TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — With pilot shortages affecting travel, one company is taking it upon itself to help solve the problem.
“For us to help contribute to that and get more people involved in aviation. What we're doing with that right now is outreach, we’re doing a lot of outreach at schools”
Epic Flight Academy, 1840 E. Valencia Rd., STE121, recently opened its first satellite campus in Arizona, marking their first campus outside of it home state of Florida.
Director of Satellite Operations Brock Rees says Tucson is the ideal location.
“First of all, the weather is, you know, really great for flight training. And then also, the airspace here, is really a perfect balance," explained Rees, "The students are going to get really good experience talking with the air traffic controllers.”
The Tucson campus features a full-flight simulator setup as a Cessna 172. Students start there and work their way up to flying a real Cessna 172. This simulator lets instructors simulate challenges in flight that they can't in the real world.
“So, I can have various system failures, I can give it an engine failure, an engine fire, or oil pressure issues," shared Rees.
Rees also says most students complete their course in 8-12 months and are registered commercial pilots within 2-2.5 years.
Epic offers financial aid and scholarships for prospective students as well. More information is available on their website.
——
Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
