Flight School Spotlight: Dragonfly Aviation

“As far back as I can remember I’ve always wanted to pursue aviation.” said Jon. His interest started as a child—looking up at airplanes from a stroller—continued through his teens with his first solo at 16; and now in adulthood has culminated into an award-winning flight school based at Barrow County Airport (WDR) in Winder, Georgia.

Jon and Heidi started Dragonfly Aviation in 2014. Jon was flying for the airlines, but the pair wanted to buy their first airplane, so he started instructing a few students a couple days a week in a Diamond DA20, with the hope that this instruction would help pay off the airplane. “It very rapidly grew much faster than we expected, and he was here all of his time off and I was here all of my time off,” said Heidi. Today Dragonfly Aviation has 10 airplanes in its fleet and is the only flight school in Georgia that has received recognition as an AOPA Distinguished Flight School every year since the award’s inception in 2017.

To account for this rapid and lasting success, the Lambeths point to a few important pillars they’ve adopted into their business. A passion for aviation is a must—they like to see their own passion mirrored in their instructors and their students. It’s also important to them to keep their mission focused on student comfort and success.

Heidi manages the front office and runs the customer service arm of the flight school, while Jon stays busy as the chief instructor. Though not a pilot, Heidi cares a lot about the people who walk through the front door. “You have to care about your customers, and you have to make sure your instructors care about your customers,” Heidi said. Students are pleasantly surprised when they walk into Dragonfly Aviation and are greeted with the personal touch of an owner who keeps track of their names, their stories, and their training progress.

And the instructors, led by Jon, follow the example of the owners. Instructors “have to have that passion, that drive to actually impart that knowledge on someone,” Jon said. Students will excel and succeed if their instructor is also invested in their progress and success. As a Part 61 flight school, Dragonfly can be more flexible with its training approach. It works for the flight school because there is “less oversight and it is more flexible for the students,” Jon said.

When asked about advice for other flight school owners and operators, Jon suggested focusing on small details that will make a big difference, especially when it comes to the trust and comfort of your students. “Upgrade your stuff, keep it up to date,” Jon encourages. “Even if you do everything you can to keep an airplane maintenance flawless and everything, if the airplane does not look good, people will not feel safe in it.” Investment in the paint and upgrading the interior of your airplanes will go a long way.

The commitment to keeping the students passionate about aviation and focusing on student success and comfort has proven successful for Jon and Heidi Lambeth at Dragonfly Aviation—tangibly proven by their steady growth and recurring recognition. More important to the owners, however, is the impact their instruction has on those who walk out of the building. Heidi said: “People leave here and they’re happy.”