702 Helicopters, Inc. — now branded as 702 Aviation — is a family-owned and operated flight school, repair station, and aerial tour operator based at North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Founded by Brian Lorenz in 2010 with two Robinson R22 training helicopters, the school takes its name from the Las Vegas area code and has since grown into one of the most operationally diverse general aviation businesses in the Las Vegas Valley. What sets 702 Aviation apart from most flight schools in the region is its breadth of certifications and genuine helicopter-first identity. The operation holds approvals under FAA Part 141 and Part 61 (flight training), Part 145 (repair station), Part 135 (commercial flight operations), and Part 91.147 (tour operations) — a combination that is rare for an independent GA school of this size. The school is also an authorized Robinson Helicopter Service Center, which means its maintenance team is factory-trained and certified to service, inspect, and repair the same Robinson R22 and R44 aircraft used in training. The training curriculum covers both helicopter and fixed-wing pathways under Part 61, with certificate and rating programs available from Private Pilot through Commercial and CFI​/​CFII. On the helicopter side, training is conducted in Robinson R22s (two-seat, ideal for Private Pilot through early instrument work) and Robinson R44s (four-seat, used all the way through instrument, commercial, and CFI ratings). Fixed-wing training is conducted in Cessna 172s, including both analog and glass cockpit variants, as well as a Cessna 182 that qualifies as a Technically Advanced Aircraft for commercial TAA requirements. Flight simulators are available for both helicopter and fixed-wing training. Beyond structured certificate training, 702 Aviation offers aerial tours of the Las Vegas Strip, Red Rock Canyon, and the Grand Canyon — making it one of the few schools where student pilots can train in the same helicopters used for commercial sightseeing operations. The school is also a CATS airman knowledge testing center and operates an on-site pilot supply store. Flight training financing is available. Co-founder Bianca Lorenz, a high school aviation STEM teacher and certificated helicopter pilot, manages the business side and has been instrumental in growing the school's community presence and student pipeline since joining shortly after founding.

Home Airport(s)

North Las Vegas Airport ICAO: KVGT | IATA: VGT | FAA LID: VGT   Located approximately three miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Owned by the Clark County Commission and operated by the Clark County Department of Aviation. The airport covers 920 acres and sits at an elevation of 2,205 ft MSL — a density altitude consideration of real significance for helicopter training in the Nevada desert.   Runways: Runway 07​/​25 — 5,005 ft × 75 ft (asphalt; ILS and RNAV​/​GPS approaches) Runway 12R​/​30L — 5,001 ft × 75 ft (asphalt; RNAV​/​GPS approaches) Runway 12L​/​30R — 4,203 ft × 75 ft (asphalt; parallel to 12R​/​30L) Full-time ATC tower. Class D airspace, immediately adjacent to the Class B surface area of Harry Reid International Airport (KLAS) to the south.   For flight training — and helicopter training in particular — KVGT is one of the most demanding and rewarding environments in the country. The airport sits at over 2,200 feet MSL in the Mojave Desert, meaning density altitude education is baked into every warm-weather flight. Las Vegas summers routinely push density altitudes well above 5,000 feet, requiring students to develop a thorough understanding of helicopter performance limits and power management well before graduation. The terrain diversity is exceptional: the flat urban grid of the Las Vegas Valley gives way almost immediately to the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon to the west, Nellis ranges to the northeast, and Lake Mead to the east — providing a rich mix of pinnacle approaches, confined area work, and cross-country routing options that few training environments can match. The proximity to Class B airspace means students work with a full ATC tower from day one, developing radio communication skills and airspace situational awareness that directly translate to real-world rotary-wing operations. Spring and fall bring crosswind conditions that add another layer of challenge to approach and hover work. Year-round flying is almost always possible given the desert climate, and the region averages well over 290 clear days per year.

Fleet and Facilities

Helicopter Fleet: Robinson R22 (multiple) — Two-seat primary trainer; used for Private Pilot through early commercial training. Fleet includes Raven I and Raven II variants. The R22 is the most widely used helicopter training platform in the world, with a well-established safety record under factory-mandated training requirements. Robinson R44 (multiple) — Four-seat advanced trainer; used for instrument rating, commercial, CFI, and CFII training. Raven I and Raven II variants in the fleet. The R44 provides a more capable platform for cross-country, instrument, and night operations relative to the R22.   Fixed-Wing Fleet: Cessna 172 (analog) — Standard trainer for Private Pilot and Instrument Rating; conventional steam gauge configuration. Cessna 172 (glass display) — Glass cockpit variant with Garmin avionics; used for TAA-compatible training and instrument rating work. Cessna 182 (glass display, TAA) — High-performance single used for commercial TAA endorsement; qualifies as a Technically Advanced Aircraft for the commercial certificate requirement, allowing students to satisfy the TAA requirement without transitioning to a complex aircraft.   Simulators: Flight simulators available for both fixed-wing and helicopter training; used for instrument procedure practice, scenario training, and cost-effective logged hours.   On-site facilities include a CATS airman knowledge testing center, a pilot supply store, and full Part 145 maintenance and avionics capabilities as an authorized Robinson Service Center and Aircraft Electronics Association member. The school is located at 2634 Airport Drive, Suite 101, on the KVGT field.

Additional Notes

702 Aviation occupies a genuinely distinctive position in the Las Vegas GA market. Its combination of owned aircraft (rather than leased), factory-certified Robinson maintenance, Part 141 and Part 61 dual approval, tour operations, and a testing center under one roof makes it the most vertically integrated general aviation operation at KVGT for pilots pursuing rotary-wing careers.   The density altitude environment at KVGT is worth highlighting explicitly for prospective students: training in Nevada summers is not the same as training at sea level. Helicopter students who complete a full certificate program here graduate with a performance awareness and systems discipline that is often more developed than peers trained at lower-elevation, cooler-climate fields. This is a genuine training advantage for anyone heading into commercial rotary-wing operations in the western U.S.   The school's tour operation also creates an unusual alumni and hiring dynamic: 702 Aviation has stated that it has hired more of its own graduates than any other flight school in Las Vegas, and that every other Las Vegas flight school has hired at least one 702 graduate or instructor. For students prioritizing local employment pathways after earning their CFI, this is a meaningful differentiator.