AOPA celebrates standout instructors, schools by region

For its latest awards cycle, AOPA continued its application-based review system. Aspiring pilots and seasoned aviators alike were invited to submit feedback and share their experiences from the past 12 months, which were evaluated anonymously to determine the regional winners of the 2026 awards.

Across the board, reviewers praised training environments built on encouragement, support, and a genuine sense of community. Beyond strong technical instruction, many highlighted instructors and schools going above and beyond—helping students arrange transportation or housing and ensuring they had the resources needed to stay on track with training.

The awards are part of a broader effort to welcome new pilots into aviation and keep them engaged throughout their training and beyond. National award recipients will be announced March 4 during Redbird Migration in Lakeland, Florida.

2026 regional best instructors:

Central Southern – Ty Ashe (JKA LLC), Notasulga, Alabama.

Eastern – Grayson Bertaina (FlyHdg360 LLC), Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Great Lakes – Sydney Pilling (Illinois Aviation Academy/Spartan Education Group), Third Lake, Illinois.

Pacific – Austin Smith (ATP Flight School), Newbury Park, California.

Southern – Tiziano Bernard (Savannah Aviation), Pooler, Georgia.

Western – Andrew Hamouda (Leopard Aviation), Scottsdale, Arizona.

2026 regional best flight schools:

Central Southern – Neu Aviation, Benton, Louisiana.

Eastern – Nova Pilots, Leesburg, Virginia.

Great Lakes – Moore Aviation Inc., Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

Pacific – Mike Smith Aviation International Inc., Napa, California.

Southern – Centennial Aviation Academy, Atlanta, Georgia.

Western – Sierra Charlie Aviation, Scottsdale, Arizona.

The You Can Fly program and the Air Safety Institute are funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. To be a part of the solution, visit www.aopafoundation.org/donate.