They are the best

Based on survey results from 2022, In The Pattern Flight School of Denton and Granbury, Texas, was voted best flight school (for the second year in a row) and Senior Flight Instructor Bryan Gutraj at Iowa’s University of Dubuque was named best CFI.

Both were among the 2023 regional winners previously announced, and join the ranks of flight training professionals recognized since the AOPA You Can Fly program established the Flight Training Experience survey in 2012.

In the Pattern operates two locations, 25 airplanes, and 37 employees who all embody a customer-first philosophy. Co-owners Sherman Gardner and Darren Gardner, and Chris Webb, attended Redbird Migration and accepted their national award on behalf of the school.

“It’s not just about flying airplanes, it’s not about getting ratings,” said Darren Gardner. “It’s about building relationships and doing life together.”

Gutraj, the national instructor of the year, was described as “professional, knowledgeable, and patient” by his students who participated in the survey.

“Never stop learning,” said Gutraj. “Just soak up as much information as you can.”

Each year, AOPA invites students and pilots who have worked with any school or instructor in the preceding 12 months to share their experience in the Flight Training Experience survey. The AOPA You Can Fly team uses the data to identify successful practices, and where flight schools have opportunities to improve. Responses to the survey are also used to identify the best of the best in flight training. “Your dedication, your passion, and your perseverance is raising up the next generation of pilots,” said Dan Justman, AOPA vice president of You Can Fly Programming. “You are making a difference and together we are all making more pilots.”

The awards were presented at the twelfth annual Redbird Migration. This year, content and sessions were added for school districts and high school and middle school educators who use aviation to teach science, technology, engineering, and math.

Redbird announced Eric Crump as the newest addition to its board of directors. Crump is the executive director of the Aerospace Center for Excellence in Lakeland, Florida, and will bring valuable insight into K-12 education and outreach to the board. “Redbird has become the de facto standard in aviation focused on K-12 Career and Technical Development programs across the country,” said Crump. “I’m looking forward to helping the company develop even more effective and powerful tools to aid primary and secondary schools in meeting the increasing demand for skilled talent, both in the aviation industry and outside it.”

Redbird also works closely with organizations like AOPA and EAA to promote youth outreach and education. EAA’s new Pilot Proficiency Center was the location for the event, and AOPA’s You Can Fly team was on site to present our AOPA High School Aviation STEM Curriculum and the benefits of standardization of flight training and the business applications of AOPA Flight Training Advantage (AFTA), the digital adaptive flight training system for students, CFIs, and flight schools.

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