Program 01
Private Pilot
Solo, cross-country, checkride. The certificate that opens the rest of aviation. National average is 60 to 70 hours in our well-maintained fleet.
Begin trainingFly. Learn. Lead. · Venice Municipal, KVNC
Your Mission Starts Here.
Learn to fly over the Gulf Coast in Venice, Florida. You fly with the same CFI from your first lesson through your checkride, on a schedule built around your week. Sport Pilot, ground school, and PPL through CFI, in a growing fleet maintained by our own A&P shop next door.
$199 Discovery Flight
Sport Pilot · driver's license, no FAA medical
Maintained in-house
Family-run · Venice, FL
Core values
Faith-Driven
It is part of who we are
Excellence
Beyond the minimums
Integrity
Honest training, written down
Discipline
Habits that pass a checkride
Adventure
Florida out the window every flight
Training Programs
From first lesson to first paycheck.
Every rating you need to fly for a living, plus the easy ways to start. Taught by instructors who stay with you from your first lesson through your checkride. The airplanes are maintained by our own A&P shop next door.
Program 02
Instrument Rating
The instrument rating lets you file IFR and fly through clouds instead of waiting out the weather. It takes about 40 hours of dedicated IFR instruction, and Florida gives you real conditions to log it in.
Advance your rating
Program 03
Commercial & CFI
Turn flying into a paycheck. Commercial and CFI / CFII ratings, built on top of your PPL and instrument time. The path most pro pilots take.
Plan your pathSport Pilot · easiest way to start
Sport Pilot is the simplest way in. You can use a valid US driver's license in lieu of an FAA medical to show you're fit to fly, so there's no medical exam to clear before you begin. Ask us how it works.
Ground School · classroom + in-aircraft
Sign up for ground school and learn the knowledge side alongside your flying. Classroom plus in-aircraft, so the books and the airplane finally line up. New classes are forming now.
Sign up for ground schoolA word from our chief instructor
Good pilots aren't born calm in the cockpit. They get there one prepared lesson at a time, and that's how we teach it.
Our Chief Instructor · Alpha Company Aviation
Begin Here · $199 · About 90 Minutes Total
Thirty minutes. One question answered.
If you've ever wondered whether flying is for you, this is the cheapest way to find out. About ninety minutes total: fifteen briefed on the ground, thirty in the air with your hands on the yoke from the left seat, then a post-flight debrief. Most people know in the first ten.
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01
Book the slot Call (941) 375-9727. Gift certificates available. No prior experience required.
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02
Brief and fly Walkaround, headset fit, taxi out. Thirty minutes on the controls over the Gulf coast.
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03
Logbook entry You leave with your first entry written by a CFI. Counts toward your Private Pilot certificate.
$199
Full program ladder
From first flight
to the captain's seat.
Paced to you, taught by an instructor who stays with you the whole way. Each rating builds on the one before it. Sport Pilot and ground school give you an easy place to start.
Discovery Flight
Thirty minutes on the controls. The cleanest way to find out whether aviation is for you. Logbook entry included.
Sport Pilot
The easiest on-ramp to flying. Use a valid US driver's license in lieu of an FAA medical to show you are fit to fly, so there is no medical exam to clear before you start.
Ground School
Classroom plus in-aircraft. Learn the knowledge side that the checkride and the cockpit both ask for. Sign up for the next class and study alongside your flying.
Private Pilot License
PPL in our well-maintained fleet. Solo, cross-country, checkride. The certificate that opens the rest of aviation. National average is 60 to 70 flight hours.
Instrument Rating
Fly when the weather isn't perfect. The rating that lets you file IFR, fly through clouds, and finish the trip you started. Paced to you.
Commercial Pilot
Turn flying into a paycheck. The certificate every professional pilot in the country holds. Built on top of your PPL and instrument time.
Certified Flight Instructor
CFI and CFII ratings. Time-building, income teaching, and the deepest command of the material. It's the rating that turns experienced pilots into working instructors.
The Fleet
A growing fleet, kept right.
Good airplanes, and a coast worth flying. Venice puts the Gulf out the window on nearly every flight. Every airframe is maintained in our own hangar by our own A&P shop, not contracted out.
In the fleet · Four-seat trainer
Grumman Tiger
- Power
- Lycoming O-360 · 180 HP
- Cruise
- ~138 KTAS
- Seats
- 4
One of the well-kept airplanes on our line. Sliding canopy, low-wing visibility, room for four. A solid, honest airplane to learn and travel in.
In the fleet · Two-seat trainer
Cessna 150
- Power
- Continental O-200 · 100 HP
- Cruise
- ~95 KTAS
- Seats
- 2
Two seats, simple systems, forgiving manners. Honest, affordable hours toward your total. The kind of airplane pilots remember their first solo in.
Newest on the line · Four-seat cruiser
Piper Cherokee
- Power
- Lycoming four-cylinder
- Wing
- Low-wing
- Seats
- 4
The newest airplane on our line. A roomy, stable low-wing four-seater and an honest cross-country trainer. One more airplane on the ramp means more room on the schedule for your lessons.
