Trusted at RDU for Over TWO Decades

We've been training pilots at RDU for over 25 years. Today we're the leading flight school in North Carolina. Our fleet is the largest and most modern in the region. It's maintained entirely in-house.

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INDIVIDUALIZED FLIGHT TRAINING

We understand that learning is a deeply personal process, varying greatly from one individual to the next. We tailor every lesson to your learning style, your personality, and your schedule.

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Close-Knit Community

Originally founded as a family-run flight school, we've intentionally maintained a close-knit environment as we've grown. Here, students become friends and instructors become mentors. Every milestone feels earned, together.

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Choosing a flight school is a

 big decision.

Not all training is equal. Quality training shapes more than checkride results. It determines whether you're truly ready for what comes next.

LEARN MORE ABOUT US

At FlightGest Academy, our mission is simple: produce safe, confident, professional pilots. We do that through an experienced instructor team, a modern fleet, and a structured training environment that's built around each student, not the other way around.

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DON'T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT. 

Whether you want a new hobby or a flying career, FlightGest will get you there. Top-notch aircraft, a great learning environment, and instructors who truly go the extra mile. I've been flying with FlightGest since 2006 and made great friends along the way. Thank you for helping me earn my wings.

- JOSH SMITH

Commercial Pilot
JOSH SMITH
I stopped by FlightGest on a road trip from Ohio to Florida. Just a random 30-minute visit. Kirk gave me a tour, showed me the planes, and answered every question I had. His passion for aviation was obvious from the start. I was sold. Five months later, after passing my PPL checkride, I packed up and moved from Ohio to train here full time.

- JORDAN YORK

Commercial Pilot
JORDAN YORK
After 10 years out of the cockpit, CURRENT AGAIN! Thank you Joe Lerro for taking the time to teach this old dog new tricks! We are never too old to learn new things from the young, bright people in our lives! Best of luck in the majors. Hopefully our paths will cross in the future.

- TIM SALAPEK, PIC

Commercial Pilot
TIM SALAPEK, PIC
My son first caught the flying bug in high school, inspired by his grandfather, an instrument-rated pilot. After searching airports near RTP, we found FlightGest and met Dr. Gozzo, an accomplished pilot and owner who took the time to understand Jon's situation. Jon eventually found his match in instructor Owen Chase. Together they logged over 50 hours and flew cross-countries to Asheville, Kitty Hawk, and Williamsburg before Jon's muscular dystrophy made it impossible to continue. FlightGest even purchased an electric cart to get him to and from the planes. Flying gave Jon a new perspective on life, and Owen and Frank gave him every opportunity to succeed. We are eternally grateful. The staff, the operation — it is all first class.

- DR. RAYMOND A. HUML, FATHER OF JONATHAN R. HUML

Private Pilot
DR. RAYMOND A. HUML, FATHER OF JONATHAN R. HUML
On a Thursday I decided I wanted to fly. By Friday I was in the left seat of a Cessna 172 at RDU. Best decision I ever made. FlightGest worked around my full-time schedule. Early mornings, late afternoons, back-to-back weekends. Training at a Class C airport built confidence I couldn't have developed anywhere smaller. I started in my late 40s, so that mattered. The joy of flying took over from there. I earned my Private and Instrument ratings, learned tailwheel in a Husky, took aerobatics lessons from a world-class instructor, bought my own plane, and now coordinate a formation flying team. Next up: my commercial rating with a FlightGest CFI, of course. After that, who knows? But the FlightGest team will be part of whatever comes next.

- Wanda Jackson

Commercial Pilot
Wanda Jackson
After 20 years in the Army, I was ready to turn my passion for aviation into a career. GoJet Airlines offered to fund my ratings. I just had to find the right school. After researching Part 61 schools in the area, FlightGest stood out: the right fleet size, the right number of CFIs, and the right environment. I drove 80 minutes each way to train at RDU. Worth every mile. In just four months I earned my Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine ratings. That kind of progress takes a team, and the ownership, instructors, and maintenance crew at FlightGest functioned like exactly that. I couldn't have done it without my FlightGest family.

