Skymates Flight Academy

Skymates Flight Academy is a flight school in Grand Prairie, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It began training pilots in 1996, received FAA Part 141 approval in 2003 and has been based at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport since 2017. The school is certified by SEVP to enrol M-1 students and accepts international students all year.

For international students the main route is the International Airline Program. It covers the FAA private pilot certificate, the instrument rating and the commercial pilot certificate with multi engine rating, with about 250 hours in 8 to 12 months on average. Skymates prices it from USD 60,000 and calls its prices estimates that can change without notice. Courses start on the first Monday of each month, and separate instrument, commercial and multi engine courses are also offered.

Skymates also offers an FAA-EASA Airline Pilot Course with its European partner Aero Club Catania in Italy. The school says it leads to the FAA licences plus an EASA commercial licence with multi engine and instrument ratings and a frozen ATPL, with 270 to 280 hours in about 12 to 14 months from zero. The EASA part is delivered with Aero Club Catania; Skymates' own approval is from the FAA.

Training runs on Cessna 172 aircraft, Piper Seminole and Seneca twins, a Pipistrel Alpha Trainer and a Redbird FMX training device. Skymates does not own student housing but has agreements with several apartment complexes in the area. Most students live at Centennial Court at the University of Texas at Arlington, where private rooms start at about USD 800 a month.