Dragon Flight Training Academy

What Dragon Flight Training Academy does

Dragon Flight Training Academy is a privately held Part 61 flight school founded in 2021 and based at North Perry Airport (KHWO) in Pembroke Pines, Florida, approximately 15 minutes from Miami. The school delivers FAA-certified pilot training from a 60-minute discovery flight through the full zero-to-airline-job career path (Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, CFI, and Multi-Engine), targeting two core customer segments: aspiring recreational pilots and career-focused pilot trainees, with a secondary segment of licensed pilots seeking additional ratings. Operations are run by two principal personnel — Daniel Pichardo (Chief Pilot, CFI/CFII, 1,500+ hours) and Guillermo Pichardo (Chief Inspector, 35+ years airline and MRO experience, A&P/IA authority) — in a deliberately small-team model that the school markets as "small on purpose."

The school operates a fleet of four IFR-certified aircraft: three 2006 Liberty XL2 trainers (Lady Liberty N566XL, California N527XL with dual Garmin G5s, and Melbourne N570XL) plus a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche (Muscle Manche) for multi-engine and ATP hour building. Aircraft maintenance is performed in-house by the Chief Inspector to airline standards rather than outsourced to a typical Part 145 shop, which the school cites as a structural advantage in dispatch reliability. Ground school is delivered via Sporty's online course, scheduling runs on Flight Schedule Pro, and student documents are hosted in Google Drive; the business has no AI/ML technology layer.

Dragon Flight's revenue model is direct-to-consumer and entirely usage-based: discovery flights at $230, aircraft rental at $150/hr wet (Liberty XL2) and $350/hr wet (Twin Comanche), instructor time at $85/hr, shared time-building at $75/hr wet per pilot, and bundled program estimates ranging from $19,059 (Private Pilot) to $66,002 (zero-to-airline-job). Pricing is published openly with a live cost calculator, and students pay as they fly rather than via lump-sum tuition. Supporting revenue streams include aircraft ferry services ($495/day domestic, $695/day international) and aircraft rental to licensed pilots. The school has no disclosed external funding, no institutional investors, and no parent company; it is owner-operated and bootstrapped.

Name

Dragon Flight Training Academy

Legal name

Dragon Flight Training Academy

Website

https://dragon.flights

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dragon Flight Training Academy is a Part 61 flight school at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida, delivering FAA pilot training from discovery flights through airline-track certification for individual consumer students using an in-house maintained four-aircraft fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Flight Training

NAICS

Flight Training (611512), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHABAFAJ

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services

Travel & Hospitality/Airlines & Air Travel/Private Aviation (Business Jets & Air Taxi)

SECONDARYEDABALAC

Aviation & Aerospace

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Industry-Specific Professional Training (e.g., Healthcare, Manufacturing, Construction)

Keywords

• Flight training services
• Pilot certification
• Aircraft rental
• Flight instruction
• Aviation training

Headquarters

HQ city

Pembroke Pines

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

Revenue model

1. Flight Instruction Services: Revenue from flight and ground instruction billed at $85/hr. Instructor-led dual flight training and ground school instruction for Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, and Multi-Engine programs.
2. Aircraft Rental: Revenue from aircraft rental including Liberty XL2 at $150/hr wet and Twin Comanche at $350/hr wet. Time-building shared rates at $75-175/hr per pilot depending on aircraft and block commitment. Fuel is included in all wet rates.
3. Training Program Packages: Complete training packages priced from $19,059 (Private Pilot) to $66,002 (full zero-to-hired path). Includes various combinations of flight hours, ground instruction, written tests, checkrides, and required materials. Students pay as they fly, lesson by lesson.
4. Discovery Flight: One-time 60-minute introductory flight at $230, including airplane, fuel, and instructor. Serves as both marketing/acquisition tool and standalone revenue stream.
5. Aircraft Ferry Services: Day-rate based ferry services for piston aircraft repositioning. Domestic at $495/day, international at $695/day, plus documented expenses. Covers single-engine, light twin-engine, complex, and technically advanced aircraft delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Dragon Flight Training Academy is an FAA-certified flight training school based at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, Florida, providing a complete pilot training pathway from zero experience through Airline Transport Pilot certification. Its sellable offerings include discovery flights, Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial, Multi-Engine Add-On, CFI and ATP certificate programs, time building, aircraft rental, and aircraft ferry services, all delivered with its own fleet of IFR-approved Cessna and Piper aircraft.

