With good flying weather year round and plenty of airports, it’s no wonder South Florida has become a mecca for flight training in the US. Out of the many airports in south Florida, Wayman has made Opa Locka it’s home for nearly thirty years and recently opened a new base at adjacent airport, North Perry.
Train at North Perry and Opa Locka
We believe these sister-airports poses just the right mix of air traffic control, flight traffic and runways to make great training airports and offer you the best advantages of join flight schools in Florida to hone your skills, including these:
1. Speak to air traffic controllers at the beginning of your training
North Perry and Opa Locka are airports with Air Traffic Control Towers (ATC). Controllers are responsible for giving directions to each pilot for taxing, landing as well as taking off. You will need to learn to work with them very closely in your career as a pilot. Starting your flight training in controlled airspace will put you ahead of the curve in learning to work closely and effectively with ATC.
2. Fly only several minutes to reach our local flight training area
Getting to the training and practice area over the everglades is as easy as taking off and flying west. This uncontrolled flight area allows the freedom to practice flight maneuvers, such as turns, climbing and descending without constant dictations from ATC.
3. Get practice entering exiting, and moving from one airport to another
One of the tricky procedures is learning how to enter and exit controlled airspace. At North Perry and Opa Locka you will get practice with this nearly each time you fly. When you master this skill, you can learn something even more challenging; flying from Opa Locka controlled airspace directly to North Perry controlled airspace or vice versa.
4. Learn how to navigate and use caution flying next to one of the country’s busiest airports
If you’ve never flown near or underneath the countries busiest type of airspace, Class B, it can seem complicated and very intimidating. Luckily at Opa Locka and North Perry, which are located next to International Class B airspace, so you will learn how to be conscious of controlled airspace earlier and become at ease with the procedures for avoiding or entering this special space.
5. Fly with other planes in the area, but not too many
Learning how to fly is not as easy when there are too many aircraft always entering and leaving the airport. Opa Locka has general aviation traffic and a number of private jets that arrive each day, but its large size, three runways and slower-paced atmosphere make it more conducive to training than some other nearby airports. An airport that is constantly busy makes for a poor training environment for a new student pilot.
6. Travel to Pahokee, Imockalee, Naples, or Palm Beach County for cross country flight practice
To earn credit for your first license, you have to conduct training flights to airports that are more than 50 Nautical Miles away. Opa Locka and North Perry have many options to fit this requirement. While learning to work at ATC controlled airports is primal to flying, you will also need to learn how to fly at uncontrolled airports. These are airports where there are no controllers, so aircraft are responsible for spotting each other and carefully communicating their position and it takes diligence and practice.
7. Learn how to land on 14 different runways
Between North Perry and Opa Locka, we’ve got long, wide runways, short thin runways. Some of the runways face north and south, others, east and west. This allows for normal landing practice, as well as a more challenging crosswind landing practice.
8. Fall in love with flying by cruising down South Beach
One of the most beautiful stretches of the coastline lies less than 10 minutes east of Opa Locka and North Perry. If you fly at Wayman you’ll have the opportunity to take a trip down the coast line so you can see just how magical flying can be.
Related: How to Select the Best Flight School in USA
There is no greater concentration of aviation and particularly flight training than South Florida. South Florida is an incredible place to begin flying, if not for the great climate and sheer availability of flight training, then simply because there are so many others taking the same path as you to how to become a pilot. At Wayman, prepare to make lifelong friends and mentors as you share your journey with the students, CFIs and Staff that make up the Wayman Family. At our locations at Opa Locka and North Perry, plan for challenging, efficient and varied flight training that will make you better every time you strap on your seatbelt and turn the key for the roar of the engine.
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