Sun, Jan 16, 2022
A Winter Home Away From Home for Indiana Flight Students
LIFT Academy, a flight school based out of Indianapolis, has added a separate wintertime satellite location to their company, beginning to operate out of Albemarie, North Carolina for a portion of the year.
Aviators familiar with the tiresome aspects of a northern winter understand the allure of a nice, southerly clime for high-tempo flight training.
Stanly County Airport will be the new home for up to 15 of LIFT's aircraft, a mix of 40 Diamond DA40-NGs and 5 DA42-VI aircraft. The planes will stay in North Carolina throughout December, January, and February, while the school expects at least 100 students will enjoy the relocated winter flight. Stanly Airport will see students practice their landings, hold lessons, and fly between 25 additional airports across the southeastern US. Students in private and commercial training will be accompanied at the school by LIFT maintenance personnel on-site to keep up with the required maintenance for the Diamond fleet.
“We have had incredible success in our mission to prepare airline-ready pilots in our home location at Indianapolis International Airport. Adding Stanly County Airport provides operational relief with more reliable winter weather so our students’ accelerated training program can continue uninterrupted in the harshest winter months,” said Ed Bagden, Director of LIFT Operations.
LIFT said Stanly was selected from a list of hundreds of airports in the region, but the special blend of climate, facilities, and infrastructure in place won out against stiff competition.
“We are thrilled to have LIFT at Stanly County Airport. Aviation has a rich history here in North Carolina, and to host one of the premier flight programs in the country is a testament to more than just our weather,” Ken Swaringen, Stanly County Airport Director, said. “We’re excited to see LIFT take off in Stanly County.”
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