Learn To Fly With

Charleston Regional Accelerated Flight Training

Why Train With CRAFT?

Traditional flight training puts the student into the airplane for the first lesson. Unfortunately, the airplane is a terrible classroom for learning to fly.

Charleston Regional Accelerated Flight Training (CRAFT) changes the entire experience by first training you in our Redbird Full-Motion Flight Simulator so that you are more confident once you are in the airplane.

Integrating our flight simulator with your time in the airplane will save you both time and money! CRAFT combines traditional, foundational principles of flight training with modern technology, providing you with a state of the art experience.

Our Flight Simulator

The Redbird FMX is a full motion, feature-rich, FAA-approved Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) with multiple airplane configurations including C172 analog and glass-cockpit G1000, DA40 G1000, SR22 G1000, PA-34 analog multi-engine, and the brand new DA42 G1000 multi-engine configuration.

Standard features include wrap-around visuals, a fully enclosed cockpit, quick-change configurations, scenario-based training compatibility, and an electric motion platform, resulting in a level of realism that is simply unavailable in other training devices on the market.

Simply put, this is as close to real as it gets.

Our Flight Training

Our training philosophy is simple. Train and master flying skills in the simulator, then reinforce them in the aircraft. Our syllabi are developed around the simulator. We don’t take an old syllabus and try to force simulator usage. The simulator is incorporated from the beginning saving you both time and money.

We offer a wide-range of flight training from

Discovery Flight
Private Pilot
Instrument Rating (IFR)
Commercial Single
Commercial Multi
Certified Flight Instructor (CFI)
CFI-Instrument (CFI-I)
Multi-Engine Rating
Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI)
Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)

We offer Accelerated courses for those that are short on time, as well as aircraft rentals. You will find that the transition to the airplane is virtually seamless – your time in the simulator will teach you where to put your eyes, hands, and feet.

View our Specialty Courses

Accelerated Instrument Flight Rules

Multi-Engine

Accelerated Certified Flight Instructor

Accelerated Commercial

Our Airplanes

Once you have practiced procedures in the simulator, it’s time to go to the airplane.

CRAFT manages a fleet of well-maintained aircraft, including modern Diamond and classic Cessna aircraft. With 6 Diamonds available, we have more aircraft built in this century than any other flight school in the Charleston area. We also have the only Jet-A burning aircraft in flight training in Charleston with the Diamond DA40 NG and the Diamond DA42-VI Twin engine. All of our Diamonds are equipped with either Garmin G1000 or G500, so you can learn with leading edge, glass cockpit avionics.

Special Event – Rusty Pilot Seminar

Feb 7, 2021

You’re Invited! Attention all Rusty Pilots! Ready to get back into the left seat? It's easier than you think! CRAFT is hosting a Rusty Pilot Seminar at Summerville Airport in the CRAFT Hangar, Saturday, February 27, 2021 from 9AM to 12PM. RSVP is required and...

Building a Flight School with Diamond Aircraft | Meet CRAFT Flight Training in Charleston, SC

Jan 27, 2021

Building a Flight School with Diamond Aircraft | Meet CRAFT Flight Training in Charleston, SC In less than two years, Jay and Amanda Aldea have built one of the most comprehensive modern flight centers in the Southeastern US. Join us as we spend the day with CRAFT...

2021 – Revising and Revisiting the Bucket List

Jan 1, 2021

Revising and Revisiting the Bucket List If 2020 taught us anything, its that times like these can truly change your priorities. We tend to look at the things we’ve always wanted to do with a new light. Suddenly they become more important and we want to find a way to...

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CRAFT Flight Training Charleston

6060 S. Aviation Ave, Suite 109
North Charleston, SC 29406

CRAFT Flight Training Summerville

890 Greyback Rd
Summerville, SC 29483

Flight School Reviews

5.0

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5.0

See all reviews Write a review

I recently completed the Accelerated IFR course at CRAFT and had a great experience. CRAFT offers instructors, equipment, and a program to... equip you with the right training and skills for modern-day aviation. The DA40s CRAFT uses for training are planes that you actually want to fly vs dated training fleets I'd become accustomed to. My instructor, Jack, was a knowledgeable instructor. I appreciated how he included real-world flying into our training wherever possible to emphasize areas outside of direct requirements. Flying with him has made me a much better pilot. I look forward to continuing to train and fly with CRAFT and would recommend them to anyone local or not interested in a high-quality general aviation experience.read more

Will T.

