Part 43 maintenance labor, and simulator rental. Lead-conversion is direct-to-consumer via the flygwa.com website (integrated with FlightCircle booking for intros and rentals), supplemented by phone/email and an EAA Chapter 234 (KTVC) community channel. The curriculum has been re-positioned around the FAA's MOSAIC rule (effective October 22, 2025), with an explicit Sport Pilot track designed to capture expanded Light-Sport Aircraft privileges and simplified medical requirements.

The business is privately held with no disclosed external investors, parent entities, or funding rounds, and operates as an LLC under Michigan jurisdiction. Its competitive position is anchored on regulatory credentials (Part 61/Part 141), certificated CFI and A&P talent, a modern glass-cockpit fleet for a small regional market, an in-house maintenance shop that closes the loop on training and ownership services, and a Traverse City base providing Lake Michigan-area airspace for training.

Name

Giving Wings Aviation, LLC

Legal name

Giving Wings Aviation, LLC

Website

https://flygwa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Giving Wings Aviation is an independent Part 61/Part 141 flight training center and Part 43 maintenance shop at Traverse City, Michigan, serving aspiring private pilots, Sport Pilot candidates, and aircraft owners through per-hour flight instruction, wet aircraft rental, simulator rental, and maintenance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flight Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation (481211), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881)

SIC

Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services (THABAFAJ)

Keywords

• Flight training services
• Pilot certification
• Aircraft maintenance
• Introductory flight lessons
• Sport pilot training

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

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, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Flight Training Instruction: Revenue from flight instruction provided by certificated flight instructors for Private Pilot, Sport Pilot, and advanced ratings. Rates charged per hour of instruction.
2. Aircraft Rental (Wet): Aircraft rental revenue where fuel is included (wet rate). Fleet includes Cessna 172 and Van's RV-12iS aircraft charged per flight hour.
3. Introductory Flight Lessons: One-time introductory flight experiences priced at $165 for approximately one hour, including preflight briefing and hands-on flight time with a certificated flight instructor.
4. Aircraft Maintenance Services: Aircraft maintenance and repair services covering minor repairs to engine changes and airframe fixes, following Part 43 standards. Shop labor charged at $110/hr. Customers can participate in maintenance for discounted rates.
5. Flight Simulator Rental: Gleim BATD simulator rental at $35 per hour for practice and training sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Giving Wings Aviation operates a single-location flight center at Traverse City, MI offering FAA-certified flight training under Part 61 and Part 141, introductory flight lessons, Sport Pilot training, and full-service aircraft maintenance. The company provides access to a fleet of Van's RV-12iS and Cessna 172M aircraft, plus a Gleim BATD flight simulator, with all services delivered by certificated flight instructors and A&P mechanics.

Product overview

Giving Wings Aviation is a single-location flight center in Traverse City, MI, offering an integrated suite of aviation services. Its core offerings include introductory flight lessons (priced at $165), comprehensive flight training (Part 61 and Part 141), Sport Pilot training, aircraft maintenance, and fleet aircraft rental. The fleet consists of two Van's RV-12iS aircraft with Rotax 912 engines and Garmin G3X Touch avionics, and two Cessna 172M aircraft with Garmin G5 and WAAS GPS systems. Training is supported by a Gleim BATD simulator (N172SP) running X-Plane 11 with configurable avionics, available at $35/hr. Flight instruction is offered at $60/hr (fleet) or $65/hr (non-fleet). Aircraft are rented wet at $169–$179/hr depending on model. The business integrates with Flight Circle for booking, and recommends Gleim and Sporty's for online ground school.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flight Training
• Sport Pilot Training
• Introductory Flight Lesson
• Aircraft Maintenance
• Gleim BATD Simulator Rental

Quantifiable outcome

• Sport Pilot training takes approximately half the time of Private Pilot certificate
• +1 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Gleim Aviation: Provider of the BATD simulator (X-Plane 11, configurable Garmin avionics) that GWA operates and rents at $35/hr, plus a Gleim-recommended online ground school curriculum. Gleim is both an enabling supplier and an indirect training-services competitor.
• Flight Circle: Booking and e-commerce platform integrated into GWA's website for introductory flight and rental reservations. Flight Circle is the operational infrastructure provider for GWA's online booking motion and a market-vertical peer in flight-school commerce tooling.
• EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association): Aviation community organization (EAA Chapter 234 KTVC) explicitly referenced by GWA as a community engagement channel. EAA is an ecosystem peer — adjacent to flight training via Sport Pilot/Light-Sport culture rather than direct flight school competition.

Direct peers

• Aviator College: Specialized aviation college offering flight training programs for career-track pilots. Directly comparable to GWA's flight training operations as a focused, non-university flight school.
• Pilot Institute: Flight training provider offering ground school and flight training for Private, Sport, and advanced ratings. Overlaps directly with GWA's Part 61/141, Sport Pilot, and rating offerings, though Pilot Institute is more digitally distributed.
• American Flyers: Multi-location flight training school offering Part 61 and Part 141 programs, aircraft rental, and pilot supplies. Operates a similar service stack to GWA (training + rental) at greater scale and geographic reach.
• ATP Flight School: Largest US flight training organization, operating a multi-location Part 141 career-track program. ATP is the closest scale comparable to GWA's flight training offering, though much larger and geographically distributed; both target aspiring Private Pilot / career-track students.

Broad incumbents

• CAE: Global aviation training leader including the former FlightSafety International. CAE is the broad incumbent in aviation training services; while its focus is higher-end crew training, its scale and certification footprint anchor the training market GWA participates in.
• Sporty's Pilot Shop: Major pilot training materials retailer and Part 141 flight school operator. Sporty's is one of the two online ground school providers GWA recommends (Gleim being the other), making it a directly adjacent competitor and channel partner.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Largest US university-based aviation program with full Part 141 flight training. Represents the academic-track incumbent comparable to GWA's structured flight training programs and competes for the same aspiring pilot pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giving-wings-aviation-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Giving Wings Aviation, LLC