Epic Buzz Vol. 9 Issue 6 | June 2026

Epic Launches Fast Track Pilot Program

We are excited to announce a new 6-month Fast Track Pilot Program that includes PPL, IR, CSEL, and CMEL. This is an accelerated course available only at the New Smyrna Beach, Florida campus. If you’re in a hurry to earn your ratings, check out this exciting new program!

New Mechanic Students at EVB

Orientation day for our newest class of aircraft mechanic students at the New Smyrna Beach, Florida campus! We welcome everyone and look forward to the next 15 months on their journey to become FAA-certified A&P mechanics. Students will complete General, Airframe, and Powerplant courses and take FAA exams to earn their certification.

New Pilots at EVB

We welcomed new students to all of our campuses last month, including this group at the New Smyrna Beach, Florida flight school. Over the next few months, watch our social media posts where we announce checkride passes and other achievements. When pilots pass a checkride on the first attempt, we announce it here in the Buzz!

June Specials

You already know you want to train to become an aircraft mechanic or pilot. Now, you just need to decide where you want to train. Maybe one of our 7 specials can help you decide! Our recruiters will answer all your questions and ensure a smooth enrollment process.

Alumni News

We love sharing career updates from our graduates. Whether you trained as an aircraft mechanic or pilot, please share your news with us. Congratulations to our graduates as you continue to soar!

Wadym Pharran

Wadym Pharran is a First Officer flying the A320 for Flynas in Saudi Arabia. Wadym shared this about his experience at Epic:

“My time at Epic was an absolute blast, I felt the care and attention to bettering myself as a pilot from my instructors and fellow peers. The aircraft were always up to date on their maintenance, and I seldom had to cancel any flights due to an aircraft malfunction. The fleet is very modern and young with brand new airplanes coming in every so often.“

He also shared this excellent advice for Epic students:

“Break the ice with your fellow classmates soon during ground school as your they will become the best and strongest foundation of your time and studies at the academy. A good support system really helps those long study days as well as subject areas that you might find yourself needing more help in.”

Mohamed Hmeyada

Mohamed Hmeyada is a First Officer flying the Boeing 737-8 for Royal Air Maroc in Morocco.

Mohamed shared some helpful advice for Epic student pilots:

“There will be days when you feel behind others, landings go badly, checkrides stress you out, or you question whether you’re good enough. That is completely part of aviation training.

“The students who succeed are usually not the ‘perfect’ ones. They are the ones who stay disciplined, keep studying even when tired, accept corrections without ego, and continue after difficult flights.

“Keep going. The hard days are temporary, but the career can change your entire life. Enjoy the sky.”

Rui Carlos Dos Santos Teixeira

Rui Carlos Dos Santos Teixeira is a First Officer at TAAG Angola Airlines where he flies the Airbus A220.

Rui earned his private pilot, instrument rating, and commercial multi-engine rating here at Epic. He graduated in 2020.

Congratulations on another great achievement!

Nhat Hoang

Last month we were thrilled to welcome 2015 graduate Nhat Hoang back to the New Smyrna Beach campus with his family. Nhat is a Captain flying the Airbus A321 for Vietnam Airlines.

Founder and CEO Danny Perna was happy to see Nhat again, and Nhat was glad to see how Epic has grown since he was a student here. The highlight, though, was sharing a Discovery Flight with his son.

Thank you for visiting, Nhat! We hope to see you again soon! Until then, we wish you all the best.

Bailey Thomas

Congratulations to 2025 graduate Bailey Thomas who recently earned a promotion to the right seat of a Bombardier Challenger 300 after flying the PC-12 and Citation Bravo.

His message to current students:

“Stick with it and take every opportunity that’s in front of you. You never know who you may meet or where it may lead.”

Career Seminars

We are grateful to our airline partners for hosting career seminars at our campuses. Here representatives from Envoy Air visit our Englewood, Colorado flight school to share career opportunities. Envoy is the largest regional carrier for American Airlines.