23:51 08 Sep 20

Absolutely loved my time at CRAFT!! Was a very busy week getting ready for the checkride made enjoyable by my instructor, Jack. I was quite... skeptical about getting ready in the course of a week but Jack left no room for error and by the time the checkride began I knew I had it made! Also by choosing the accelerated course CRAFT put me in the DA40 NG with A/C!! Thanks Jack and thanks CRAFT!read more

Cody F.

00:38 05 Aug 20

Top Notch. Great instructors and great equipment.
Definitely recommend!!!!!

John M.

22:39 21 Jun 20

Had a great flight review and IPC as a rusty pilot of several years. Everything about this school is on point from helpful and... knowledgeable instructors to superb training aircraft. Thank you and I look forward to coming back!read more

Kai

17:27 18 Mar 20

Kai M.

17:23 18 Mar 20

I completed my PPL with CRAFT. Great team and solid equipment. Highly recommend!

Chris M.

23:35 10 Feb 20

I completed my PPL with CRAFT. Great team and solid equipment. Highly recommend!

Chris M.

23:34 10 Feb 20

great company, dedicated, passionate and ready to get u your wings.

Leslie L.

16:43 17 Dec 19

I started my flight training years ago, quit and then decided to finally get back into it and finish up. The guys at CRAFT did an... absolutely stellar job of assessing where I was with my knowledge and ability, then adjusting their training to fit. They were always available to help get time on the calendar for flights and worked around my schedule without hesitation. The flight sim was also an invaluable tool that helped out just a ton! After completing my PPL, I still rent aircraft from CRAFT and, just like during training, they are far more than accommodating and always go the extra mile to ensure I've got everything I need.

Oh and also, their fleet of aircraft spans the whole range. Cessna aircraft for the budget minded student, Diamond DA-20 aircraft if you want something a little more modern, and all the way up to Diamond DA-40 if you want the latest Garmin G1000 flight deck with all the bells and whistles (my absolute favorite!).

I'm planning to come back one I've racked up enough hours to get my IFR certificate with these guys too and love the idea of being to utilize the flight simulator for a lot of those hours without having to go through the "trouble" of getting in the air and flying around in patterns just to shoot approaches... hit reset on the sim and fly them over and over again! Can't wait.read more

Lee K.

19:46 13 Aug 19

I started my flight training years ago, quit and then decided to finally get back into it and finish up. The guys at CRAFT did an... absolutely stellar job of assessing where I was with my knowledge and ability, then adjusting their training to fit. They were always available to help get time on the calendar for flights and worked around my schedule without hesitation. The flight sim was also an invaluable tool that helped out just a ton! After completing my PPL, I still rent aircraft from CRAFT and, just like during training, they are far more than accommodating and always go the extra mile to ensure I've got everything I need.Oh and also, their fleet of aircraft spans the whole range. Cessna aircraft for the budget minded student, Diamond DA-20 aircraft if you want something a little more modern, and all the way up to Diamond DA-40 if you want the latest Garmin G1000 flight deck with all the bells and whistles (my absolute favorite!).I'm planning to come back one I've racked up enough hours to get my IFR certificate with these guys too and love the idea of being to utilize the flight simulator for a lot of those hours without having to go through the "trouble" of getting in the air and flying around in patterns just to shoot approaches... hit reset on the sim and fly them over and over again! Can't wait.read more

Lee K.

19:42 13 Aug 19

Awesome owners and staff... thoroughly enjoyed the experience and tour of the facility.

Tiffania F.

02:32 12 Aug 19

2 great uses for me and my reluctant co-pilot wife at Craft- 1) for me simulated instrument flight and practice approaches in the G1000... mode- 2) spouse at the controls for a simulated “pilot down” landing scenario. My wife did 2 landings and even wants to do more with them.

Barry was a great instructor for both jobs. This a very good local Charleston business. They have great equipment and are great instructors.

I recommend them for beginners or for people going for more ratings.read more

Jeff A.

