AV8 Flight School helps future pilots take to the skies

In the movie “Ocean’s Thirteen,” a high-tech security expert delivers bad news to Danny Ocean and his band of thieves, who are planning to rob a Las Vegas casino: their plans won’t work because they are “analog players in a digital world. You’re done.”

That’s also the case at some metro-area flight schools that use older aircraft with analog gauges in the cockpit.

Not so with Eden Prairie-based AV8 Flight School, which offers both airplane and helicopter training. The school’s fleet of 18 aircraft – 15 airplanes and three helicopters – consists mostly of newer models equipped with computerized, digital cockpits, according to George Lichty, AV8’s general manager and chief helicopter instructor.

Having that technology is important in pilot training, as all major commercial airlines use digital cockpits. And because most of AV8’s students aim to become airline pilots, training on the latest technology is key.

“About 95% of our students want to go to the airlines … so, that’s really our niche, offering new aircraft with new technology … by training in a digital cockpit, that makes it easy to step right into the glass, high-tech cockpits of the airlines, an easy transition to go from our aircraft to the airlines,” Lichty said.

Notably, military pilots have historically made up the largest percentage of those who become airline pilots, according to industry sources. In the 1980s, it was roughly two-thirds. That’s no longer the case – these days, it’s closer to one-third.

At AV8, a common training path to the airlines for a student includes: private pilot certification, instrument rating, commercial certification, multi-engine add-on, certified flight instructor, then working as an instructor to build time to 1,500 hours (or fewer if qualified for restricted airline transport pilot minimums), and finally applying to the airlines.

AV8’s approach 

AV8 operates from a nearly 2-acre campus on the grounds of Flying Cloud Airport. The campus includes hangars, an office building, ramp and tarmac space, and additional storage. AV8 employs about 40 people, including flight instructors, office staff, and maintenance and avionics technicians. It also owns the Modern Avionics building at Flying Cloud – where maintenance and avionics work is performed.

Founded as Hummingbird Ventures in 2002 to train helicopter pilots at Faribault Municipal Airport, the business moved to Flying Cloud two years later. It eventually expanded to offer both helicopter and airplane training and rebranded as AV8 in 2019, according to Lichty.

The number of students at AV8 varies widely because they train on their own schedule. In general, the school has about 130 active students who show up for training and flying two to three times a week, Lichty said. Additionally, some students pursue further training through affiliations with Liberty University’s bachelor of science in aviation or Purdue University’s bachelor’s degree in professional flight.

Typically, pilot certification training takes about two and a half to three years, Lichty said. Students are charged hourly rates that cover aircraft use, fuel and instructor time. The estimated total cost to train for a private pilot’s license is between $15,000 and $18,000, according to Lichty. He declined to share AV8’s annual sales.

Currently, there are four flight schools at Flying Cloud, all operating on the north end of the airport: AV8, InFlight, Thunderbird Aviation and ATP, which has about 70 locations nationwide. Additional flight schools are located at metro-area general aviation airports such as Anoka, St. Paul, Lake Elmo, Lakeville and Crystal. These airports, along with Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), are all owned and operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

 “AV8 and other flight training programs that operate across MAC’s general aviation airports are critical to support the growing demand for local pilot training,” said Kelly Gerads, MAC director of reliever airports.  

Lichty estimated there are about 70 training aircraft at Flying Cloud – across all the flight schools based at the airport.

With that number of airplanes and helicopters, noise has become a concern for nearby residents. The Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission, which advises the Eden Prairie City Council and MAC, has documented recent complaints, with the flight schools identified as the “largest residential concern” due to their lower-flying aircraft taking off and landing, according to past commission minutes.

Lichty acknowledged this is an important issue and that AV8 strives to be a good neighbor, “following noise abatement rules, flying where we’re supposed to fly, trying to fly over the river when possible so we’re not flying over homes, but, in some cases, air traffic control will tell us where to fly, so we have to follow their direction.”

A pivot point for students

Beyond providing the latest aircraft technology, AV8 is also committed to making its training accessible – especially financially, Lichty said. He explained that while some flight schools require upfront payments, club fees or monthly charges, AV8 does not. 

“You can pay as you go, or you can put some money down and go that route, either way,” he said.

In addition, Lichty said about half of the people in AV8’s programs are in career transition. They want to switch jobs to become pilots, but often still have to work while completing flight training. “So, we care about the student in getting to their next thing … we can be the pivot point in their life,” he said.

Terra McGillivray, a current student who lives in Princeton and commutes an hour and a half to AV8, agreed.

“I adore them,” McGillivray said. “I keep going back to AV8 because I trust their airplanes, I know they are maintained incredibly well, and their instructors – I adore their flight instructors.”

McGillivray, a rotary-wing pilot who flew helicopter missions in Iraq for the Minnesota Air National Guard, is now pursuing her fixed-wing rating with AV8.

“When I came back from Iraq, I was looking for a more positive outlook on aviation, and AV8 showed me that there’s a really wonderful side to aviation,” she said.