Academy of Aviation

Flight Training in Charlotte/Gastonia

Commercial and Private Pilot Academy at Gastonia Municipal Airport (AKH) in Charlotte/Gastonia, NC.



Accelerate your Flight Training with Academy of Aviation. We will create a customized program to meet your personal timeline.

We partner with your hard work to get you to the airlines as fast as possible. It's not about just the ratings. It's also about your true goals.

Earn your ratings as quick as 6 months, and advance to the airlines in as little as 18 months.

Flight School Partnerships: Earn Your Degree

Purdue University

Purdue University Global PartnerAcademy of Aviation's Purdue University Partnership can help you advance your aviation career with an online bachelor's degree in Professional Flight.

Read More
Liberty University

Liberty University AffiliateAcademy of Aviation is a Liberty University Flight Training Affiliate.

Read More

Career Students: Finance your Flight Training

Academy of Aviation offers you many ways to finance your training. We encourage you to consider these loan opportunities to help get your financing in place. Financing is available for those who qualify.

Financing Options

Flight School Location: Where are we and what are we about?

"Learn To Fly In The Carolina Sky" Charlotte/Gastonia Campus Information

Call our Charlotte/Gastonia Admissions Team directly at (704) 459-8759 or fill out the contact form below to request information.

Earn your Private Pilot License (PPL) and fly the sunny skies on your own time, on your own schedule, in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions. Or earn additional ratings and go all the way to your airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate, to fly for Regional and Major Airlines. As of July 1, 2018, the City of Gastonia has awarded Academy of Aviation (AOA) the management contract for Gastonia Municipal Airport (KAKH).


KAKH Map and Directions

Celebrate the Summer with this amazing deal!

Celebrate May with a FREE 172 Upgrade for your Instrument Rating.

An $1820 savings. Offer good for the full "First Flight to First Officer" Career Program.

But wait, there's more! For our June Promotion, we will offer Free CFI Training for those enrolled in the Career Program (for a savings of $3225.)

From now until May 31, take advantage of BOTH PROMOTIONS AT THE SAME TIME when you sign up for your full Career Pilot Program.


This double dip savings is only good for contracts signed by May 31, 2023, for a total savings of $5,045!

This is AOA's first time ever offering you your CFI rating FREE. And, the first time ever letting you take 2 months promotions. Let's celebrate summer with this amazing deal!

Submit for Course Outlines and Enrollment Details

"Learn To Fly In The Carolina Sky"

Why should I train at Academy of Aviation?

Academy of Aviation - Charlotte Flight Student and CFI
AOA Student Saman Atabakan passes his Private Pilot checkride in Gastonia.

We are quickly becoming a prominent destination flight school in the northeast and southeast.

Though we are not the oldest flight school in the Carolinas, Academy of Aviation's expansion into the Charlotte area has been a wonderful experience, compounded by the fact that we were awarded the FBO position at Gastonia Municipal Airport. This means that you, the flight student, will always have access to fully maintained and fueled airplanes, prepared and equipped facilities to relax and concentrate on your training, and a home base that prides itself on efficiency and professionalism.

We are dedicated to operating with total convenience and flexibility.

The most important goal for you as a student and for us as your pilot school is to ensure that you learn to fly safely and without the added pressure of somebody else's agenda. If you already have a busy work or school schedule, we will work with you to maintain a safe, sane and progressive flight training schedule. Your have to want to become a pilot to do this, and you have to be happy with the school that you choose. We pride ourselves with easy, flexible scheduling and we'll go above and beyond the usual benchmarks to make sure that your flight dreams are fulfilled.

Ask Us. We are here to help.

We understand that choosing the right aviation school can be overwhelming with so many options. But when you are moving up in the career airline pilot world, seniority plays a significant role. Getting there first is essential, because as you advance in your career, your time in the cockpit determines your upward mobility as much as your skills behind the controls. The best flight schools in the USA will teach you skills and concepts in a manner laid out with a concentration on specific curriculum structured to get you there faster, which is a clear-cut advantage that a Part 141 school like Academy of Aviation has over Part 61 schools. The best schools will be proactive in your flight education, along with providing multiple locations, modern and working aircraft and job placement for you to successfully be able to prepare yourself for the airline lifestyle.

Do your research. Choose a school that includes:

Airline tuition reimbursement programs.
• All certifications, from Private Pilot License to Certified Flight Instructor Multi Engine certificate.
• Fastest track training with truly fixed-cost guarantees.
• Financing options and guidance is a specialty of ours.
• Partnership programs with get-there-first paths to the major airlines.

How do I choose a flight school? Ask the right questions.

