Shopping for the best flight school is daunting! It’s important to make the best decision, but you may not know what questions to ask! To help students evaluate their options carefully, we’ve created this checklist and provided our information.
We suggest you research the equivalent information from at least two other sources before making your decision. And give us a call if you have any questions! Download a printed version here.
You may be a high school student looking at possible careers as an airline pilot, or you may already be a professional pilot looking for your latest type rating or updated training.
Whether you’re an international student looking for the best flight school on Earth, or just looking for the best flight school in Florida, this checklist should help!
Instructor Babbitt interviews Airline Captain David Santo:
1) What happens when there’s an emergency on the airplane?
2) What is it like to be an Airline Captain?
3) How do flight crews work together?
4) How is flying an airliner different from flying a general aviation aircraft?
5) Why is everything scripted below 10,000 feet?
6) How do you prepare for a type rating program?
Ready to get started on your own flying adventure?
Hello. My name is Richard Greenwood. I serve as the Training Center Manager for the FAR Part 142 Training Center here at Aerostar Training Services.
I’d like to speak to you today just for a few moments about IACRA.
IACRA is an electronic system used by the FAA to process airman certifications and ratings. The benefit to using IACRA is it decreases errors and it helps you to get your permanent license a lot faster.
Before coming to train with us, we need you to do one thing for us, and that is make sure that you have an account set up in the IACRA system. The website is IACRA.FAA.gov. Once you set up your account, you will be issued what’s called an FTN number. It begins with a letter and has a series of numbers behind it. Make sure that you write that number down, take a picture of it with your phone, or some other way that you’re going to remember what it was. Also make sure you write down your username and password because you’ll need that to the system. Armed with all those things, we can guide you through the process of doing your application once you arrive here.
The process is not long, but it can be confusing if it’s your first time. Not to worry, we will guide you through it every step of the way. These tips were intended to help make your transition smooth and to help you get the most out of your training. We look forward to having you train with us and we’ll see you soon.
In this short video, Captain David Santo answers questions about AeroStar Training Services, including
How is Aerostar different from other pilot training organizations?
What credentials does AeroStar hold?
What pilot training programs does it offer?
How about beginners with no aviation experience?
Who will we be working/studying with?
How do we get started?
How is AeroStar different from other pilot training organizations?
Hello, my name is David Santo, and I’m the Chief Training Officer at AeroStar Training Services. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know a little bit about AeroStar, and what we have to offer you. AeroStar was formed by a group of airline professionals with one goal in mind. We wanted to help aviation career dreams take flight. What that meant to us is we had enjoyed successful careers as airline pilots, and we wanted to be able to provide a pathway to help others to obtain the career goals, and success that we had.
What credentials does AeroStar hold?
AeroStar is an FAR 142 type rate training organization. What that means is, we operate under the FAR that allows a pilot to obtain a aircraft type rating, or add an airline transport pilot certificate by using advanced flight simulation technology.
When we started we dry leased airline simulators, and aircraft manufacturer simulators all over the country. Today we now have in our own facilities two Level D A320, and Boeing 737 full flight simulators. These simulators are state of the art technology. They sit on six axis hydraulic motion basis. We had 220 degree wrap around collimated visual systems that represent exactly the aircraft, and airport environment that you would be able to operate in. A Level D simulator is the highest level of simulator certification. With this simulator, and they’re called full flight sim’s, you can actually complete 100% of a type rating, or an ATP check ride without ever having to go out and fly the aircraft itself.
Tell us about the instructors.
Our staff is comprised of some really fantastic people who have years of airline, and training experience that we bring together for you. This includes CFIs, CFIIs, MEI, It includes airline transport pilots, current active and retired airline captains, and first officers.
What pilot training programs does AeroStar provide?
Today AeroStar offers a number of different programs. We offer type ratings under two different formats, initial, and what we call the fast track program. We offer an upgrade transition type rating course for those who already have experience time and type. We offer recurrent training for those who are actively flying the aircraft, and need to accomplish a PC check, and we are one of a few schools in the United States that offers the airline transport pilot certification training program, or ATP CTP.
How about beginners with no aviation experience?
Under our 141 part 61 certificate we’re able to provide the private instrument commercial multi-engine flight training, so together we can take an applicant from zero flight experience all the way through type rating, airline placement ready all on one location here in Kissimmee, Florida
Who will we be working/studying with?
