Admiral Farragut Academy Aviation programme

View the World from the Sky

At Farragut, dreams become reality. The famous quotation by Leonardo da Vinci runs parallel with the aspirations of students at Farragut. While students at other schools might be focusing on an upcoming Algebra exam – and even daydreaming about becoming an astronaut, students in the Aviation program at Farragut diligently master the fundamentals of flight, both on campus — which houses a flight simulator — and at Albert Whitted Airport, where students hone their skills as pilots in one of the many rented Cessnas on site.

Aviation Program with the Admiral Farragut Academy

Aviation, which began as an elective back in 1987, is now a full program in which students spend three class periods a day receiving ground lab training and flight instruction at a local towered airport. Today, many Aviation students earn their Private Pilot License prior to high school graduation.

With over 70 years of combined aviation experience, our Aviation faculty instill a lifelong love of aeronautical science by providing safe, professional flight, and ground instruction to students interested in pursuing a career in the field of aviation.

Program Benefits

• Small class size. Maximum 5:1 instructor ratio
• Increases self-confidence and communication skills
• Definite career opportunities
• St. Petersburg has over 361 days of sunshine per year = great for flying! 

Students who obtain a Private Pilot License through our Aviation Program pay only US$ 14,000. Obtaining a Private Pilot License independently would cost more than twice that: US$ 32,830!

Aviation Curriculum

On the ground, students learn from pilots. 

• Courses for students in grades 8-12 
• State-of-the-art, on-campus aviation ground school facility houses a PCATD (flight simulator with Elite software), Weather Station, and a CD-ROM / DVD educational program library
• In the sky, students are the pilots! 
• 2 hours allotted during the academic day for flight training at a small, nearby towered airport.
• Fly a Cessna 172 G1000 aircraft or advanced aviation training aircraft, C172 G1000.
• Graduates often continue their aviation career at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Introduction to Aviation and Aerospace (Grades 9-12). Basic Aviation class for students in grades 9-12. Class covers: Private Pilot operations; Aerodynamics; Navigation; Aviation weather reports; Cross-country flight planning; Balsa aircraft design and flight

Lab fee 2024-2025: US$ 100 for materials and PCATD training

Aircraft Systems and Performance (Grades 10-12) 

This second semester course is designed to enhance and highlight student interest areas. Students pursuing an Aviation Career typically take this class in 10th grade. Possible areas of study: Aerodynamics; Flight physiology; Accident investigation; Advanced navigation; Aviation weather; Balsa aircraft design and performance; Aviation history; Aircraft systems; Aircraft performance analysis; Private Pilot Pre-solo maneuvers

Students will be required to receive five (5) hours of flight training and three (3) hours of observer flights. The five-hour training serves as an introduction to various types of single engine aircraft. Students will fly one hour in a C172N, C172SP, PA28 and a C162. These hours will accumulate toward the Private Pilot flight training requirements.