Thunderbird Adventist Academy (TAA) is simply the best place to learn to fly. And here is why:

• Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, students will almost never need to cancel a lesson due to bad weather.
• Many consider Scottsdale to have the country’s best year-around flying conditions. Scottsdale temperatures average 70 degrees, with 360 VFR flying days per year.
• Students will receive much needed practice and experience with complex airspace. The Scottsdale Airport is a corporate jet relief airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), and offers a tower in class “Delta” airspace overlaid by class “Bravo” airspace.
• Student will begin the program by enrolling in the TAA Pilot Ground School. He/she may apply to take the flight portion of the program after completing the ground school.
• TAA plans to offer multiple ratings such as IFR, Multi-engine, and Commercial ratings.
• TAA has been able to provide a partnership with accredited flight school universities offering college credit for the certificates earned. With this partnership, the student’s total expenses will be significantly reduced.
• TAA has partnered up with Adventist World Aviation (AWAI), the branch of the Church that provides humanitarian air support around the world. With this partnership we are able to offer flight instruction at ACTUAL COST! This means the students will spend almost half the cost of a traditional flight school.
• Students will pay per flight hour based on the current expenses. Costs will average approx. $6,000 per rating.
• Although not all students will go to foreign countries and provide missionary air support for a career, it is TAA’s desire to expose the students to the needs for humanitarian aviation around the world.
• AWA’s Chief Flight insturctor Derrick Heisey brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the industry as a professional light instructor and as an airline pilot. His ratings include CFI, CFII, Multi-Engine Instructor, and ATP.
• TAA is owned and operated by the Arizona Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists and is fully accredited with the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools, Colleges, and Universities.