Program 01
Private Pilot
Solo, cross-country, checkride. The certificate that opens the rest of aviation. National average is 60 to 70 hours, in the Tiger.
Begin trainingFlight training out of Venice Municipal, KVNC
Fly With Purpose.
Flight training out of Venice, Florida. Our CFIs take the time to actually teach. Students get the attention they paid for, not a seat in a churn-and-burn assembly line. PPL through CFI ratings, in real airplanes maintained by our own A&P shop.
$199 Discovery Flight
Grumman AA-5B Tiger · Cessna 150
Maintained in-house
Founder-taught · Cohorts of 25
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. Taught by CFIs who'll know your name by the second lesson. The airplanes are maintained by our own A&P shop next door.
Program 02
Instrument Rating
Fly when the weather is not perfect. The rating that turns a fair-weather pilot into one you would trust to fly your family. Most pilots wish they had it sooner.
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 pathA note from the founder
The sky was never the limit. Your preparation is.
Elena Awad · Founder · 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 hands on the yoke from the right seat, then a post-flight debrief. Most people know in the first ten.
-
01
Book the slot Call (941) 375-9727. Gift certificates available. No prior experience required.
-
02
Brief and fly Walkaround, headset fit, taxi out. Thirty minutes on the controls over the Gulf coast.
-
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 right seat.
Paced to you, taught by people who will know your name by the second lesson. Each rating builds on the one before it.
Discovery Flight
Thirty minutes on the controls. The cleanest way to find out whether aviation is for you. Logbook entry included.
Private Pilot License
PPL in the Grumman Tiger. 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. Become the instructor your students will one day call "the one who taught me to fly." Time-building, income, and the deepest rating mastery.
The Aircraft
Airplanes worth learning in.
Not a glass-cockpit cookie cutter. You'll train in a Grumman Tiger with a sliding canopy and a castering nosewheel. Every airframe is maintained in our own hangar.
AA-5B · Primary Trainer
Grumman Tiger
- Power
- Lycoming O-360 · 180 HP
- Cruise
- ~138 KTAS
- Seats
- 4
Sliding canopy, low-wing visibility, castering nosewheel. Faster than a 172. The airplane that teaches you to fly an airplane, not steer one.
C150 · Solo & Time-Building
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. Most pilots remember their first solo in a 150.
Incoming · TBD
Third Trainer
- Status
- In-bound
- Service
- In-house
- Available
- Soon
A third airplane joining the fleet. Maintained in the same hangar by the same A&Ps. Call and ask. We will tell you which model and when.
$199
Discovery Flight
KVNC
Venice Municipal
In-house
Maintenance
25
Founding Pilots
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. Most pilots vacation here. You train here.
- Field
- KVNC · Venice Municipal
- Runways
- 13/31 · 5,000 ft · 04/22
- Pattern
- Gulf of America north
- FBO
- Skyport Aviation
† † †
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
Founded in 2021.
Family-owned. Faith-driven.
Elena Awad founded Alpha Company Aviation in 2021 and still owns it today. What began as a small Florida flight school is now a growing operation with our own A&P maintenance shop, additional aircraft on the way, and a vision to train pilots across the Gulf Coast for years to come.
We are a family-owned, military-member household. Our students come for the airplane and the airport. They stay for the way we treat them.
- Founded 2021At Venice Municipal Airport, KVNC, on Florida's Gulf Coast.
- Family-ownedThree generations of Awads involved. Military-member household.
- Maintenance under one roofOur airplanes are signed off by our own A&P shop next door, not contracted out.
- Built to growAdditional aircraft and expanded ratings on the roadmap as our students grow with us.
How we train
Personal attention.
Serious training.
Our CFIs aren't juggling twelve students each. You stay with the same instructor from your first lesson through your checkride, on a schedule that fits your week, not ours.
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 of a Grumman AA-5B Tiger, 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?
Primary instruction is in the Grumman AA-5B Tiger, a 180-horsepower four-seat low-wing trainer with a sliding canopy and castering nosewheel, powered by the Lycoming O-360. Solo and time-building flights are conducted in a Cessna 150. Every airplane is maintained in-house by our own A&P mechanics.
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. Every cohort is intentionally small, and you stay with the same dedicated CFI from your first lesson through your checkride. Every airplane is maintained in-house by our own A&P shop, not contracted out. And we run the school the way a family business runs it: family-owned, military-member household. Members of AOPA and EAA.
Alpha Company Aviation is a flight school based at Venice Municipal, KVNC. Whether your first lesson is next week or you're working toward a CFI rating, the airplane is here, the coast is here, and so are we. Call (941) 375-9727.