We have a wonderful staff who are manning our phones, and are able to answer emails. I’m very proud to say that our admissions specialists are all pilots themselves. They’re all eager to help you.
How do we get started?
If we can do anything to give you guidance, answer questions, help you realize your dream of becoming an airline pilot, or a commercial pilot, then please I encourage you to call us at (407) 888-9011. That’s here in the U.S.
You can also reach us at info@aerostartyperatings.com. We’d be very pleased to work with you, and help you in any way we can. On behalf of myself, David Santo, and the entire team here at AeroStar, thank you for watching. We look forward to working with you, and seeing you out on the flight line.
Aerostar is a flight school in Kissimmee, Florida. Our 172 is available for students and others who need to fulfill you currency requirements, brush up on specific skills, build time toward a goal or milestone.
Or, if you’re feeling the need to just GO SOMEWHERE! Kissimmee is wonderful, but it’s also crowded. It’s great to take a friend or two, get above the noise and traffic!
Rent this 172 Skyhawk for $149/hour, wet!
Our beautiful Cessna 172 Skyhawk is known as the “perfect trainer aircraft” for good reasons!
The high wing gives you great ground visibility for pilot and passengers, it handles easily, and it’s familiar to so many people who had their initial training in a 172. And this one is ready to take you anywhere you want to go!
This Skyhawk Features:
172S Model (180 horsepower)
53 gallon fuel tanks
Brand new Garmin G5 ADI and HSI
Brand new Garmin GNX 375 Touchscreen moving map
Full IFR certification
KAP 140 2 Axis Autopilot
Fun Places to Fly Near Kissimmee:
Since Aerostar is a flight school in Florida, our instructors and students have some great “inside information” about some local destinations. Here are a few suggestions:
Bartow, FL (BOW / KBOW) – Get a “hundred-dollar hamburger” at Ninis Restaurant.
Lakeland, FL (LAL / KLAL) – The home airport of the annual Sun & Fun Event.
Did you know that as of 2017 only 7.01% of pilots were women? With such a minimum number of women within the airline industry, AeroStar is a shining exception.
Since 2015, the CEO of AeroStar has been a woman: Deidra Toye. Under her leadership, AeroStar has gained recognition as one of the finest aviation-training providers in the world, by serving the needs of individuals as well as flight schools, colleges/universities, government agencies, and airlines across the globe.
In addition to her success in the flight training industry, she is Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Spectrum Aero Maintenance Services, also located in Kissimmee, FL (KISM). Deidra is not only AeroStar’s CEO, she is also mentoring her former mentor.
Around 12 years ago, Deidra worked at American Flyers as a Customer
Service Rep with Jason Gledhill. Gledhill went above and beyond his boss duties
to help mentor Deidra about the aviation industry. When looking back on those
days Deidra stated “I was super excited about aviation, and with that
excitement, I wanted to learn all I could. Jason never stopped teaching me along
the way.” With Gledhill’s invaluable advice, Toye was able accelerate her
success advancing within the industry to own and operate a both leading
aviation training and an aircraft maintenance organization.
In a twist of fate, Deidra is now mentoring Jason by offering him an
A320 Type Rating course through AeroStar, which he has now successfully
completed. In response to her transforming from the mentee to the mentor,
she said “To me, what’s satisfying, and I think Dave (Santo) would say the
same, with us at AeroStar where we’re training so many pilots every day, all
the time, as we travel across the world and we’re going to trade shows, and
we’ll look up in the cockpit as board an airplane and there have been so many times
where we’ve been like, hey, we know you; you graduated from AeroStar!” “it’s an
amazing experience”. In addition, Toye spoke on the basics of her mentoring
relationships. “It takes dedication on both sides. There have been times where “I’ll
see a diamond in the rough, and be like, you know what, this person has so much
potential, so much raw talent. And I’m just drawn to want to mentor them. But
if they’re not a hundred percent into it and they’re not dedicated to it, at
the end of the day, no matter how great they could be, if they’re not wanting
to apply themselves to do it and they don’t have that passion for it, it’s not
going to work out in the long run”.
