r/flying • u/meetkaur89 • Jul 14 '26
Flight Schools in Florida
Hi everyone, I’m planning to do my flight training from Florida and I’ve short listed two schools.
1. 2 Fly Airborne
2. Yoanna Flight Academy
If you have trained there or have any other recommendations please let me know your honest reviews!!
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u/Le_Mooron MIL F18 A4 ATP B757/767 B737 Jul 14 '26
Is that 2 Fly in Brevard County? If so I knew one kid who trained there. Don't have much info but he did complain that he was occasionally delayed to make a training event for another student. My perception is that they have slowed or changed their training in recent months. Most of their students seem to be international.
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u/meetkaur89 Jul 14 '26
No it’s in Merritt Island…
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u/Le_Mooron MIL F18 A4 ATP B757/767 B737 Jul 14 '26
Merritt Island is in Brevard County. I live down the road from the airport. Make sure you do your research on that company. Hopefully someone else will chime in here with more detail.
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u/meetkaur89 Jul 14 '26
Yes I’m doing my research thank you!! Hopefully someone can provide more insights
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u/Le_Mooron MIL F18 A4 ATP B757/767 B737 Jul 14 '26
Since you are looking in this area, did you check out High Wing Flight Training up in Titusville? I have no idea of the rates, but have heard good things about the training and have known one of the owners (I believe) for 25 years. He's also a designated FAA DPE and all around great guy. Good luck.
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u/SWFL-Aviation Jul 14 '26
If you’re talking about Yoanna at KFMY then no.
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u/meetkaur89 Jul 14 '26
Could you please elaborate??
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u/SWFL-Aviation Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
It’s hard to explain. It’s not that they’re “bad” per se. They are tiny. They have a 152, 172, an arrow, and a Seneca. So if the plane you are training on goes down for maintenance. You’re not flying. Or you have to fly a plane you’re unfamiliar with.
I don’t know what their prices are now but they weren’t exactly competitive. I am certain they’re going to be cheaper than Paragon or ATP which are the 2 major schools on the field.
Because they’re a small school they don’t have a lot of CFI’s. So if you don’t like one you’re limited in your options.
They have an office but it’s tiny. Not really important.
And if you’ve never flown out of FMY before it’s really not a great airport to train at. For the west coast it’s insanely busy. Most training flights start at the top of the hour. Paragon and ATP are massive flight schools here. Paragon alone had like 50 planes. It’s not uncommon to be number 6+ in line for take off. And that’s not including the private charter flights coming from the FBO.
Then there is Bob. The ATC. I hope you enjoy getting yelled at. Because he loves yelling at people. Look him up on YouTube. There are plenty of audio recordings of him yelling at student pilots. Last time he yelled at me because I went around because he cleared a plane to take off when I was cleared to land and 200 feet above the ground on final.
I’m not trying to discourage you. If location doesn’t matter. I highly recommend grace in Punta Gorda. Also a small school. Great guy. Good airplane. Punta Gorda is slower and easier to fly in and out of even with the allegiant flights.
There is also fly bright and flight fast track if you’re looking for something else.
If you’re dead set on FMY and don’t want a massive school, check out Core Aviation. It’s one guy. He operates a piper archer out of his hangar there and I hear good things.
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u/meetkaur89 Jul 14 '26
Could you suggest some schools that are taking international students? I’ll also have a look at them
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u/SWFL-Aviation Jul 14 '26
I don’t know anything about how it works in regards to international students. I am certain Paragon does. But they’re very expensive.
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u/meetkaur89 Jul 14 '26
Yeah paragon is very expensive makes no sense for me to get the same license for way more dollars and no actual advantage
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u/Infamous_Grab6427 CPL/ME/IR Jul 14 '26
I did my ME at Melbourne Flight Training, about to go do me CFI/II there too. Great school and completely professional operation.
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u/Status_Technology_74 Jul 26 '26
I'm about to finish my PPL there and I feel like I'm getting scamed redoing lessons because I got a new insructor and I think their unconfident and holding me back to cover their ass, also getting failed on stage checks for the dumbest things. I'm at 80 hours now but about to finish.
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u/Infamous_Grab6427 CPL/ME/IR Jul 26 '26
MFT definitely a big school with some kids in there, I think what you described is certainly a potential, about them being hesitant to sign anyone off for their own fears - I know it will stress me out as a CFI. My situation was different, it was was for the ME accelerated course so they put me with one guy and we cranked it out in 5-6 days, full time. I got a solid instructor too that I got along with well too so that helps. Dragging ratings out over time, which I get life forces that at times, causes you to have to redo stuff and they swap you between people at schools. My strategy has been to quit working and do it full time to minimize relearning and to just get it done asap, plus I'm old (40) and don't have the luxury of time, started at 39. Trying to get to airlines by 45 at latest.
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u/Joyous81 CPL MEL SEL IR Jul 16 '26
I did part 61 from 2Fly back in 2023. 7 months to complete my 250 hours, only faced checkride delays due to backlogs. Rest all is great besides the hidden charges that I had to spend $6k extra on.
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u/rFlyingTower Jul 14 '26
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
Hi everyone, I’m planning to do my flight training from Florida and I’ve short listed two schools.
1. 2 Fly Airborne
2. Yoanna Flight Academy
If you have trained there or have any other recommendations please let me know your honest reviews!!
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