Epic Buzz Vol. 9 Issue 4 | April 2026

Welcome To Our New Students!

Last month we welcomed this group of pilots at the New Smyrna Beach, Florida flight school while also welcoming students at our other campuses around the country. Spring has arrived, and we’re flying a record number of hours every day. If you’re ready to begin flight training, we’re here to provide high quality instruction in brand new aircraft.

Our Aircraft Mechanic School at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport welcomed this group of students in February. Their training is well underway.

We also welcomed this new group to the CVG campus. They began training on March 30th. Our next class begins on May 18th at both of our campuses. We invite you to check out our FAA-certified aircraft mechanic program that takes only 15 months to complete.

Women in Aviation International Conference

Epic Flight Academy was well represented at the 37th Annual Women in Aviation International Conference in Texas last month. Staff, students, and alumnae attended and shared Epic merchandise while making new friends and aviation connections.

Top Prop Award

Speaking of women in aviation, congratulations to Jackie Boone for achieving the highest combined scores on exams and projects at the CVG Aircraft Mechanic School! Jackie’s hard work pays off every day as she gets closer to becoming an FAA-certified aviation maintenance technician (AMT). Great job, Jackie!

CFI Graduates

Who’s ready to spread their wings and fly? How about this excited and smiling group of Certified Flight Instructors who just completed their CFI course? They have been learning, learning, learning, and now it’s time to teach, teach, teach! Sharing your knowledge is the perfect way to keep your skills sharp while building time and earning a paycheck. Congratulations to all!

Specials

If you’ve been thinking about joining Epic to train as a pilot or aircraft mechanic, this could be your time. Our team has put together some innovative specials to make the timing of your decision easier. Check them out, and our recruiters will work with you to ensure a smooth enrollment process. We look forward to welcoming you to one of our campuses!

Alumni News

Hearing from our graduates brings us so much pride and joy! Wherever you are in the world, if you’re an Epic graduate, either mechanic or pilot, please let us hear from you.

Congratulations to Saimon Myagila who is now a Captain flying the B737 Max for Air Tanzania! Saimon graduated from Epic in 2016. He started with the DASH8Q400 and went on to fly the AirbusA220 and the B787 Dreamliner as First Officer. We are so happy to see him soaring in his aviation career!

Congratulations to Mason Smallwood, a First Officer flying for Breeze Airways! He has been at Breeze since June 2025. Mason earned his PPL, IR, CSEL, CMEL, CFI, and CFII ratings at Epic and then joined the team as a flight instructor where he taught many Epic students how to fly. For Mason, flying is clearly a breeze! Well done, Mason!

Congratulations to Efty Kar Rashid who is now a First Officer flying the ATR 72-600 for US-Bangla Airlines! Efty trained at Epic for approximately one year, earning his PPL, IR, and CSEL, and graduating in 2024. Now it’s time to live the dream! Great job, Efty!

The Latest in Aviation

Aviation is always in the news, and we try to do our part by sharing new articles and videos. For example, pilots need to understand weather and time, so Chief Flight Instructor Ray Altmann has shared these two new articles:

• Warm Fronts: Formation, Characteristics, and Flight Implications
• Zulu Time in Aviation: What It Means and How to Convert It

And, in case you missed it, CNBC recently reported the #1 paying job for people without a college degree: Aircraft Mechanic! Keep up with all the latest Epic news!

Career Seminars

We appreciate our airline partners! Representatives from Envoy Air have been visiting our campuses to share details about their cadet program, which is a pathway to American Airlines. Here they are speaking with pilots at our Tallahassee International Airport campus.

Students also participated in career prep at our New Smyrna Beach campus. AVIC Air led an interactive workshop giving students and instructors insight into airline hiring and how to build a competitive profile early.

