Epic Flight Academy Completes Military IPT, Mechanic Graduations, and 81 Pilot Checkrides Across 8 Campuses in June 2026

USA – Epic Flight Academy, the largest network of FAA Part 141 flight schools in the United States, has graduated its first cohort of US Air Force pilots from its Initial Pilot Training (IPT) program at the New Smyrna Beach campus, completing training under an Educational Service Agreement with the Air Force in 139 days or less, while also reporting mechanic graduations and new student enrollments across multiple campuses.

• The first cohort of USAF officers completed IPT at Epic's New Smyrna Beach (EVB) campus, earning their Private Pilot License, Instrument Rating, and Private Pilot Multi-Engine Add-on (AMEL) within 139 calendar days — matching the AETC Small Group Tryout program timeline established for civilian-military IPT partnerships. Epic trained the Air Force pilots under an Educational Service Agreement, placing it alongside the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation and Brunner Aerospace as confirmed civilian IPT delivery partners for the USAF as AETC expands its civilian partnership model to address the 1,500-pilot annual production target.
• A class of FAA Part 147 aircraft mechanics graduated at the New Smyrna Beach campus alongside the military pilot cohort, with a separate mechanic graduation completed at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG) campus during June 2026. New aircraft mechanic students commenced training at the CVG campus for the 15-month FAA Part 147 Airframe and Powerplant certification program.
• June 2026 pilot checkride passes across Epic's multi-campus network included:
  • 16 Private Pilot
  • 16 Instrument Rating
  • 14 Commercial Single-Engine
  • 9 Commercial Multi-Engine
  • 9 CFI
  • 14 CFII
  • 3 MEI
  • Spanning the EVB, OCF, TUS, APA, HEG, PVU, SGU, and TLH campuses.
• Aircraft mechanic checkride passes in June 2026 totaled 4 Airframe and 18 Powerplant certifications across the CVG and EVB campuses.
• Chief Flight Instructor Ray Altmann published guidance on international student success, noting Epic has trained thousands of pilots from more than 110 countries who are now flying for over 300 airlines worldwide.

Source: Epic Flight Academy