2FLY Airborne is a professional career pilot academy headquartered at Merritt Island Airport (KCOI) in Merritt Island, Florida, just outside Cape Canaveral on Florida's Space Coast. Founded in 1994 and operating under the legal entity Airborne Systems, Inc. (FAA Certificate #E7XS487K), 2FLY has grown into one of the largest independent flight training providers in the United States, with a management team that brings over 50,000 combined flight hours and 35 years of aviation industry experience.   The school operates under both FAA Part 141 and Part 61 frameworks and is one of a small number of U.S.-based flight schools authorized to deliver both FAA and EASA license training from a single campus. The FAA pathway takes students from zero experience through Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, and CFI certifications — structured to enable graduates to build hours as paid instructors en route to the 1,500-hour ATP minimums required by U.S. airlines. The EASA pathway, branded as 2FLY Pro Pilot, delivers a full frozen ATPL (fATPL) program in partnership with affiliated training centers in Europe, making it a compelling option for internationally oriented students seeking dual-license employability.   2FLY's career programs are structured as two-phase integrated pipelines. Phase One (approximately 8 months) covers the full certificate stack through CFI. Phase Two (approximately 16 months) transitions graduates into paid flight instructor roles at 2FLY itself, during which they accumulate the hours needed for airline employment while building real instructional experience. This model keeps students within the 2FLY ecosystem through the critical hour-building period and reduces the uncertainty of finding external instructing work after graduation.   On the airline partnerships front, 2FLY has established Preferred Hiring Pathways with Avelo Airlines, Silver Airways, SkyWest Airlines, and CommuteAir (a United Aviate pipeline partner), giving qualified graduates structured interview access to Boeing 737 and regional jet First Officer positions at the 1,500-hour milestone. The school is also authorized to enroll non-immigrant international students under TSA and SEVIS requirements, making it a well-documented option for foreign nationals pursuing FAA certification in the U.S.   Beyond flight training, 2FLY has a broader academic partnership with Purdue Global, allowing students to receive transfer credits toward an online Bachelor's degree in Professional Flight or Aviation Management, with a 20% tuition reduction for 2FLY students and their immediate families.   2FLY currently operates three locations across Florida: Merritt Island (headquarters), Avon Park (opened 2025), and Lakeland Linder International Airport through its affiliated International Aero Academy. The school maintains a stated fleet of 50 aircraft across its network.

Home Airport(s)

Merritt Island Airport ICAO: KCOI | IATA: COI | FAA LID: COI   Located in Merritt Island, Brevard County, Florida, northwest of Patrick Space Force Base and adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center corridor. The airport covers 129 acres and sits at an elevation of approximately 6 ft MSL. It is administered by the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority.   Runway: Runway 11​/​29 — 3,601 ft × 75 ft (asphalt; RNAV​/​GPS approaches; uncontrolled airspace with CTAF)   For flight training, KCOI is well-suited to the early and intermediate stages of a career program. The single runway in an uncontrolled environment keeps operations simple and student-paced, with no tower to navigate during foundational pattern work. The Space Coast location delivers outstanding VFR weather — Florida averages over 300 flyable days per year — which significantly reduces weather-related training delays and allows students to progress through programs on a more predictable schedule. The relatively low traffic volume means students get consistent access to the pattern without excessive sequencing or delays. As training advances, the proximity to other Brevard County and Central Florida airports provides diverse cross-country routing options and exposure to Class C and Class B airspace at Orlando and Melbourne. The runway length at 3,601 feet is appropriate for the Cessna 172 and PA-28 family that forms the bulk of 2FLY's training fleet, though students will transition to longer runways for multi-engine and advanced commercial work.

Fleet and Facilities

2FLY operates a fleet of 50 aircraft across its three Florida locations. The fleet at the Merritt Island headquarters is drawn from the following types:   Single Engine: Piper Archer, Warrior, and Cadet (PA-28 family) — core trainers for Private Pilot through Commercial Pilot single-engine training; well-proven low-wing platforms widely used in structured career programs. Cessna 172S​/​R (analog) — traditional steam gauge configuration; used for instrument scanning and foundational flight training. Cessna 172S​/​R (G1000) — glass cockpit variant; used for TAA training and commercially required glass panel hours.   Multi Engine: Piper Seneca (PA-34) — twin-engine trainer used for multi-engine rating and instrument training in a complex, twin-engine environment; relevant to commercial and CFI multi-engine endorsements.   Simulators: 3× Redbird LD Simulators — FAA-approved BATDs; used for instrument currency, IPC completion, and logging toward instrument rating hours. 1× 737NG Training Device — jet transition simulator used within the airline partnership programs, particularly the Avelo First Officer Program; provides exposure to jet systems, procedures, and CRM before students enter airline-sponsored type rating programs.   Facilities at the Merritt Island location include dedicated training offices, classroom space for ground instruction, and on-site aircraft scheduling through the school's online booking system. Student housing is available for international and out-of-state students, which is a meaningful operational detail given 2FLY's heavily international enrollment.

Additional Notes

2FLY Airborne is unambiguously a career-focused academy rather than a recreational or hobbyist flight school. Its programs are structured, cohort-based, and paced for students who want to move efficiently from zero experience to airline-ready credentials. The monthly payment model — rather than requiring full tuition upfront — is a genuine differentiator in a market where lump-sum tuition can range into the six figures.   The school's international student pipeline is a significant part of its business, and it has built out the administrative infrastructure to support it: TSA and SEVIS authorization, I-20 issuance, visa guidance, and on-site housing. Prospective domestic students should be aware that the school's culture and pace are oriented around this career-track, full-time enrollment model — it is not structured for part-time or casual learners.   The 737NG training device on-site is an unusual asset for a Part 141 school operating out of a small GA airport and reflects 2FLY's ambition to bridge the gap between ab initio training and jet-ready graduates more directly than most competitors at the same level.