Sawyer Aviation, LLC, Scottsdale

Since Darrell Sawyer founded Sawyer Aviation, LLC in 1961, they have graduated more than 6,000 pilots, some of whom went on to become Air Force One captains. As a Cessna Pilot Center, Sawyer Aviation’s flight academy shapes up aspiring aviators with on-ground instruction that incorporates virtual tools and interactive programs, preparing students to climb aboard a Cessna aircraft’s Garmin G300 glass cockpit. Although the center’s veteran pilots guide their protégés to licenses in private piloting, commercial flying, and magic-carpet wrangling, they also offer discovery flights that get students up in the sky without requiring any commitment to continue their education. Aside from pilot instruction, Sawyer Aviation also manages plane sales and introduces visitors to the clouds during private chartered flights.