Flight Training with an Adventurous Spirit
The Flight School at Meadow Lake provides diverse, affordable, accelerated and comprehensive training for career pilots.
For decades, flight training has followed a fairly rigid path. While there’s certainly value in traditional structures, our training outline seeks to improve a student’s journey from Discovery Flight to Airline Transport Pilot by prioritizing common sense training, critical thinking skills and mastery of aircraft.
- Accelerated Training
- Time Building
- Adventure Flight Training
Our focus on affordability and time-building also makes our operation an attractive option for those seeking an adventurous path to 1500 hours.
With proper planning and diligent effort combined with our time-split programs and pre-pay packages, a pilot can ascend from Discovery Flight To Airline Transport Pilot in as little as 16 months for only $115,000.
Take a Discovery Flight!
719-359-5644
We believe the best way to learn is to teach. Students in our programs become teachers much earlier in the process, making them leaders in their own aviation education.
Meet Our Team
Chauncey Crail
Chief Flight Instructor
Chauncey instructs with primary, instrument, commercial, CFI students and beyond. He specializes in accelerated and career-oriented training. He enjoys playing with Obi and inventing bios for flight instructors who don’t provide them in time.
Shellby Benefield
Owner, Director of Operations
No one knows for sure, but legend has it Shellby was raised by coyotes in the backwoods of Alabama. Her ascension to the skies was thanks in large part to her engineering and tutoring backgrounds.
Nathan Myers
Director of Maintenance
There’s a rumor Nathan’s cradle as a child was a hangar toolbox. It would make sense, as not much else would explain why he’s such a thorough, safe mechanic. Okay, maybe his decades’ experience turning wrenches would…
Jenna Bordieri
Assistant Chief Instructor
Jenna describes her flight instructing career as “smooth @#%$ing air” compared to her decade-long career as a high school Spanish teacher. She acts all hard, but Jenna’s not only a great pilot, she’s a fantastic teacher and her two pet donkeys (Chinga & Ron) will tell you she’s the nicest person they’ve ever met.
Carter DeSpirito
Assistant Chief Instructor
A man of many talents, Carter’s previous aviation university training, aircraft design and manufacturing work history and extensive training experience qualify him for many jobs—so you’ll see him in every part of TFS’ operation! When he’s not flying, Carter is trying to make his mustache as glorious as Chauncey’s, playing airplane polo and sneaking scraps to Obisaurus Rex.
Max Marinace
Flight Instructor
Max’s cheerful demeanor often results in celebratory dancing when his students successfully recover from a stall. Like everyone here, his aviation obsession develops some curious hobbies; among Max’s favorite pastimes is singing his approach briefs to the tune of classic pop hits. If you’re a fan of Cher, ask him for a rendition of ILS 17L at KCOS!
Evan McCroskey
Senior Flight Instructor
Evan’s extensive background in flight training spans Part 141 and Part 61 operations, and his Military and professional backgrounds help him serve students of many backgrounds. A CFII and MEI, Evan offers both primary and advanced training.
Kira Nash
Flight Instructor
Kira’s extensive instructional and charter backgrounds lends itself to teaching students interested in a variety of career paths. Her attention to detail, high expectations of her students and sharp eye for checklist attention make her an excellent instructor for those seeking a more direct approach to learning to fly.
Jack Lemonds
Flight Instructor
Growing up surfing, skating and playing sports in Hawai’i, Jack knew he wanted to pursue a career that involved adventure and adrenaline. Before joining The Flight School at Meadow Lake, Jack spent two years training in Hawai’i, Las Vegas, Utah, Arizona and South Carolina. He looks forward to helping his students become the best, most cherry pilots they can be.
Obi has logged more hours than most of our CFIs.
Trevor McMorris
Operations Coordinator
The ancient logbooks tell a tale about Trevor making a deal with a witch for his 1500 hours. Obligated to indentured servitude until his time is logged, Trevor serves at the pleasure of King Obi. His primary duties at The Flight School involve feeding, walking and playing tug-of-war. Occasionally he helps in the office with operations, too.
Obi
Director of Morale
Obi, The Flight School’s official mascot, provides emotional support to students, staff and most especially aircraft owners who’ve just left meetings with maintenance. Obi wants everyone to know he accepts tips in the form of rare steak, live chickens and crispy bacon.
Obi has logged more hours than most of our CFIs.
The Beloved Fleet
N340EA - "Pipsqueak"
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
- $139/Hour, Wet
- 80hp, Dual-Carbureted
- VFR/IFR
Our factory-new 2024 Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, Pipi, features a full-glass cockpit, flight director, WAAS GPS and SLSA status. Its ballistic parachute and 15:1 glide ratio make it safer than older training aircraft.
N393EA - "Nezzy"
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
- $139/Hour, Wet
- 80hp, Dual-Carbureted
- VFR/IFR
Our factory-new 2025 Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, Nezzy, features a full-glass cockpit, flight director, WAAS GPS and SLSA status. Its ballistic parachute and 15:1 glide ratio make it safer than older training aircraft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Becoming a pilot can be a daunting task, but the friendly operations team at The Flight School at Meadow Lake is happy to answer your questions. Feel free to give us a call anytime.
- Timeline
- Pricing
- Safety
Yes. There’s no way around the simple fact that flight training is expensive. The cost of aircraft, parts, fuel, insurance, maintenance, hangars, operations and flight instruction all contribute to high rental prices.
We do our best to keep prices low—our Operations team works from home and instructors often teach ground virtually, as well. This saves you money on drive time to and from the airport when you won’t be flying and on the overhead other schools charge to maintain classrooms and other office space.
You can become a Private Pilot in as little as a month with the right preparation and planning, but a more realistic expectation is two to four months. To become a flight instructor, you can expect a minimum of six to eight months. Airline-job readiness typically takes at least 14 to 18 months.
Maintenance and weather weigh heavily on the ability to train quickly, but our schedules are built and managed to allow you to progress as quickly as feasible. We assign schedules and keep a close watch on student progress to ensure the system moves smoothly forward.
We highly recommend students take time off work and other responsibilities to dedicate themselves to flight training, but we do not require it.
One major way to accelerate your training is to eat, breathe and sleep aviation. The more time and attention you spend on other things, the less quickly you’ll progress.
Taking time off between ratings is easier at more advanced levels or after stage checks, so we encourage students to plan and budget both time and money for at least an entire certificate or rating at once.
With flight training in such high demand, we’re committed to ensuring our students make the most of the experience we provide. In order to help you be successful, we’d like to ensure you’re well-prepared for the intensity and the commitment of our flight training programs.
Yes! You can fly-as-you-go through whatever training you like. Our prices are designed to help facilitate accelerated training, but you can benefit by scheduling whenever there’s available space!
For those tired of flying laps around the same nearby airports, we offer specialized cross-country training. Hire your instructor by the day, get a bulk discount on flight hours and take an airplane to Cancún, Alaska, Maine or the Bahamas while learning to fly by instruments, learning to handle advanced routing, terrain or other conditions.
Diverse experience makes better pilots and what better way to become a great pilot than fly somewhere new—with an instructor to help you out, of course!
Flight Training Adventures
Our sibling program, Flight Training Adventures, handles the travel bookings and other details associated with destination or adventure flight training.
