Flight School Reveals Key to Safer Skies

Paragon Flight Training, based at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, is currently training more than 350 pilots. At a time when recent airline crashes and near misses have put all facets of aviation under the microscope, Paragon Flight has been at the forefront of industry discussions on safety in training. According to Chief Flight Instructor Jeffrey Wolf, because the aviation industry analyzes and garners lessons learned from aircraft accidents and incidents, there may be opportunities to enhance flight training curriculum, but the immediate response at the flight training level is to continue to reinforce established safety best practices.

“There is a heightened awareness on safety now, and we are using it to hammer home an already recurring theme of situational awareness – see and be seen - which is so critical to flight training from its earliest stages,” Wolf said. “Beyond tower radio information reports and GPS, being keenly aware of airspace traffic is critical to becoming and remaining an exceptional pilot. We consider it part of our law of primacy in flight training– that what you learn first, sticks with you.”

“At Paragon Flight, we’ve made a significant investment in technology because it helps provide optimal training in tandem with in-flight training. To provide each student with an identical, controllable scenario using simulators is a tremendous advantage in learning to fly. Instructors can simulate windy weather, heavy traffic conditions and other disruptions to an otherwise predictable flight plan,” Wolf said. “Exposing students to this type of training – including targeted, replicable scenarios that can’t be performed in flight - plays a huge role in engaging our students throughout the flight training process, developing their situational awareness and confidence, and capitalizing on our safety-first mindset.”

Paragon Flight’s approach to safe flight training is the same whether a student is pursuing a commercial pilot’s license or a recreational license.

“Among our student population, it’s about 50/50 commercial and recreational.

Our curriculum for certification is identical for the commercial pilot and the recreational pilot and they train together,” Wolf said. “To differentiate would be a disservice to recreational pilots who also need the safety-first mentality from day one.”