Product overview

Dragon Flight Training Academy operates as a unified flight school offering a complete pathway from zero experience to airline pilot career. The core offering consists of structured pilot certificate programs (Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Flight Instructor, ATP) along with discovery flights for prospective students. The company maintains an in-house fleet of four aircraft (three Liberty XL2 trainers and one Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche) for training and time-building purposes. Supporting services include aircraft rental, shared time-building programs at reduced hourly rates, and aircraft ferry services for domestic and international repositioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discovery Flight A short introductory flight experience offered to individuals with no prior flight experience so they can try flying before committing to formal pilot training. Targets aviation-curious consumers and prospective student pilots.
• Private Pilot Certificate Program FAA Private Pilot certificate training for aspiring student pilots with no prior experience, covering ground school and flight instruction to first solo and checkride.
• Instrument Rating Program Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rating training for pilots who already hold a Private Pilot certificate, using the academy's IFR-approved aircraft to teach instrument flying and approach procedures.
• Commercial Pilot Certificate Program FAA Commercial Pilot certificate training for pilots seeking to fly professionally, building on prior certificates with advanced maneuvers and complex aircraft operations.
• Multi-Engine Add-On Rating Multi-engine rating training added on to an existing pilot certificate, allowing pilots to operate twin-engine aircraft.
• Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) Certificate Program Flight instructor certification training that qualifies commercial pilots to teach others to fly, often a stepping stone toward building hours for airline employment.
• Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate Program Highest-level FAA pilot certificate training, preparing experienced pilots to serve as captain or first officer at a Part 121 airline.
• Time Building Program Hour-building flight time offered at the academy's marketed lowest time-building rates, allowing pilots to log the flight hours required for advanced certificates and airline hiring minimums.
• Aircraft Rental Hourly rental of the academy's IFR-approved Cessna and Piper training aircraft for licensed pilots to fly for personal use, time building, or cross-country travel.
• Aircraft Ferry Services Ferry pilot service in which the academy provides a certified pilot to relocate an aircraft domestically for an owner, dealer, or operator.

Quantifiable outcome

• Most students complete Private Pilot in 6-9 months at approximately $19,059
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ATP Flight School: ATP is the largest Part 141 flight training chain in the U.S., offering a comparable zero-to-airline career pathway with published pricing and multi-location scale. It is the closest direct competitor on product, curriculum, and target customer (career-track pilot trainees).
• Epic Flight Academy: Epic Flight Academy is a Part 141 flight school based in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, offering Private through ATP certificates with similar international student recruitment and fleet-based training. It competes head-to-head in the Florida flight-training market.
• American Flyers: American Flyers is a multi-location U.S. flight school chain offering Private through ATP, accelerated programs, and instrument training. Comparable as a direct competitor on curriculum breadth, multi-aircraft fleet, and career-track pilot customers.

Broad incumbents

• FlightSafety International: FlightSafety International is a Berkshire Hathaway-owned incumbent providing advanced pilot training, including full-flight simulators and type ratings. It addresses the same pilot-certification market from a much broader, higher-end portfolio focused on professional and corporate pilots.
• CAE: CAE is a global aviation training leader offering pilot training, crew resources, and simulator-based programs to airlines, governments, and individuals. Comparable as a broad incumbent in aviation training with overlap on the career-track pilot segment.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Embry-Riddle is the largest U.S. aviation-specific university, offering degree-based pilot training programs (including R-ATP pathways). Comparable as a broader incumbent serving the same career-track pilot pipeline through a collegiate model rather than Part 61/141.
• Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology: Spartan College offers aviation maintenance and pilot training programs across multiple U.S. campuses. It is comparable as a vocational/ trade-school incumbent in the broader aviation training category with overlapping pilot-certification curriculum.

Emerging players

• United Aviate Academy: United Aviate Academy is United Airlines' owned flight training pipeline, recruiting career-track students with a clear path to a United flight deck. It is an emerging player reshaping the same career-track zero-to-airline segment Dragon Flight targets.

Regional players

• Pilot Training System: Pilot Training System is a smaller Part 61 flight school operating in the U.S. offering PPL through CFI with similar transparent, pay-as-you-fly pricing. Comparable as a similarly sized, similarly structured private flight school targeting the same product/price segment.

Others

• Sporty's Academy: Sporty's Academy is the online ground school provider whose Private Pilot course Dragon Flight uses for written exam prep. It is comparable as an ecosystem enabler — a training-content partner — rather than a direct competitor for flight hours.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61559164984021

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Dragon Flight Training Academy