<\/p>\n
Robert Werderich, executive vice president of Spartan Flight Operation (second from left) with Spartan Flight Academy\u2019s management team: Monica Phillips (from left), Werderich, Abbigail Jones, Steve O\u2019Brien and Dustin Mayer at the academy in Grand Prairie.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Spartan Flight Academy chief pilot Dustin Mayer explains to Jordan Parker, the aviation reporter of The Dallas Morning News, how to fly a Cessna 182, as they fly together over\u00a0 Grand Prairie on June 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that this Grand Prairie area is growing.\u00a0\u2026 We like this airport, I would describe it as not corporate,\u201d said Robert\u00a0Werderich, executive vice president of Spartan Flight Operation in Grand Prairie.<\/p>\n
Chitose Suzuki\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
At Grand Prairie<\/a> Municipal Airport, a longtime flight school is ready soar after rebranding under new ownership.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spartan Flight Academy purchased Aviator Air in October 2025<\/a>, which had been a full-service fixed-based operator and flight training location in D-FW for over 20 years. Bob Werderich, executive vice president of flight operations at Spartan\u2019s Grand Prairie site, said the company purchased Aviator Air because it wanted to expand its business to the Southern U.S.\u00a0Werderich, who has been training pilots for more than three decades, has been involved with Spartan since he sold his company, Illinois Aviation Academy, to Spartan in 2023.<\/p>\n Flight schools are vital to regions like D-FW, which sees some of the highest air traffic levels in the world amid a growing\u00a0demand for pilots. The region is known for being the headquarters of two of the largest airlines in the world, Dallas-based Southwest<\/a> and Fort Worth-based American<\/a>. Airports such as Dallas Love Field<\/a>, McKinney National<\/a>, Fort Worth Meacham, Dallas Executive and more help facilitate significant private and general aviation to and from North Texas.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAviator Air, we found there\u2019s a good operation. It was a small operation and a great airport with great people,\u201d Werderich told The Dallas Morning News last month. “And those are \u2026 the ingredients to success.\u201d<\/p>\n Grand Prairie Municipal features a 4,000-foot runway and is located 3 miles southwest of the city\u2019s downtown. The airport is a designated reliever airport, meaning it is meant to reduce congestion at major commercial hubs like\u00a0DFW International Airport<\/a>, and handles aircraft ranging from small piston planes to large turboprops.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spartan Flight Academy offers a range of certificates<\/a> for prospective pilots, including commercial, private, certified flight instructor and more. And now, Werderich has his eyes set on expanding the newest Spartan venture. The school, which teaches about 165 students, has 17 to 18 aircraft in its fleet that is made up of mostly Archers and Cessnas, he said. He hopes to grow the fleet to 30 and have mostly Archer aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe like this because we feel that this Grand Prairie area is growing,\u201d Werderich said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of growth and development going on here. We like this airport, I would describe it as not corporate. We feel like a student would come here and learn to fly and have that personal touch.<\/p>\n \u201cTexas is a mecca for flying. You have a lot of airlines that have bases here, from Southwest to American to JSX. There\u2019s a huge aviation industry in Texas, and there\u2019s a lot of people that want to learn how to fly.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Spartan Flight Academy is owned by Spartan Education Group, which is headquartered in Chicago. The education group owns and operates several flight training operations across the U.S., including locations in Colorado, Illinois, California and more. Spartan is one of the oldest aviation schools in the U.S., dating back to 1928 when oil entrepreneur W.G. Skelly established what was then known as Spartan Aircraft Co.,\u00a0the company\u2019s website said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Spartan was pivotal during World War II and the Korean War, training thousands of pilots and mechanics in the armed forces, according to its website.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n