Market Intelligence: -Flight School

Virtual Reality Training Solution Provider VRpilot Announces New Portugese Client – International Flight Academy

Portugal – International Flight Academy (IFA) has announced a strategic partnership with Denmark-based VRpilot to integrate its VRflow virtual reality platform into Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 MAX training programs, significantly enhancing pilot preparation and training quality.

  • The VRflow solution enables type rating students to rehearse aircraft procedures in a highly realistic and immersive virtual environment, improving knowledge retention, confidence, and procedural readiness before entering a full flight simulator.

  • The rollout will take place across IFA’s facilities in Cascais and Viseu, supporting the academy’s goal of maintaining cutting-edge training standards.

  • The initiative reflects IFA’s commitment to equipping cadets with modern tools that mirror evolving airline training practices, where virtual reality is increasingly used to complement traditional simulators.

  • With over 25 years of training experience, IFA operates advanced Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 simulators and delivers a range of programs from ab-initio to type rating training for airlines and individual cadets.

Source: IFA (

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Turkish Airlines and Boeing Implement CBTA for Cadet Training at Turkish Airlines Flight Academy

Turkey – Turkish Airlines has teamed up with Boeing to embed Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) methodologies early in the cadet training at the Turkish Airlines Flight Academy (TAFA). This forward-thinking initiative is set to enhance safety, instill a dynamic training mindset, and promote risk-focused decision-making among future airline pilots, providing smoother integration into professional operations.

  • The collaboration aims to infuse CBTA protocols from the outset of ab initio training, establishing a performance-oriented, safety-centric approach that supports effective risk management and resilience in trainee pilots.

  • By embedding CBTA principles early, Turkish Airlines and Boeing are positioning cadets to transition seamlessly into airline operations—nurturing them into safety champions with a foundation in adaptive training philosophy.

  • The joint effort reflects Turkish Airlines’ ambition—one of the world’s leading and fastest-growing carriers—to cultivate a reliable pipeline of competent pilots aligned with Boeing’s global safety and quality ethos.

  • A visit by Boeing representatives Christine Bohl to TAFA helped assess CBTA implementation progress and strategize next steps for integrated training enhancements.

Statements

  • “Grateful to have hosted an inspiring CBTA session at Turkish Airlines Flight Academy, developed by Boeing for flight schools. Many thanks to Christine Bohl, her team and Fatih Altunok for their support and contributions to this valuable experience.” stated TAFA CEO Fatih Ünalan.
  • “Turkish Airlines is one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in the world and Boeing is pleased to be working with TAFA as they build a pipeline of safe and resilient pilots to fuel their growth plan into the future. Great visit to TAFA this past week to get feedback on how the implementation is going so far and talk about what comes next” stated Boeing’s Commercial Training Market Director Christine Bohl.

Source: Fatih Unalan (TAFA) & Christine Bohl (Boeing)

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USA’s Paragon Flight Training Advances its Student Financing Options with New Sallie Mae Lending Partnership in 2025

Fort Myers, Florida, USA – Paragon Flight Training, an award-winning flight training academy based at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, with additional locations in Punta Gorda, Florida, and LaGrange, Georgia, is now offering student loan financing through Sallie Mae, leaders in private school lending. The announcement was made by Paragon Flight Training President Christopher Schoensee.

The Sallie Mae loan program, which has already started processing loan applications for prospective Paragon Flight students, is designed for privately held trade schools and flight academies and offers 100% financing for tuition and related fees, no origination fee and a .25% discount when payments are made with auto pay. Paragon Flight entered into the funding partnership with Sallie Mae after a rigorous review and audit period.

Paragon Flight President Christopher Schoensee said the boom-and-bust cycle of private lending in the flight training arena has created volatility for students, hindering their ability to consistently pursue flight training and certification in a specific time frame without breaks in education – or leaving a program entirely – for financial reasons.

“The core of our student-first loan philosophy is to only work with stable and reliable lending partners,” Schoensee said. “Sallie Mae, with its stringent requirements, solid reputation and 45-year history in student lending, will be an excellent student loan partner and serve our students well in their pursuit of high-paying aviation careers without a financially induced interruption in their education. At Paragon Flight, we promote and are committed to the student experience. The new Sallie Mae program is another positive aspect of that experience.”

While only a small portion of Paragon Flight’s students currently use student loans to fund their education, funding options are critical to providing access to qualified candidates who otherwise would not pursue flight training.

“To maintain America’s leadership in commercial aviation, we must invest in pilot training,” Schoensee stated. “Paragon Flight is stepping up by making flight education accessible to more candidates. We offer what very few schools can: the financial security for students to complete their training. This empowers them to choose the best program, and we believe it makes Paragon a top contender.”

Source: Paragon Flight Training

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Colorada’s McAir Aviation Expands via Flight Training Location in Partnership with Colorado Air and Space Port

Denver, USA – McAir Aviation, located at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) in Broomfield, CO, has been a training home to aviation enthusiasts and pilots alike since 1994. The Denver area FAA approved Part 141 flight training facility is proud to announce the expansion of its operations with a new flight training location at Colorado Air and Space Port — (CFO). This collaboration represents a major step forward in addressing the aviation industry’s growing need for commercial pilots, a demand projected by Boeing’s 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook to reach 119,000 new pilots in North America between 2025– 2044, while supporting aviation workforce development through training and partnerships in the Denver metro area. Located just six miles south of Denver International Airport, Colorado Air and Space Port offers an uncongested environment for flight operations—making it an ideal location for McAir’s newest flight campus opening in October 2025.

About Colorado Air and Space Port
Colorado Air and Space Port (CASP or CFO) is a public-use, general aviation airport owned and operated by Adams County and one of only 12 FAA-licensed commercial spaceports in the United States authorized for horizontal launch and landing operations. CASP spans 3,349 acres and is poised to become a national hub for commercial space transportation, research, and development—offering partnership opportunities with over 400 aerospace companies already operating in the state and supporting key state and local initiatives, including facilities for the Colorado National Guard and Department of Transportation.

“McAir’s partnership with Colorado Air and Space Port is a natural extension of our mission to prepare the next generation of pilots through training and strong industry partnerships,” said Tom

Rogers, Chief Flight Instructor at McAir, “Additionally, we are proud to bring the Altitude Pilot Pathway closer to more students in the Denver area.”

In 2023, McAir Aviation in partnership with Allegiant Air launched the Altitude Pilot Pathway, a flight training pathway designed for new students to train for possible careers as pilots at Allegiant. Offered exclusively at McAir, the Altitude Pilot Pathway is more than training for certificates and ratings. Altitude cadets meet senior Allegiant executives and get to know the airline, home bases, and culture, both in-person and through an exclusive online community. Additionally, cadets will have priority opportunities to apply for Altitude Certified Flight Instructor positions and build their flight hours.

About Spartan Education Group
Spartan Education Group, LLC (SEG), headquartered in Chicago, IL, operates McAir Aviation flight school in Broomfield, CO and Illinois Aviation Academy in West Chicago, IL. Employment and third-party certifications and ratings are not guaranteed. Separately, SEG acquired Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in 2012. Spartan College, established in 1928, has trained over 100,000 pilots and aviation technicians at its four campuses located in the following areas: Tulsa, OK, Los Angeles, and Riverside, CA, and Denver, CO.

Source: McAir Aviation

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