- Morgan Stanley

Commercial Pilot
Morgan Stanley
I'd always wanted to fly. I'd been in GA airplanes before, but I never truly understood flight until FlightGest. The CFIs were invested in me, not in building their own hours. They took standardized lessons and shaped them to how I learned, as fast as I could absorb and own each concept. I never left a lesson wondering why we'd done it. (Though I'm sure they occasionally wondered if I'd gotten it.) I earned my Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI certificates through FlightGest. I'm certain the CFI wouldn't have happened without the encouragement and professionalism I experienced throughout. Desire gets you to the airport. Professionalism and tailored training get you airborne. FlightGest does it right.

- Ron Banks

Private Pilot
Ron Banks
    Whether you want a new hobby or a flying career, FlightGest will get you there. Top-notch aircraft, a great learning environment, and instructors who truly go the extra mile. I've been flying with FlightGest since 2006 and made great friends along the way. Thank you for helping me earn my wings.

    - JOSH SMITH

    Commercial Pilot
    I stopped by FlightGest on a road trip from Ohio to Florida. Just a random 30-minute visit. Kirk gave me a tour, showed me the planes, and answered every question I had. His passion for aviation was obvious from the start. I was sold. Five months later, after passing my PPL checkride, I packed up and moved from Ohio to train here full time.

    - JORDAN YORK

    Commercial Pilot
    After 10 years out of the cockpit, CURRENT AGAIN! Thank you Joe Lerro for taking the time to teach this old dog new tricks! We are never too old to learn new things from the young, bright people in our lives! Best of luck in the majors. Hopefully our paths will cross in the future.

    - TIM SALAPEK, PIC

    Commercial Pilot
    My son first caught the flying bug in high school, inspired by his grandfather, an instrument-rated pilot. After searching airports near RTP, we found FlightGest and met Dr. Gozzo, an accomplished pilot and owner who took the time to understand Jon's situation. Jon eventually found his match in instructor Owen Chase. Together they logged over 50 hours and flew cross-countries to Asheville, Kitty Hawk, and Williamsburg before Jon's muscular dystrophy made it impossible to continue. FlightGest even purchased an electric cart to get him to and from the planes. Flying gave Jon a new perspective on life, and Owen and Frank gave him every opportunity to succeed. We are eternally grateful. The staff, the operation — it is all first class.

    - DR. RAYMOND A. HUML, FATHER OF JONATHAN R. HUML

    Private Pilot
    On a Thursday I decided I wanted to fly. By Friday I was in the left seat of a Cessna 172 at RDU. Best decision I ever made. FlightGest worked around my full-time schedule. Early mornings, late afternoons, back-to-back weekends. Training at a Class C airport built confidence I couldn't have developed anywhere smaller. I started in my late 40s, so that mattered. The joy of flying took over from there. I earned my Private and Instrument ratings, learned tailwheel in a Husky, took aerobatics lessons from a world-class instructor, bought my own plane, and now coordinate a formation flying team. Next up: my commercial rating with a FlightGest CFI, of course. After that, who knows? But the FlightGest team will be part of whatever comes next.

    - Wanda Jackson

    Commercial Pilot
    After 20 years in the Army, I was ready to turn my passion for aviation into a career. GoJet Airlines offered to fund my ratings. I just had to find the right school. After researching Part 61 schools in the area, FlightGest stood out: the right fleet size, the right number of CFIs, and the right environment. I drove 80 minutes each way to train at RDU. Worth every mile. In just four months I earned my Instrument, Commercial, and Multi-Engine ratings. That kind of progress takes a team, and the ownership, instructors, and maintenance crew at FlightGest functioned like exactly that. I couldn't have done it without my FlightGest family.

    - Morgan Stanley

    Commercial Pilot
    I'd always wanted to fly. I'd been in GA airplanes before, but I never truly understood flight until FlightGest. The CFIs were invested in me, not in building their own hours. They took standardized lessons and shaped them to how I learned, as fast as I could absorb and own each concept. I never left a lesson wondering why we'd done it. (Though I'm sure they occasionally wondered if I'd gotten it.) I earned my Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI certificates through FlightGest. I'm certain the CFI wouldn't have happened without the encouragement and professionalism I experienced throughout. Desire gets you to the airport. Professionalism and tailored training get you airborne. FlightGest does it right.

    - Ron Banks

    Private Pilot