Take Flight Aviation trains pilots from all five boroughs of New York City: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. Our Part 141 flight school is at Orange County Airport (KMGJ) in Montgomery, NY, about 60 miles north of the city and roughly 60 to 75 minutes by car via the Palisades Parkway or the New York State Thruway and I-84.
Why New York City pilots train with Take Flight Aviation
New York City sits beneath some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world, with JFK, LaGuardia, Newark and Teterboro all close together. Very little flight training happens inside the city itself, so most New Yorkers travel to learn. At Orange County Airport you train from a quieter, non-towered field outside the New York Class B airspace, so more of every lesson is spent flying instead of holding or waiting for clearances. When you are ready, Stewart International (SWF) is minutes away for towered and Class C practice, and the Hudson River corridor is part of our training area.
- FAA Part 141 approved Private Pilot, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot courses, plus Part 61 options.
- All-Diamond fleet of 14 aircraft, including the DA40 NG and DA42 NG with Garmin G1000 avionics.
- Full-motion Redbird FMX simulator for instrument and procedures training.
- 90%+ first-time checkride pass rate school-wide, with 175 to 200 checkrides a year.
- The only Factory Approved Diamond Training Center in the U.S., with an in-house Diamond Authorized Service Center.
Making the trip work from the city
Most of our New York City students drive up and schedule two or three lessons per visit, or train in blocks on weekends. Students without a car can take the Port Jervis Line from Hoboken or Secaucus Junction to the Campbell Hall or Middletown stations, a short ride from the airport. Career-track students often enroll in our Zero-to-Pro program or our 3-week accelerated CFI course and train several days a week.
- Discovery Flights – take the controls on your first lesson.
- Private Pilot, Instrument Rating and Commercial Pilot
- Multi-Engine and CFI / CFII
- Zero-to-Pro career program
- International students and college programs
Visit us
Take Flight Aviation, 49 Hangar Road, Hangar D, Montgomery, NY 12549 (Orange County Airport, KMGJ). Call 845-457-4188 or send us a message to schedule a tour or a discovery flight.