Serious about flying for a living? If you're in the Youngstown area, High Flight Academy sits about an hour east at Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport, and that short drive buys you something most local options can't match: a structured, career-first path from your first lesson to the airline cockpit. Our High Gear accelerated program is built for students who want to become professional pilots on a clear timeline, not whenever an aircraft happens to be free.
High Flight Academy is built around one thing: getting career-track students to the airlines quickly and affordably. That single focus is what makes the drive from Youngstown worth it.
From your first lesson you train toward a professional flying career, with the financing, aircraft, and instructor depth to keep you moving.
Here is what sets us apart:
We're the only non-accredited flight school in the region approved to offer Sallie Mae student loans, so financing your training doesn't require enrolling in a college program. Stratus Financial is available as well.
Our proprietary 12-month path takes you from beginner to a commercial pilot ready to build airline hours, built on FAA Part 141 standards and optimized quarterly scheduling.
A large training fleet, an on-site Redbird full-motion simulator, and 25+ professional instructors mean you fly on your schedule, seven days a week, instead of waiting on an aircraft.
Here is the path our career students follow, from that first drive out to Butler to the right seat of an airliner.
Individual timelines vary with weather, scheduling, and aptitude. Your assigned instructor and our Chief Flight Instructors build a training plan around your goals.
Ready to find out if a career in the cockpit is for you? Book a Discovery Flight, or reach out and we'll map a training plan that takes you from Youngstown to the airlines. Prefer to talk it through first? Call 724-481-1359.
High Flight AcademyPittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport (KBTP)475 Airport Rd.Butler, PA 16002(724) 481-1359frontdesk@highflightacademy.comSchedule a Visit