AOPA Recognizes Top Flight Instructors, Schools in the Nation

Regional winners were notified in January and invited to Redbird Migration in Denver, where the national honorees were announced on March 5.

The national award for Best Flight School was presented to In the Pattern in Denton, Texas, marking their achievement as the first-ever three-time winner of this prestigious honor. The national award for Best Instructor went to Tiziano Bernard, an instructor at Savannah Aviation in Savannah, Georgia.

For this year’s awards, AOPA moved to an application-based review process under which instructors and flight schools were invited to apply for regional and national recognition. Applicants could request reviews from students, instructors, designated pilot examiners, and other clients who had worked with them during the previous 12 months. A panel of industry experts then screened the applications without knowledge of the applicants’ identities.

AOPA Foundation Senior Director of Flight Training Education Chris Moser said the new process provided more detailed, firsthand information about aviation educators seeking recognition. In addition to the regional winners, one school and one instructor from each of six regions, dozens more schools and instructors were recognized for "distinguished" performance.

The awards program was created in part to highlight best practices, and help the entire industry focus on what works. “We definitely saw a theme this year from the reviewers about a great combination of customer service and community,” Moser said.

“Having a friendly and family-like atmosphere has always been a hallmark of excellent instructors and flight schools, but this year there was also a strong trend of describing some truly amazing ways that instructors and schools went above and beyond to serve their customers,” Moser said. “Whether helping them find a place to live near the school while in training, or even instructors driving out of their way to pick them up to make sure they could make it to their lesson.”

The 2025 regional best instructors are:

• Central Southern - John Schaffer (Texas Flight), Spring, Texas
• Eastern - Madison Nugent (Aviation Adventures), Leesburg, Virginia
• Great Lakes - Peg Ballou (Ballou Skies Aviation), Bucyrus, Ohio
• Pacific - Mike Smith (Mike Smith Aviation), Napa, California
• Southern - Tiziano Bernard (Savannah Aviation), Savannah, Georgia*
• Western - Jacob Peery (Flight Stars, Leopard Aviation), Scottsdale, Arizona

The 2025 regional best flight schools are:

• Central Southern - In the Pattern, Denton, Texas*
• Eastern - Air Ventures Flying School, Smithfield, Rhode Island
• Great Lakes - Ballou Skies Aviation, Bucyrus, Ohio
• Pacific - Flex Air, San Diego, California
• Southern - Sun City Aviation Academy, Davie, Florida
• Western - Chennault Flying Service, North Las Vegas, Nevada

*indicates the national winner in each category