Top Prop Award

Congratulations to Anthony Miller at our Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport campus! He earned the Top Prop Award by finishing with the highest overall grade in his class, reflecting his hard work and dedication. Great job, Anthony!

Field Trip

We were happy to welcome a group of third-grade students to our Tuscaloosa flight school for a recent field trip. A lot of pilots find their spark for interest in flying at a young age, so we enjoy encouraging young aviators who visit our campuses.

Student Appreciation

Speaking of the Epic BUZZ… Flight training is a lot of work, so we like to treat our students to some fun once in a while. Here is student appreciation night for Utah flight students at the Salt Lake City Bees game where everyone’s got wings! Student life at Epic is full of surprises!

You’re Invited: Open House in Ocala

If you’re in the Central Florida area, stop by our Open House at the Ocala International Airport campus on June 6th, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tour the school, take a discovery flight, and fly in the simulator! We share our events online and hope to see you at one of our campuses!

Pass Lists

Aircraft Mechanic Passes in May

Airframe

Jakob Steffen (CVG)

Powerplant

Jon Fore (CVG)
Samuel Menker (CVG)
Rilen Pinkston (CVG)
Israel Saldivar (CVG)
Thomas Sullivan (CVG)

Pilot First-Attempt Passes in May

Private Pilot

Jose Lisandro Polanco Gonzalez (ADS)
Nicholas Patrick Swanson
Sarah Katherine Cummings Killcommons
Brekon Clan Stilson (SGU)
Faysal Nifemi Oketaolegun
Jonathan Patrick Hennings
Issac Leonidas Lozano
Teagan Satori Webb (TLH)
Sebastian Kyprianos Tokkaris (TUS)
Alberto Alfredo Gutierrez (TUS)

Instrument Rating

Brinlei Mikenna Rakestraw (TLH)
Igor Ferreira Couto (TLH)
Vinita Sunil Bhojwani (TCL)
Jose Rivera Ruiz
Michael Halverson Hadfield
Brayson Blaine Busse
Brian Lee Boham
Shane Martin Brownrigg
Justin Chimun Yuen
Hunter Ryan Martin (TLH)
Emma Lynn Cemoni
Severin Ray Van Graham

Commercial Single-Engine

Cole Michael Gannon
Joshua Bradley Stinnett (ADS)
Caio Alves Silva (OCF)
Marcus Landon Kleckner (ADS)
Elling Ellington Eidbo
John Michael Lubarski
Lucas Craig Calkins (OCF)
Jacob David Lee
Nikki Zafiroula Liapis
Christopher Abraham Davila (OCF)
Riley Travis Williams (APA)
Jose Emanuel Jimenez Rodriguez
Alexander Stuart McLean

Commercial Multi-Engine

Juan Carlos Hiceta Gatmaitan
Chaitanya Tanwar
Siyuan Cao
Colin Dennis Skelly
Joahua David Bailey
Malik Authwell Stevens
Asmar Nurieva
Maxwell Stewart Franklin
Jack Thomas Jensen
Derek Christopher Schneider
Dawn Marie Hill
Isaac Eli Ribar
Lincoln Alexander Ulman
Jacob Todd Fuhrmann

Certified Flight Instructor

Logan John Dochtermann
Neimyn Paige Wakefield (ADS)
Haegun Wayne Hoffschneider
Aubree Kaelen Seaney (OCF)
Brandon Joseph Parker
Michael Anthony Rosenburg
Charles Blakely Dawson (TLH)

Certified Flight Instructor – Instrument

Anderson Scott Adams
Jakob Ryan Gamble
Earl Joseph Peters
Jaime Alejandro Rodriguez Morales
Robert Justin Forsythe (OCF)
Rondel Akil Crisford Hercules
Santiago Alberto Paredes Martinez
Joseph Constantine Lavdas (OCF)
Jackson Harris Yates
Victor Miguel Venegas
Jacob Thomas Webster (TLH)
Wesley Robert Glaser (TLH)
Alexander Grady Klopfenstein

Multi-Engine Instructor

Matthew William Novaria

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