18:06 07 Jul 19

Appointment was on time, professional instruction by James Laughter. Enjoyed the training. Long absence from flying, but I was eased into... the necessary procedures. I will return to complete by Flight Review.read more

James H.

19:11 31 Mar 19

I completed my Private Pilot Certificate at CRAFT. Great experience! Management has always been willing to help out where they can and my... instructors Aaron and Drew were great. Very knowledgeable.read more

Shayne R.

15:59 15 Mar 19

I just finished the CRAFT 6 day instrument course yesterday. I had Barry Emerson as my instructor for the week. The course officially went... from Sunday 2/24/19 with the check ride on 3/2/19. I chose to do the course in my Mooney M20F. I had some instrument instruction from over 15 years ago. We started with simulator work. The simulator is actually harder to flow than an airplane and is great for teaching the process and procedures. Sunday we did simulator work on VOR tracking and approaches as well as holds. Monday we flew them and did some simulator time on Rnav approaches. We then flew again and then did IlS approaches and flew that night. on Wed we did the cross country. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we were not able to fly or simulate on Thursday, but on Friday we started early and did multiple flights.

You will be tired and stressed at the end of the week. I studied the Oral exam guide basically anytime I wasnt flying. The oral portion of the check ride was very straight forward. I was well prepared for the flying portion and passed the check ride.

Over the week I was so able to log about 4.5 hours of actual instrument time.

The experience with CRAFT and Barry was awesome and I would definitely recommend them.

if you care, I am a 300+ hour pilot with about 30 hours in the Mooney. However I quit flying from 2004 until November of 2018.read more

Greg A.

13:17 03 Mar 19

Showed up at CRAFT behind on training from another school. I was on a strict timeline to knock out my PPL for a job prospect and with their... training/guidance, was able to progress and knock out that license.My main instructors were Drew Mahoney and Jay Laughter. Both CFIs took the time to assure I was on track with meeting my deadline. They provided clear, knowledgeable, and calm instruction/guidance both in the air and on the ground. John Vergeldt another one of their instructors, a retired Naval aviator, went well out of his way to help me with ground instruction and guidance with my future military aviation career goals.Overall, awesome crew here at CRAFT. If you're properly motivated and ready to commit to your training, they'll make sure to set you up for success.read more

Christi B.

15:37 03 Feb 19

I contacted three flying schools in the area and was fortunate to speak with John Vergeldt about the flying process at Craft. Not only is... he an experienced military and commercial pilot with over 35,000 flying hours, he made me feel welcome and, for that, I will be starting at CRAFT with John!read more

Terry S.

17:55 08 Oct 18

Great instruction, growing, standardized aircraft fleet and outstanding service!

Christopher W.

13:01 28 Sep 18

I had a awesome time the other day when I visited the facility. It is different than the actual plan. However it allows you to see your... mistakes. The machine can be paused and started over to correct the mistakes made.read more

Barrett M.

05:14 10 May 18

The Discovery Flight in the simulator was really great. Mike is very professional and friendly.

Glenn M.

16:42 06 Sep 16

I came to CRAFT with 40 hours of private pilot training, and it had been a few months since I logged those hours. In six short weeks, my... instructor Jim and the incredibly friendly staff at CRAFT helped me get back up to speed, got my solo, prepared for the tests and check ride, and received my license. It was very helpful to be able to jump in the simulator at any time and practice maneuvers, cross-country, or anything that I needed to work on without having to pay for the airplane for that amount of time. the aircraft we used were always clean and well maintained. I would definitely recommend CRAFT to anyone, especially someone who is just starting out. The simulator is a very beneficial learning tool.read more

Ross K

06:12 31 Jan 14

I was amazed! Within minutes of "taking off" I lost all perception of NOT being airborne. I was in the sky and actually flying. The gauges... were absolutely realistic, the motion was exactly as if I was in the air and the view out the wrap around "windshield" showed me an exact picture of what I would see from the air. (throw in some rain, snow or fog for a thrill. maybe some turbulance)My instructor, Mike, was superb. He knew so much, it seemed that his must live in a plane. This simulator and the staff is an outstanding addition to the aviation industry in the area. WELL DONE!!read more

Randall U.

15:30 28 Jan 13

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