$199
Discovery Flight
KVNC
Venice Municipal
In-house
Maintenance
Family-run
Military-member household
Where You'll Learn
The coastline is your classroom.
Venice Municipal sits with the Gulf of America to the north and the Intracoastal to the east. You will fly traffic patterns over the beach, do cross-countries between coastal fields, and watch the sunset from 2,500 feet on your way home. You will train over water most people travel to Florida just to see.
- Field
- KVNC · Venice Municipal
- Runways
- 13/31 · 5,000 ft · 04/22
- Pattern
- Gulf of America north
- FBO
- Skyport Aviation
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Our Mission
To train careful, capable pilots. To do it with discipline and faith. To build the kind of community we want our own kids learning in. Excellence. Integrity. The freedom of flight.
Alpha Company Aviation
"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles."
Isaiah 40:31About Alpha Company Aviation
Family-run.
Military-member. Faith-driven.
Alpha Company Aviation is run by a tight-knit team that treats the flight school like family, because it is one. What started small in Venice is now a growing operation with our own A&P maintenance shop, more aircraft on the way, and a plan to train pilots across the Gulf Coast for years to come.
We are a family-run school with deep military roots, and it shows in how we work: disciplined, honest, and personal. You train with the same instructor from your first lesson through your checkride, on a schedule built around your week.
- Based in Venice, FLAt Venice Municipal Airport, KVNC, on Florida's Gulf Coast.
- Family-runA close family team with military members in the household.
- Maintenance under one roofOur airplanes are signed off by our own A&P shop next door, not contracted out.
- Built to growMore aircraft, ground school, and expanded ratings as our students grow with us.
How we train
Personal attention.
Serious training.
You stay with the same CFI from your first lesson through your checkride, on a schedule that fits your week. One instructor, start to finish, so nobody has to catch up on where you left off.
The first time I solo'd was here. The instructors knew my name, my fears, and exactly when I was ready. Other schools push you out. This one trains you up.
Student · PPL Track
Different from other schools I'd toured. Calm. Professional. Confident. Felt like a mission, not a sales pitch.
Discovery Flight Visitor
The airplanes are clean, the instructors are sharp, and the values are real. I'd send my own kids here.
Aircraft Owner · KVNC
Frequently Asked
Flight school in Venice, FL: questions answered.
The questions every prospective student asks. If yours isn't here, call (941) 375-9727 and we will answer it on the spot.
How much does a discovery flight cost at Alpha Company Aviation?
A discovery flight at our Venice, FL flight school is $199 for about 90 minutes total: a fifteen-minute pre-flight briefing, thirty minutes on the controls over the Gulf Coast, and a post-flight debrief. The session includes your first logbook entry, written by a Certified Flight Instructor and counted toward your Private Pilot certificate.
Where is the flight school located?
Alpha Company Aviation operates from 224 Airport Ave E at Venice Municipal Airport (KVNC) on Florida's Gulf Coast. We fly the coastline from Venice north to Sarasota and south to Englewood, with the Gulf of America off the wing for most pattern work.
What aircraft will I train in at our Venice flight school?
You train in our growing, well-maintained fleet of good airplanes, including well-kept four-seat and two-seat trainers. Every airplane is maintained in-house by our own A&P mechanics, not contracted out. Call (941) 375-9727 and we will tell you what is on the line today.
How long does it take to earn a Private Pilot License?
Most students at our Venice flight school complete the PPL in 60 to 70 flight hours over four to nine months, depending on schedule and weather. The FAA minimum is 40 hours; national average completion is closer to 65 hours.
Do I need any prior experience to start flight training?
No prior flying experience is required. Most students begin with a $199 discovery flight, then proceed into the PPL syllabus the following week. You must be at least 17 years old to earn the Private Pilot certificate, and you will need an FAA Class 3 Medical Certificate, which we can help you schedule with a local Aviation Medical Examiner.
Are gift certificates for discovery flights available?
Yes. Discovery flight gift certificates make a memorable birthday, graduation, or holiday gift. Call (941) 375-9727 to purchase one and we will mail or email the certificate with redemption details.
What makes this flight school different from other Florida schools?
Three things. You stay with the same dedicated CFI from your first lesson through your checkride, so nobody re-teaches you what you already covered. Every airplane is maintained in-house by our own A&P shop, not contracted out. And it is a family-run school with a military-member household. Members of AOPA and EAA.
Can I start flying with just a driver's license, and do you offer ground school?
Yes, through Sport Pilot training you can use a valid US driver's license in lieu of an FAA medical to demonstrate medical eligibility, so there is no FAA medical exam required to begin. It is the easiest on-ramp to flying. We also run ground school, classroom plus in-aircraft, so you can sign up for the next class and study the knowledge side alongside your flying. Call (941) 375-9727 to get started.
Alpha Company Aviation is a flight school based at Venice Municipal, KVNC. Whether your first lesson is next week or you're already working toward a CFI rating, we can tell you what the next step looks like. Call (941) 375-9727.