Paragon Flight Training, an award-winning flight training academy 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 component of the company’s long-term strategic plan, which includes the purchase of an additional 40 Piper aircraft over the next five years. This effort comes as the company ramps up efforts to train more pilots in response to the global pilot shortage while simultaneously becoming the dominant player in the U.S. domestic flight training market. The announcement was made by Paragon Flight President and owner Christopher Schoensee.
“It’s exciting to see our growth plans further unfold with the addition of this beautiful Piper aircraft – which we are confident is the training aircraft of the next generation,” Schoensee said. “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. 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 time-tested 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-based Piper on Jan. 31. John Calcagno, Piper Aircraft president & CEO, said it was a momentous occasion for both organizations.
“Piper Aircraft is proud to work with Paragon Flight as they expand their pilot training program," Calcagno said. "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.”
