Ventura Flight Training, Farmingdale

Mike Tarascio's life changed forever in 1981 when a business partner offered him a ride to a conference in New Jersey—not in a town car or on a tandem bicycle, but in a small private airplane. The very next year, Mike bought an airplane of his own and founded the business that would eventually become Ventura Aviation. Today, he, his wife, and their sons operate their business out of Republic Airport, where they use their fleet of Learjets, Piper Warriors, and a helicopter to train a new generation of skyborne adventurers. Their goal is to introduce clients to the limitless lifestyle and freedom that comes with personal aviation, and inspire others to make the life-changing decision to learn to fly.