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Though, aerobatic flying wasn\u2019t necessarily a straightforward path for the flight school\u2019s founder. Armstrong, who comes from a long line of pilots, was introduced to aerobatics back in his flight instructing days by none other than eight-time Canadian aerobatic champion, Gerry Younger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI went up for my first aerobatic flight with the Canadian champion, and we did some training,\u201d said Armstrong. \u201cAt the time, I was actually flight instructing at [CZBA].\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon after, he went on to work as the chief pilot for a Canadian charter company, flying corporate jets and PC-12s. But once he had gotten a taste of aerobatic flight, he couldn\u2019t let it go. While there weren\u2019t many flight schools offering aerobatics in Canada, he headed to the Golden State where more opportunities awaited. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI went and flew airlines in the U.S. for a couple of years, and I was based out of Chicago and San Diego,\u201d recalled Armstrong. \u201cAt the same time, I was learning and working at a large aerobatic ride company that had bases in Las Vegas and San Diego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would be on reserve and write my business plan [for Upright Aviation Academy] in hotels,\u201d he continued. \u201cI happened to meet a guy who was willing to invest in it, and everything happened really quickly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking Off<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Upright Aviation has grown significantly since its early days, despite unique challenges created by the recent pandemic. Armstrong said he was lucky to team up with two incredible aerobatic pilots\/instructors right off the hop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTrevor Rafferty and Liam Pearson were my first two guys,\u201d he said, \u201cand they\u2019re still with us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Upright Aviation has a total of seven instructors \u2014 three of which are Class 1 instructors, \u201cwhich is new for us this year,\u201d noted Armstrong. The experience among the team of instructors is vast, ranging from airshow\/competition, airline, and medevac pilots, to turboprop, aerial firefighting, and bush pilots. What they share in common is their passion for aerobatic flying and enabling a safer GA community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most recent, and game-changing, addition to Upright Aviation is its new 8,000-square-foot facility at CZBA. In the beginning, Armstrong said the flight school was renting small hangars around the airport, and it lacked a proper space for classroom instruction. To now have a permanent, sizeable base has \u201cmade a world of a difference,\u201d said Armstrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot only are we able to store our airplanes, when owners come with their turbine aircraft to take our safety programs or training, we can house them here \u2014 sort of like the FBO of the field. . . . Plus, we now have comfortable facilities with a classroom and boardroom, and we have room to grow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bread and Butter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Upright Aviation Academy offers a variety of courses that meet Transport Canada guidelines and standards, including UPRT, emergency maneuver training (EMT), and pilot confidence training (PCT) \u2014 which are identified as safety courses \u2014 as well as courses geared towards both aerobatic and tailwheel flying. The latter two go hand-in-hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMost aerobatic planes are tailwheel aircraft, so we try to encourage people who come in for aerobatics training to do the tailwheel course as well,\u201d explained Armstrong. \u201cThat way, they can take off, go do the lesson, and land themselves, rather than the instructors having to do the takeoff and landing\u201d \u2014 which are notoriously tricky to execute in a tailwheel plane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chief instructor Rafferty said the goal is to create the best value for students by combining the tailwheel and aerobatics courses as much as possible. For example, every aerobatic flight would involve one tailwheel lesson to allow pilots to develop the skills required to do all the flying from start to finish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI try not to fly the airplane,\u201d said Rafferty. \u201cI want [the students] to do it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aerobatic training can be done in either the Extra 300L or the Super Decathlon, while the latter aircraft is used specifically for tailwheel training. Both courses offer five-hour or 10-hour options and require a private pilot license at minimum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The tailwheel course is a newer offering at Upright Aviation thanks to Rafferty, who is an avid aircraft builder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we found a Super Decathlon for a really good price,\u201d shared Armstrong. \u201cTrevor had built around seven airplanes by that time, so we bought the [Super Decathlon], brought it home, and spent the winter tearing it apart and rebuilding it to brand new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe got an engine sponsor, Aerotec Engines, and David Clark Company and Hope Aero Propeller sponsored us, too, so we were able to brand the airplane and add tailwheel training \u2014 as well as have a backup aircraft to the Extra 300 during busy times.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Super Decathlon, powered by the 180-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B engine, has a maximum speed (sea level) of 135 knots, load factors of +6\/-5 Gs, and a roll rate of roughly 180 degrees per second. The aircraft is capable of flying upside down for two minutes thanks to inverted oil and fuel systems, as well as a semi-symmetrical wing design that improves inverted flight capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Super Decathlon serves as the perfect stepping stone to the real show-stopper: the Extra 300L, which Armstrong refers to as the Formula 1 vehicle of aviation. Powered by the six-cylinder, 300-horsepower Lycoming AEIO-540-L1B5 engine, the Extra 300 has incredible load factors of +10\/-10 Gs \u2014 certified by both Transport Canada and the FAA. In fact, the Extra is the only \u2018unlimited\u2019 aerobatic aircraft that is certified to operate commercially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like the Super Decathlon, the Extra 300L has inverted oil and fuel systems. It can reach a top speed of 220 knots (Vne) and land at 90 to 100 mph (145 to 160 km\/h). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanks to the Extra\u2019s flight envelope \u2014 certified for extreme negative and positive G loads \u2014 the aircraft is the most common type used for UPRT around the globe. