Quick Navigation to Epic Buzz November 2026
Epic Lands in Connecticut
It’s official! Epic cut the ribbon at its 12th FAA Part 141 flight school, which is located at the Danbury Municipal Airport in Connecticut. Members of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting, which was well attended by the community with roughly 20 discovery flights scheduled. Students are already flying, and we appreciate the warm welcome from Connecticut!
New Pilots Arrive for Training
Welcome to our newest flight students who arrived in New Smyrna Beach, Florida just in time for that cool weather we love during fall flight training! We welcomed students at all campuses last month, and training is well underway! Whether you want to become a pilot for the travel or the salary or something else, we welcome you to join the thousands of Epic graduates who now fly around the world for hundreds of airlines!
Aircraft Mechanic Graduates at CVG
Congratulations to our newest class of aircraft mechanic graduates who completed training at our Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) campus! Through hard work and determination they have completed their FAA Part 147 training and are ready for exciting new careers. We wish them all the best and look forward to hearing career updates!
Focus on Aircraft Mechanic Skills
Students at Epic’s CVG Aircraft Mechanic School in Kentucky learn how to properly balance flight controls, an important part of keeping aircraft flying safely. We love highlighting our students and showing the hands-on learning in our FAA-certified 15-month program.
November Flight Training Specials
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to start your flight training, now could be that time! Check out our November specials and make plans to train at Epic!
Epic Alumni Career Updates
Catching up with Epic graduates is always exciting for us, and we love to highlight their achievements. Here is the latest alumni news. If you trained at Epic, check in with us and let us know where you are!
Way Arevalo
Michael “Way” Arevalo is now flying the A320 and A330 as a Second Officer at Philippine Airlines. Way shared these thoughts about his time at Epic:
“Looking back on my journey, I will always be grateful to Epic Flight Academy for being such an important part of where I am today. Epic didn’t just teach me how to fly; it gave me the foundation, discipline, and confidence I needed to take the next step toward my dream of becoming an airline pilot. Also grateful to the instructors who patiently guided me, challenged me to become better, and helped shape the pilot I am today.”
Jack Durrani and James Kwan
From his first discovery flight to the airlines! James Kwan (right) wrapped up his final day as an Epic flight instructor and is now headed to Envoy Air to begin his next chapter as an airline pilot! For his final flight at Epic, James got to fly alongside his former instructor and Epic graduate Jack Duranni (left), who is now a First Officer at Breeze Airways.
Back in January 2022, Jack was the one who took James on his very first discovery flight! Four years later, they were back in the cockpit together for James’ final flight at Epic. Talk about a full-circle moment!
Brett Hilton and Emily Pollard
Epic staff Ray Altmann and Haley Konfrst (left) attended the United Aviate Summit where they enjoyed visiting with Epic graduates Emily Pollard and Brett Hilton (right). Emily flies for GoJet Airlines and Brett flies for PSA Airlines.
Lauren McGarrity
Lauren graduated from Epic in 2025 and is an Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) at Envoy Air. Her advice to Epic’s current aircraft mechanic students:
“Don’t be afraid to go into regionals to gain more experience! I’ve learned everything there is to know about CRJs and get to work on every system as opposed to one thing!”
Nur Islam Sowmik
Nur Islam Sowmik is a First Officer for US-Bangla Airlines flying the ATR 72-600. He began his flight training at Epic in September 2024, and just two years later, he’s taking his career to new heights
Jhaden Sydnor
Jhaden Sydnore is now a Captain at Tradewind Aviation. He shared these thoughts:
“The industry is very competitive as we know. Stay positive as your time WILL come, and most importantly, continue to make connections as you never know what doors can open!”
Metallic Structures Projects
Aircraft mechanic students at our CVG campus completed their metallic structure projects.
Here are the best examples at CVG!
And here is the best of the best at CVG!
Students at EVB also completed their metallic structures projects.
The instructor awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes to the best projects.
Congratulations to all students at both campuses!
Top Prop Awards
Congratulations to Nathaniel Johnson (above) at our New Smyrna Beach, FL campus and Jaxen Harris (below) at our Erlanger, KY campus for receiving the Top Prop Award! These awards recognizes their hard work, dedication, and outstanding performance in their aircraft mechanic classes.
