Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
The Flight Academy of South Texas opened its doors for the opportunity of training and certification for private and commercial pilots in Brownsville, according to the owner.
The academy held its opening ceremony on Jan. 22 at the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, according to a City of Brownsville news release.
According to the news release, “Interim City Manager Alan Guard said the arrival of FAST is a strong match with the City of Brownsville’s strategic goals and the long-term vision for our airport.”
Jorge Whitley, owner of the Flight Academy of South Texas, said the academy was founded with the purpose of giving the opportunity to Brownsville residents to explore careers in aviation or simply to enjoy flight.
“We do offer a private pilot certificate all the way up through a commercial pilot certificate,” Whitley said.
He added the differences between a private pilot requires 40 hours of training and it will allow them to fly owned or rented airplanes, while for a commercial license it is 250 hours of training.
The academy owner said he chose Brownsville because he was raised here.
“This is my community and I wanted something for my community,” Whitley said. “We haven’t had a dedicated flight school for a long time, and I know that students would have to travel.”
He said he hopes to offer another opportunity to anyone interested to explore aviation.
“We do expect to have a school that will teach airplane mechanics,” Whitley said. “… Those are higher paying careers.”
He said the flight academy is already going and it functions as a Part 61 school.
“The classes, the ground school is all online,” Whitley said. “It’s all you go at your own pace, if there’s something you’re having trouble with, then you can come here. We have classrooms here and our certified flight instructor can go over it with you.”
He added the academy has a virtual reality flight simulator where attendees can practice instead of paying time in the airplane, which can be expensive.
The cost of the academy is $1,500 down payment, which includes all the flight-simulator time, all-ground school material and the first hour in the airplane with an instructor. After this, it is $250 an hour.
According to the owner, the academy has “excellent” resources for scholarships.
“It is an [Federal Aviation Administration] sponsored program that, when students come in, they can explore over $25 million worth of scholarships out there,” Whitley said.
He said the long-term goal of the academy is to establish a Part 141 program, which is a collegiate program.
“We want to have a university come in and offer a [full] degree in aviation business or aviation science, that would include a four-year degree and a commercial pilot certificate,” Whitley said.
Angel Sandate, a commercial pilot, who is getting certified as an academy instructor, said his experience at the academy has been “great.”
“Especially now, that since I was born and raised here in Brownsville, it’s been a lot closer to home, you know, and I kinda like that,” Sandate said.
He added the aviation community is growing, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, and he thinks the flight academy in Brownsville is a “great” idea.
“I’m very passionate of flying, and I’m very passionate at other people, especially down here in Brownsville, to be able to have the opportunity to be a pilot,” Sandate said.
–Valeria Tokun Haga contributed to the story.