New Events Planned

The calendar is full of upcoming events, and we’d like to highlight three Open House events around the country:

• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) Aircraft Mechanic School Open House – Saturday, April 16, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Tuscaloosa National Airport Flight School Open House – Saturday, May 9, 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
• Provo Utah Airport Flight School Open House – Saturday, May 30, 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Staff Spotlight

When Ocala Site Manager Tyler Prenesti isn’t flying through the air, he’s flying around the racetrack. Tyler was victorious in the NASCAR Regional Series at the New Smyrna Speedway, driving the Epic Flight Academy Camaro and representing our Aircraft Mechanic Program. Congratulations, Tyler!

Pass Lists

Aircraft Mechanic Passes in March

Airframe

Jackie Boone (CVG)

Powerplant

Landen Colletta (CVG)
William Grund (CVG)
Andrew Hendrix (CVG)
Orion Maka (EVB)
Christopher Napier (CVG)
Charles Yungbluth (CVG)

Pilot First-Attempt Passes in March

Private Pilot

Garrett Matthew Karres
James Mills Duggan
Felipe Paredes
Annabelle Marie Littlejohn (TUS)
Jason Daniel Paiz Jr (TUS)
Josheph Matthew Cannon (HEG)
Owen Christopher Davis (SGU)
Tyler Starr Logan (TUS)
Caleb Joseph Tracy
Cody Roland McClellan (TLH)
Andrea Bosque Valle
Bennett Michael Hyre (TLH)
Seth Phillip Forster (OCF)
Alexander Matthew Logan

Instrument Rating

Paul Travis Clary
Chandler Wade DeGarmo (OCF)
Dakota Alan Beckworth (OCF)
Dane Frederick Kinninger
Riley Harrison Hyde (TLH)
Eric Ryan Carpenter
Leia Kekaumahinaikalani Kamaka
Blake Robert Nelson
Thomas William Winegardner III
Kyle Anthony Jandzinski
Olivia Noelle Mott
Gianluca Vitali
Kenneth Raymond Jaquith Jr (OCF)
Layton Joseph Harrell
Mason Marion Hunt
Derik Raymond Ogg
Ella India Greene (TLH)
John Paul Justus (APA)
Jaden Bruno John Pinto
Katiana Cabus (OCF)
Zachary Harrison Hammer
Zach Edmund Stover (SGU)
Ian Crawford-Mendoza

Commercial Single-Engine

Benjamin McRae Solz (TLH)
Connor Lee Nicol (TLH)
Derek Christopher Schneider
Weston Lee Pollard
Nathan Stephen Long (TLH)
Wyatt Keoni Letender (OCF)
Nicholas Glen Wright (TLH)
Chaitanya Tanwar
Chung-Wen Lin
Jetton Samuel Deal
Mason Lawrence Nettles
Trey Max Regar (OCF)
Hudson Joseph Schneller
Malak Noure Chahlaouy
Dimosteni Chris Tripodianos
Jacob Todd Fuhrmann
Matthew John Corey (OCF)
Cole McCall Pritz (TUS)
Noah Hunter Tremblay
Michael Reynaldo Thomas

Commercial Multi-Engine

Payton Grace Woerner
Jeffrey James Brooks
Steven Louis Wrablica
Euticus Kiranga Lenkotei
Tyler Grant Hericks
Searuddin Alakoozi
Cali Lu Ying Kief
Nicholas Michael Oyler
Dominic Noenurai Dobier
Jackson Harris Yates
Matthew Thomas Lee Merle
Michael John Emil Banks
Matthew William Novaria

Certified Flight Instructor

Marco David Kilchenman
Eduardo Julio Rodriguez Jr
Andrew Peter Bump
Rondel Akil Crisford Hercules
Santiago Alberto Paredes Martinez
Joseph Constantine Lavdas (OCF)

Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument

Hawthorne Fleming Hay (TLH)
Reed Gordon Harvin
Yash Nimesh Patel
Thomas Juan Curti Vidal
Sofia Kiraly
Maxwell Stewart Franklin
Colin Dennis Skelly
Nathan Harmon DePrinzio

All pilots passed their checkrides on their first attempt at New Smyrna Beach (EVB) unless otherwise noted.