Are all of your fees and exams included in the price you are quoted? If the school's advertised prices increase between the time you schedule and the time your training starts, are you guaranteed that your price will remain the quoted contracted price?

Don't fall for underhanded tactics from heavily advertised schools that may not put the flight student first. Smaller and more selective schools will usually be more attentive to the actual student, rather than their bottom line.

What is really included in the contract that you sign? Essentially, your program should include everything. These are the Private Pilot Course, Instrument Rating Course, Commercial Single Engine Course, Shared Time Building within CSEL Course, Multi Engine Add On Course, Certified Flight Instructor Initial Course, Certified Flight Instructor Instrument Course and the Multi Engine Flight Instructor Course.

Your total logged time should be fully laid out in a syllabus and training plan, and will conform to the minimums of what the FAA allows, with pre-contracted and expected room to expand the time frame if you need more help.

Are a school's posted prices based on realistic flight time requirements and provide up-front pricing, and do they charge a lot more money if you go over your program time?

A difficult and important question to ask is, will your school pull the plug on your training if they truly feel that you will not succeed as a pilot, or will they continue to train you at an hourly rate once you go over your contracted time, mounting up the bill while you may be struggling and potentially failing your courses?


Academy of Aviation - Line

Academy of Aviation's New Cessna In Action!

The Gaston Gazette highlights our Textron Aviation 2020 Top Hawk Program winner.

Academy of Aviation - Top Hawk Winner

Academy of Aviation in Gastonia, NC is gaining some great attention down in North Carolina. Here is a cool article about our General Manager of AOA Gastonia, and some information about our newest location. Click to open the full article.
Academy of Aviation - Flight Training Gastonia North Carolina - Photo 1
Read Article...


Academy of Aviation - Flight Training Charlotte North Carolina - School Photo 1

Academy of Aviation - Flight Training Charlotte North Carolina - School Photo 2

Academy of Aviation - Flight Training Charlotte North Carolina - School Photo 3

"New operator of Gastonia airport sees clearer skies ahead." Read Article...
Academy of Aviation - Flight Training North Carolina  - Charlotte School Staff

Clark, John "Some of the Academy of Aviation staff members who have begun work at the Gastonia Municipal Airport since the company took over operations there on July 1." The Gaston Gazette, 5 Aug. 2018, www.gastongazette.com/news/20180805/new-operator-of-gastonia-airport-sees-clearer-skies-ahead.

Free Discovery Flight with your Financing Approval! Call for Info
AOA Pilots

"First Flight to First Officer" Career Pilot Program

Pricing and Details

Take advantage of Academy of Aviation's exclusive "FF to FO" Zero-To-MEI Pilot Pathway. For pricing, course timelines and outlines, and your guide to financing options, follow this link...

Career Pilot Program
AOA Plane

Private Pilot License and Instrument Rating

Pricing and Details

Academy of Aviation welcomes and teaches both career airline and private recreational flight students. Learn to fly for work or for fun. We give you pricing, timelines and requirements. It's all here...

Private Pilot License

Flight School Highlights: What's Happening at AoA in Charlotte/Gastonia?

Academy of Aviation - PSI Testing Center

Testing CenterAcademy of Aviation is an Approved PSI True Talent (ex-CATS) Testing Center.

Read More
Featured Box Image

CFI Employment InformationWe are aggressively looking for flight instructors for all of our locations.

Read More
Finance your Flight Training. See Financing Options

From the Blog: Highlights and Favorites

AOA on Buzzfeed
Lifestyle

AoA on Buzzfeed!

Join Stephen Maltz, Certified Flight Instructor with Academy of Aviation, as he takes Buzzfeed through a real Cessna flight and sees how it compares to Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Expert

Aerobatics & UPRT Training

Enhance your training with some crazy aerobatic instruction by our amazingly skilled Chief Pilot David Windmiller.

Bush Pilot
Fun

Tailwheel/Taildragger, Bush Pilot Training

Have some fun in Academy of Aviation's American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon, in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways.

Flight training student achievements at Academy of Aviation in Charlotte/Gastonia, NC.




International Student Camilo Caicedo celebrates earning his Commercial Certificate today at our Gastonia location!


Marilyn Hage passes her Private check ride with CFI Jackson Zinser at AOA Gastonia.


Philip Crass passes his Private Pilot check ride with CFI John Asadoorian.


Career student Robert Cockrell celebrates earning his instrument rating with CFI John Njoku.


Gabriella Laudenslager passes her commercial multi engine check ride at AOA Gastonia.


Baybala Mehti celebrates earning his instrument rating.


International student Manya Ashish Savani received her instrument rating with DPE Darrin Murphy and her CFI Joe Phillips at our Gastonia location!

You Have the Dream,
We Give it Wings



FAQs