From the first time Guy de Gramont flew in a small plane, he was hooked. “There is nothing like being up there,” reminisces the owner and manager of the airport’s newest addition, the Santa Barbara Flight Academy. Mr. de Gramont learned to fly in France, and has flown all over Europe, including landing at Gatwick, one of the world’s busiest airports in London, England. But despite all of his aviation experience, he still remembers the first time he soloed a plane; taking the controls, and flying by himself. It was a life changing moment, one that he hopes to give to others through their flight instruction at the new Santa Barbara Flight Academy.

While receiving additional training at the Palo Alto airport in the late seventies, Mr. de Gramont practiced in Cessna 172 trainers that were state of the art at the time, something that he felt was vitally important to his experience. That’s why the new Flight Academy will have only newer training aircraft. “We have top of the line Cessna trainers, that are all less than five years old. This is something that no other flight school on the field offers.” The new trainers will keep students in touch with the latest aviation technologies, and will be equipped with Multi-Function Displays (MFDs), a mounted electronic screen that provides a variety of flight updates, including a “moving map” that pinpoints your exact location over the ground. “The advantage of our school is that we will teach students using today’s cutting edge technology. This will better prepare them for future careers in aviation, or for recreational flying,” de Gramont said.