Thrust Flight
Thrust Flight, founded as a partner of US Sport Aircraft in 2006,[1] is a flight school with its main campus at the Addison Airport near Dallas, two satellite locations in Texas (North Texas Regional Airport[2] and Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport), and one location in Arizona (at Falcon Field airport.[3][4] The aviation training school features a program that aims to get students working with commercial carriers in only two years.[4]
History
[edit]Thrust Flight was born out of a Florida-based aircraft importer called US Sport Aircraft,[5] which between 2006 and 2017 purchased CZAW SportCruiser aircraft for use by its affiliated "partner" flight school, which became Thrust Flight.[6] Current Thrust Flight CEO, Patrick Arnzen[7] (who is also a certified aircraft mechanic and former airline pilot),[8] acquired a part of the flight school business around 2010, and he entirely took over the company by 2012.[9] Both Arnzen's father and grandfather were recreational pilots.[9]
In 2022, Thrust Flight received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for an accelerated commercial course where students can obtain a job as a commercial pilot or instructor in as little as 7 months, or as a regional airline pilot in as little as 20 months.[10][11]
In 2024, the company was acquired by investment capital firm Summit Park, of Charlotte, North Carolina.[12]
The school maintains career path partnerships with several large airlines including Air Wisconsin, Avelo, Envoy Air, Republic Airways, SkyWest and Spirit.[4][13][14] The school is certified under FAA Part 141 and Part 61.[15] The FAA can authorize a flight school to have "examining authority," which allows the school to issue pilot certificates after students complete their training and pass an internal evaluation, bypassing the traditional need for a separate FAA inspector or Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE),[16] and Thrust Flight is one of the 15% of U.S. flight schools with examining authority designation from the FAA.[17]
In July 2025, the company launched a mechanics' school at the Conroe facility, and it established FAA-approved aircraft dispatcher courses in both Addison and North Texas (Denison).[18][19]
Aircraft
[edit]Thrust Flight trains students using a Redbird FMX Full Motion flight simulator, as well as Piper PA-28 Cherokee (Archer TX), Piper PA-44 Seminole, and Game Composites GB1 GameBird aircraft.[4][20]
References
[edit]- ^ "Thrust Flight 2025 Catalog" (PDF). ThrustFlight.com. 15 August 2025. p. 2. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Brown, Abigail (25 October 2021). "Flight school ready for takeoff at Grayson County airport". KTEN. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Thrust Flight 2025 Catalog" (PDF). ThrustFlight.com. 15 August 2025. p. 3. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d Revill, Caleb (19 August 2025). "Thrust Flight Opens New School Near Phoenix". www.flyingmag.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Gill, Erick (17 October 2012). "St. Lucie County International to host community day". Newspapers.com. St. Lucie News Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "SportCruiser LSA Returns!". SUN 'n FUN Digital Daily. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Blake, Suzanne (25 September 2025). "Most Parents Would Encourage Their Kids To Skip College—Survey". Newsweek. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Why Professional Pilot Is A Great Career with CEO of Thrust Flight Academy Patrick Arnzen". Deezer. Aviation Careers Podcast. 8 September 2025. p. 431. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Meet Patrick Arnzen". 23 July 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Thrust Flight Receives FAA Approval for Accelerated Commercial Course". www.thrustflight.com. Thrust Flight. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Thrust Flight - Multiple locations". www.flyingmag.com. FLYING Magazine. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ McNulty, John (17 September 2024). "Summit Park Soars with Latest Buy". peprofessional.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Chen, Andrew (20 November 2024). "Which Flight Schools Have Airline Partnerships?". airlinegeeks.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Godlewski, Meg (23 June 2023). "Spirit Airlines, Flight School Partnership Targets Pilot Shortage". www.flyingmag.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Szwed-Carlson, Kasia (4 May 2022). "Flight School Options in Texas". www.flyingmag.com. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Part 141 Examining Authority" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Thrust Flight Commercial Pilot Curriculum Earns FAA Examining Authority | Aero-News Network". www.aero-news.net. Aero-News Network. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Staff (15 August 2025). "Thrust Flight launches new flight school at KFFZ — General Aviation News". generalaviationnews.com. General Aviation News. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ Snider, Ethyn (4 August 2025). "Denison firm offers five-week plan to an aviation career". KTEN. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ^ "Thrust Flight 2025 Catalog" (PDF). ThrustFlight.com. 15 August 2025. p. 35. Retrieved 3 November 2025.