Pilot Rise opens second Dallas-area flight school at Dallas Executive Airport

Pilot Rise Flight School has opened a second location at Dallas Executive Airport, expanding its North Texas training footprint after years of planning. The new base adds a towered-airport environment, more training flexibility and on-site support for students working toward private pilot through instructor certificates.

Why it matters: - The new Dallas Executive Airport location gives Pilot Rise students a second North Texas training base, which can reduce disruption when one airport is affected by runway maintenance, temporary closures or other local issues. - Students can now train in two different airport environments without changing schools, which expands real-world experience while staying inside one training system. - The added location increases access for Dallas-area students who want a structured flight training option closer to home.

What happened: - Pilot Rise Flight School opened its second location at Dallas Executive Airport after years of planning around where to expand next. - The school’s first location remains at Hicks Airfield in Fort Worth. - Dallas Manager Anthony Balaity found the hangar the school now operates from and helped turn it into a working flight school. - The Dallas team coordinated aircraft and maintenance, built airport relationships and welcomed the location’s first students. - A former Pilot Rise student who owns aircraft at Dallas Executive also helped connect the team with local vendors.

The details: - Hicks Airfield gives students quick access to practice areas from a non-towered airport. - Dallas Executive Airport gives students an operating control tower, two runways, multiple instrument approaches and full-service fuel. - The Dallas location offers discovery flights and training for private pilot, instrument, commercial, CFI and CFII certificates. - Students can follow one certificate path or move through a career pilot program from zero experience to flight instructor certification. - Training is available in Cessna 172 and Cessna 150 aircraft. - On-site maintenance support is available at the Dallas location. - Pilot Rise uses a structured Part 61 model that keeps training organized while allowing lessons to adapt to each student’s goals, schedule, pace and learning needs. - The school’s element-based training records track individual skills, knowledge areas, trends, recency and next steps. - Students receive feedback and study direction after each lesson. - Instructors can review prior progress when a student flies with someone new. - Standardized instructor development and stage checks are required before major milestones. - Active students get free access to FAA-approved Basic Aviation Training Devices under the school’s student-use policy. - The simulators are used for procedures, instrument work and emergency scenarios without adding aircraft expense.

Between the lines: - Pilot Rise is positioning the Dallas expansion as more than a second storefront; the school is building redundancy, airport variety and a broader training pipeline. - Founder Michael Forseth launched the school in 2018 around a family test for quality: “If this were my family learning to fly, would this be good enough?” - Forseth said the school wants pilots prepared for what comes after the checkride, not just for passing the test. - The former-student involvement in opening the Dallas site points to a community-driven model that Pilot Rise wants to reinforce. - The combination of structured records and flexible Part 61 training suggests an effort to balance consistency with individualized instruction.

What's next: - Pilot Rise is now offering training from both Hicks Airfield and Dallas Executive Airport. - Students at the Dallas site can continue moving toward certificates or the career pilot program with access to towered-airport operations and simulator support. - The school’s recognition as a Distinguished Flight School by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in 2025 and 2026 gives the new location added credibility as it ramps up.

The bottom line: - Pilot Rise’s second North Texas location expands capacity, adds operational flexibility and gives students more varied training before they reach their checkride.