Boeing Reps Meet with Aircraft Mechanic Students
We were thrilled to welcome Boeing reps to our aircraft mechanic school in New Smyrna Beach, Florida last month.
Our students learned about career opportunities at Boeing, one of the leading aviation companies in the world.
Thank you, Boeing reps! We appreciate you meeting with students and opening their eyes to the possibilities of working with you.
Campus Fun
Englewood, CO – APA
We loved welcoming students from Wings Over the Rockies to our Centennial Airport campus! The group got a behind-the-scenes look at flight training, toured our campus, and spent some time with instructor Peyton.
Wings Over the Rockies Trunk or Treat & Pancake Breakfast Fly-In brought costumes, trick-or-treating, pancakes, and plenty of airplanes to explore at our Englewood, Colorado campus, including this Cessna Skyhawk.
New Smyrna Beach, FL – EVB
Econ River High School students enjoyed a field trip to see flight training behind the scenes.
In addition to learning about flight training, these students also visited Epic’s maintenance department to learn about aircraft mechanics.
Pass Lists
Aircraft Mechanic Passes in October
Airframe
Russell Cruse (CVG)
Powerplant
Macie Griffis (CVG)
Henry Hetzler (CVG)
Jesse Tenkman (CVG)
Pilot First-Attempt Passes in October
Private Pilot
Joseph Cabell Jaudon IV (APA)
Riley Evans Garner
Paige Margaret Cluff (TUS)
Ryan Matthew Kight (TLH)
Hsiang-Fu Hsu
Anthony Michael Scosta
Kyle Edward Nix
Cooper Craig Kingsbury
Tirenioluwa John Nwanze
Instrument Rating
Jairus Scott Leska (TCL)
Jack Richard Nance (APA)
Cole Michael Starr
Seth Phillip Forster (OCF)
Lance Windahl Pederson (TUS)
Alberto Alfredo Gutierrez (TUS)
Max Ndunda Orina
Benjamin James Sisco
Blake Jeffrey Morris
Jeremy Eugene Malone (TLH)
Teagan Satori Webb (TLH)
Christian Jaylen Demond Spraberry (ADS)
Gustavo Adolfo Castro Gonzalez
Shae Nikosi Ross
Andrea Bosque Valle
Thomas Escobar (ADS)
Benjamin Allyn Rich (HEG)
Commercial Single-Engine
Ony Andriamirado
Tasneem Jahan Priyanka
Dylan Connor Howard
Severin Ray Van Graham
Julianne Davidson
Zarian Maxwell Anthony Dean
James Mills Duggan
Adam Charles Jaeckle (HEG)
Brayson Blaine Busse
Renz Calvin Agustin Soniga
Jerrick Jamal Adams (OCF)
Jeremiah Ainsley Ricketts (OCF)
Brian Lee Boham
Frederick Wilson Bucholz
Brandon Joseph Carey (APA)
Robert Philip DeForest
Owen Michael Nellis
Quentin Charles Millar
Commercial Multi-Engine
Colton Marcus Salek (OCF)
Logan John Dochtermann
William Cole Bakeman (GYI)
Molly Rae Ruffridge (GYI)
James Graham Munnis IV
Alexander Agosto (OCF)
Kofi Opoku Agyei (OCF)
Hunter Adam Williams
Jace Connor Snipes
Amelia Ann Pellecchia
Justin Chimun Yuen
Sariann Ortiz Bezares
Christopher Scott Moon
Thomas William Winegardner III
Certified Flight Instructor
Abby Elizabeth Heineken (SGU)
Dane Frederick Kinninger
Zach Edmund Stover (SGU)
Timothy Amos Aragon (ADS)
Anna Lynn Maddox
Kane Eric Vasquez (ADS)
Ryan Christopher Koblik
Jake Robert Fordham
Alexander Stuart McLean
Steven Louis Wrablica
Hadi El-Taki
Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument
Trey Anthony Kovalick
Derek Christopher Schneider
Mina George Mikhail
Naomi Bizen
Shah Dujana
Multi-Engine Instructor
David Harold Stafford Jr (GYI)
Fangyu Cheng
Eduardo Julio Rodriguez Jr
All pilots passed their checkrides on their first attempt at New Smyrna Beach (EVB) unless otherwise noted.
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