At AeroStar Deidra has been able to utilize her mentoring expertize to
help organize her team into becoming the best mentors for their students. In
speaking of what she has learned from her mentor Toye stated “(Gledhill would)
show me the fun side of aviation. How he mentors other people and how it’s
important to mentor people throughout your aviation career. And from there I
just really took it to heart and I adapted and adopted that mentality. And now
I am delivering the same kind of message to my team and customers here at
AeroStar.” Operating and growing two amazing companies, Deidra is becoming a
prominent role model for Women in Aviation.
If you’re at Aerostar’s Kissimmee campus, you may find yourself in a casual conversation Deidra Wilson, having a great conversation about ATP CTP certification, type ratings, mentorship and pilot careers.
AeroStar Training Services is open for business during the government shutdown.
Our instructors are holding courses, students are enrolling and graduating, and things are progressing as normal with a few exceptions.
Most flight training courses are being held as scheduled!
Our instructors are teaching
Our Redbird and A320 Sims are available
Students are completing lessons and logging time toward their goals!
We have an in-house Visa agent that can approve student visas.
We can issue FAA temporary licensing on -site so that pilots can start using their new licensing or type ratings right away.
That said, there are a few things that may have temporary delays:
Foreign License Certifications/Conversions – Are currently on hold.
FAA Medical Certificates – for student pilots and others are currently not being issued, although Aviation medical examiners may still issue certificates to qualified pilots at the time of a regular FAA physical exam.
AeroStar has added another flight training device to our simulation efforts, a Red Bird FMX, which will be used to support Career Pilot Academy students here at our Kissimmee training campus. This device is the third recent addition to AeroStar’s simulation portfolio. We acquired an A320 simulator in late 2017 and a B737 simulator has also been purchased and will be delivered at the end of the year.
“With all the space our new hangar facility provides us with, we are able to bring a variety of simulators in-house and fully cater to our student’s training needs,” said Dave Hensely, AeroStar’s Training Center Manager.
KISSIMMEE, August 22, 2018 —AeroStar is pleased to announce that we have obtained our Part 141 certificate. The Part 141 program enables students to secure a private pilot certificate in 35 hours instead of 40, and for an instrument rating, 30 hours instead of 40, as is required from a Part 61 school. This reduction in hours can save students greatly on training costs and time. Having this certificate also allows us to add our training curriculum to the list of SEVIS-approved flight schools, allowing international students to train here on an M1 visa.
While both Part 61 and Part 141 training programs follow the same policies set forth by the FAA, Part 141 training establishments are often geared towards career-minded students and use a more professional-oriented curriculum. Becoming a Part 141 training school is the perfect fit for AeroStar because we help students from their first time in the cockpit to securing anATP certificateand other advanced training courses including type ratings onA320andB737.
AeroStar’s Part 141 certificate is valid for our Private Pilot and Instrument Rating programs. AeroStar has held its Part 142 certificate since 2008.Contact us to learn more about ourtraining programsat (407) 888-9011.
One-Stop Pilot Type Rating Training in Orlando, Florida
KISSIMMEE, July 1, 2018 — AeroStar Training Services announces the official launch of an on-location A320 simulator, recently installed in their new 18,000, soon-to-be 30,000 square foot hangar facility at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport. This simulator is being used by the school’s pilot trainees working on an A320 type rating or ATP certificate, as well as by airlines and organizations who wish to dry lease simulator hours.
This grand opening is phase one of a major expansion effort for the company, which includes a $1.5 million dollar building addition, featuring a new state-of-the-art aircraft maintenance facility, Spectrum Aero. It also introduces the first of several new simulators that have been acquired by AeroStar. These simulators provide student trainees with the opportunity to complete all necessary pilot training in-house and not require them to travel to other locations for the simulator portion of their training. Phases two and three will roll out later this year and cost approximately $2-3 million dollars to complete.
“We look forward to making our sim training more convenient for our students and having state-of-the-art equipment on-site that we will also be able to lease out to airlines and other training organizations and use for many years to come,” said Deidra Toye, AeroStar’s president & CEO. By the time the expansion project is complete, the company will have secured over $20 million dollars in simulator assets and AeroStar will be the only school in the Americas that will be able to train pilots from obtaining a Private Pilot License to a complete Airline Transport Pilot License and type ratings on A320 or B737 under the same roof.
