Flying in Florida has its advantages. Most important of all is the 300+ days of excellent flying weather in a typical year. It’s beautiful flying, and it enables a student to complete flight training in a shorter period of time compared to other parts of the country.

Our central location on Florida’s Atlantic coast further adds to the flight training experience. There is busy Class C (“class Charlie”) airspace to the north and south over Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, and Class B (“class bravo”) airspace to our west and south, surrounding the major airports in Orlando, Tampa and Miami.

We’re also just south of NASA-Kennedy Space Center, where the busy launch schedule means you might even see a rocket launch while in flight—a truly awe-inspiring experience!

Located just 2.5 miles from Florida Tech's beautiful campus, the Melbourne-Orlando International Airport (KMLB) is a rapidly growing transportation and business hub, and home to Florida Tech aviation operations.

In recent years the airport has experienced considerable growth and infrastructure upgrade. It has three runways, including one in excess of ten thousand feet, and has the distinction of being one of the world’s most scenic runway approaches. You can find detailed FAA information about KMLB on AirNav.com.

Numerous aviation and aerospace companies have a presence at or near the airport, such as Embraer, Northrop-Grumman, SATCOM Direct, STS Aviation Services and Sheltair.

Safety and quality of training are fundamental policies of the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics. Excellence in safety and the highest quality of customer service are vital components of our mission and the source of our leadership pride within university aeronautics programs. As aviation professionals, we recognize that aviation can never be totally free of all risk. We freely choose to participate in aviation, and in recognition of the acceptable risks, the leadership of the Florida Tech College of Aeronautics is totally committed to the implementation of Safety Management Systems (SMS) throughout the organization.

The management of aviation at Florida Tech shall provide all customers, students and team members with a safe and healthy working environment. Safety is the responsibility of ALL HANDS, and Florida Tech senior management is accountable for the safety and quality performance of all activities and services under their cognizance. We shall always conduct all activities in accordance with applicable policies, procedures and regulations. Directors, managers, supervisors and each individual team member are expected to remain proactive at all times.

Aviation at Florida Tech will maintain a proactive, cross-functional Safety Management System based upon the four SMS pillars of Safety Policy, Safety Risk Management, Safety Assurance, and Safety Promotion. We will continuously examine our operation for hazards and find ways to minimize them. We will report incidents in a timely manner, train staff regarding safety matters, document our findings and our responses, and always strive for improvement. Management fully supports the open sharing of information of all safety issues, and all students and team members are strongly encouraged to openly communicate their safety concerns to senior management without any fear of reprisal or disciplinary action.

Any criminal acts or willful or repeated violations of workplace safety rules by any individual will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Regardless of position, compliance with all safety policies, procedures and regulations is considered a condition of employment.

Working closely together in an open, proactive SMS organization, we can achieve our goal of always operating at the highest possible levels of safety and quality.