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to worry about \u2018breaking\u2019 the airplane,\u201d said Armstrong. \u201cYou\u2019ll break the pilot before you break the airplane,\u201d he laughed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upright Aviation\u2019s UPRT course takes pilots through a myriad of unusual attitudes and abnormal flight envelope conditions to teach them how to recover from virtually every in-flight upset or flight envelope excursion. The three-day course includes 16 hours of classroom time, where pilots learn about the aerodynamics involved with all flight conditions, as well as four to six flights where they learn recognition, avoidance, and recovery skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Armstrong explained that pilots who take the UPRT course are typically used to experiencing roughly 10 percent of the all-attitude envelope; \u201cwe take them into the remaining 90 percent of that envelope, and it\u2019s a big eye-opener for them,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A two-day UPRT renewal course is also available, which includes half the classroom time and two to three flights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Including the UPRT course, Upright Aviation\u2019s safety courses are the bread and butter of the flight school, noted Armstrong. \u201cWe have had three to four contracts per year for our safety courses, in addition to individuals that come in,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the summer is Upright Aviation\u2019s busy season, the flight school is open year-round. Armstrong said Upright Aviation was previously a seasonal business, but that changed with the addition of the Super Decathlon, which is equipped with heat. During the 2023 winter season, the flight school installed new equipment on the Extra 300L to allow that aircraft to fly in the winter, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As one of only a few flight schools in Canada with dedicated aerobatic training and unmatched safety training, Upright Aviation sees students from all over the country, from the eastern provinces, to Quebec, to British Columbia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see a lot more Americans now, too,\u201d said Armstrong. \u201cIn the group of U.S. states right below us, there aren\u2019t many aerobatics options. Pilots either have to travel to Florida or California, so instead they call us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n For the Thrill of it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who aren\u2019t pilots, but perhaps aviation enthusiasts or adrenaline seekers, Upright Aviation has the perfect offering: thrill rides \u2014 in none other than the Extra 300L. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Loops, rolls, hammerheads, and tumbles are a few of the classic aerobatic maneuvers performed during a thrill ride. Upright Aviation calls this its \u201cUFLY Package,\u201d as participants are given the opportunity to get their hands on the controls of the Extra if they choose \u2014 whether they\u2019re a seasoned pilot or they\u2019ve never seen a cockpit up close before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople with zero flying experience get to come fly with an airshow or competition pilot and be able to do loops and rolls on their own,\u201d shared Armstrong. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty awesome to be able to give people a bucket-list experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each thrill ride begins with a mandatory safety briefing before participants get strapped into the Extra and hit the skies for the flight of a lifetime. Thrill rides last between 30 to 40 minutes before returning to Upright Aviation\u2019s CZBA hangar. Of course, there are many opportunities for photos. Upright Aviation has also decked out its aircraft with camera mounts to capture every minute of every flight on video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cContrary to what some people may believe, pilots are not out to make you sick,\u201d the company says on its website. \u201cOur pilots are excited to share their love of aviation by offering a memorable, thrilling experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Room to Grow<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though it has already grown significantly since opening its doors in 2019, Upright Aviation Academy has no plans of slowing down. In the near future, the flight school hopes to bolster its safety courses with the addition of flight simulators at its new facility at CZBA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Armstrong said the sims would be useful for \u201ctransfer of knowledge from the aircraft into the simulator, and vice versa\u201d \u2014 particularly with its UPRT course. \u201cWe made sure to leave space in our new facility to add our own simulators.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another project that Upright Aviation has on the go is working with the world\u2019s largest insurance provider to allow turbine operators to reduce their annual training costs by taking the UPRT course bi-annually \u2014 rather than completing Transport Canada-required annual simulator training \u2014 and potentially reduce their premiums, too. Upright Aviation also hopes to offer similar benefits to GA pilots who train and take courses with the flight school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had the largest insurance provider come out to the airport, check out our facility, and test our upset recovery program with us,\u201d shared Armstrong. \u201cSo we\u2019ve been working with them and the brokers . . . that\u2019s our next big project. It\u2019d be huge for us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to those plans, Armstrong said the flight school is \u201calways looking at other aircraft,\u201d and remains open to building upon its current two-ship fleet. But no matter what the future holds, Upright Aviation Academy intends to stay true to its original mission to enhance pilot training and safety \u2014 and hopefully play a role in reducing the number of fatal loss-of-control-in-flight accidents in the GA industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s really rewarding when pilots come in and do UPRT, tailwheel, or aerobatic training with us, and you just see their skill and their overall knowledge of safety practices increase \u2014 and you know that you had an effect on that,\u201d Armstrong told Skies<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhether they\u2019re in a pilot career or they enjoy flying as a hobby, it\u2019s great to be able to put our footprint on their training from a safety perspective; that\u2019s the most rewarding part for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.skiesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/4W3A0105-920x1024.jpg\")
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