Choosing where to start, or finish, your flight training can sometimes be a daunting process. When a flight training organization has multiple locations – what’s the best choice? At American Flyers, we strive to approach flight training from a personalized nature by listening to what our students want and need, and then recommending the best American Flyers location for them to meet their goal. Five of our training centers provide a diversified approach to flight training, providing both individual training programs and career training programs. Our sixth training center is specially equipped to provide career training in an academy style, or group format, for those students who are able to dedicate themselves to a full-time training environment.
Two Locations On The Same Field
Two of our training centers, however, are located on the same airport, and up until 11 years ago, that has never happened at American Flyers. Timing is everything. And when the opportunity arose to move our location from Meacham Field in Ft. Worth to Addison, Texas, we felt that we could serve the academy career-minded segment of our customer base better at Addison Airport.
Having two locations on the same field has worked great for the most part. Our two schools support one another and work together often. Our schools very quickly developed nicknames at Addison Airport. The controllers at Addison tower coined our locations “North” and “South”. When we first moved our facility from Ft. Worth to Addison in early 2009, the controllers had to start asking our aircraft upon landing which location they wanted to taxi to – “North” or “South”, so they could direct them accordingly. The terminology stuck, and today we still refer to these two locations as American Flyers “North” and American Flyers “South” (or internally North and South)!
When I started with American Flyers, I was fortunate to start at our Ft. Worth, Texas (Meacham Field) location on our customer service team. I was quickly introduced to a cadre of incredible young men and women from all over the world. At that time, circa 1987, American Flyers was the choice for many international and domestic students to go from “zero to hero” and complete their flight training.
Our first airline academy program started in Ardmore, Oklahoma about 10 years earlier. We developed a strong, positive reputation of producing some of the best trained pilots in the world. We continued that tradition at Meacham Field in Ft. Worth, Texas with students from all over the world who shared a common passion and goal: the dream to become an airline pilot. I was honored to get to know them while they trained with us, and today, we are proud to train their children and grandchildren at our airline training center in Addison, Texas.
American Flyers has a rich history of helping career minded students reach their goal of becoming a professional pilot. Although the path in becoming a career pilot has changed over the 33 years I’ve been involved in the general aviation industry, the one constant is the passion exhibited by those who want to become airline or corporate pilots.
Addison “South”
Our team at our Addison “South” location is specifically trained to assist students along their journey to becoming an airline pilot. From support when the goal seems overwhelming, choosing housing, welcoming new students at the airport upon their arrival and helping to form lifelong friendships that will last their entire aviation careers and beyond, our team is proud to be a part of what makes aviation unique: family. Students in this program develop life-long ties and may even end up in the same cockpit from time to time!
Addison “North”
Our Addison “North” facility represents almost 30 years of self-improvement at that location while embracing the training philosophy we have practiced for over 81 years. Our instructors are invested in helping students reach their goal, whether they can train full or part time in individual or career-oriented programs. We understand that not every student can join an academy program that requires full time training. My years with American Flyers has also taught me anything is possible with the right attitude and support of people that share a common passion. Many of our students have professional careers outside of aviation, but want to fly. Others are a career change. Those who may have started out in a different profession, but realized their dream to fly professionally is within their reach at American Flyers.
At our Addison North facility, we have a long history of helping all types of students reach their goal. Whether it’s a private license, instrument rating, commercial license, flight instructor certificates, or a student who started elsewhere and needs to finish, the experienced team at Addison North can partner with you to meet your aviation goals. Our North team is prepared to train on your schedule, at your pace.
Cross The Finish Line
Whether you choose to train at our “North” or “South” facilities, the American Flyers family of instructors, customer service team members, mechanics, fuelers and managers are your partners for life in your aviation journey. They will applaud your achievements and give you encouragement on the days when the journey is tough. Our goal is to see students cross the finish line while providing the best, quality education along the way.
Thousands of pilots are flying the skies today who have graduated from the American Flyers’ Addison North and South facilities, and we are thankful for their continued patronage and support over the past 81 years.