Epic Flight Academy expands its training fleet with Cessna Skyhawk

Epic Flight Academy at the 2023 Sun n’ Fun Aerospace Expo ordered of 15 new Cessna Skyhawk 172 aircraft. As a Cessna Pilot Center, Epic Flight Academy has been training pilots since 1999 and thousands of students from over 80 countries have graduated from the flight school. The Cessna Skyhawk is Epic’s exclusive single-engine aircraft, with a total fleet of 43 ordered since 2016. The new aircraft will supplement and expand Epic Flight Academy’s current fleet based at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport in Florida.

Chris Crow, vice president, Textron Aviation Piston Sales, commented: “The Cessna Skyhawk has been one of the world’s top training aircraft for over six decades. We are thrilled to see these aircraft continue to inspire the next generation of professional pilots through this agreement with Epic Flight Academy.”  

Danny Perna, founder and CEO, Epic Flight Academy, said: "At Epic, our motto has always been ‘Safety first!’ This is why we train our pilots in the Cessna Skyhawk. This aircraft proves itself with every flight and prepares our students for a successful career. We can't wait to take delivery and expand our fleet."

The stable flight characteristics, advanced avionics, and proven dispatch reliability of the Skyhawk have made it a dependable training platform for Epic. The new airplanes will be used exclusively by students to put them in the pilot’s seat of the best training aircraft in the industry. Since the aircraft first took to the sky, more than 45,000 Skyhawks have been delivered to customers worldwide—more than any other aircraft in the industry.