Paragon Flight Training Receives First of 50 Training Aircraft

Paragon Flight Training, based at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, has taken possession of the first of 10 Piper aircraft slated for delivery in 2022.

The acquisition is part of the five-year fleet modernization of the company’ long-term strategic plan, which includes the purchase of an additional 40 Piper aircraft over the next five years.

This move comes as the company ramps up efforts to train more pilots in response to the global pilot shortage while simultaneously aiming to become a dominant player in the U.S. domestic flight training market.

“It follows our groundbreaking in January for an expanded 9,000 square-foot learning center on Page Field and brings us one aircraft closer to our goal of tripling our current fleet with the additional purchase of up to 50 Piper aircraft by the end of 2027,” said Paragon Flight President and Owner, Christopher Schoensee. “Our partnership with Piper, beginning with this first aircraft purchase, represents a milestone in the history of Paragon Flight.”

The new training platform is the Piper P100i, a modernized version of Piper’s Archer training aircraft, a staple of the industry for more than 30 years. Paragon Flight Chief Flight Instructor Jeff Wolf and Paragon Flight Administrative Director Sarah Schoensee took delivery of the aircraft from Vero Beach, Florida, on 31 January.

“The addition of the Pilot 100i to the Paragon training curriculum will help enable them to provide a cost-effective training solution while working to cultivate a well-trained pilot pipeline for the airline industry,” said John Calcagno, Piper Aircraft President & CEO.

Paragon Flight was founded in 2006 and offers commercial, military, and recreational pilot training using both aircraft and advanced simulator technology.