Thirty-four new aircraft. Six new types. $1.2 million in scholarships. A rental program that, for the first time in our academy's history, opens our flight line to certificated pilots. And something we can't tell you about yet.
We added 34 new aircraft across six new types, bringing our fleet to 130 aircraft and 16 types. Every addition fills a specific gap in the Apex training pipeline — and for the first time ever, we have a single, continuous, in-house pathway from a discovery flight to a King Air B200 ATP capstone.
We also expanded what we already had: Vision SF50 doubled from 2 to 4 aircraft. PC-12 NGX doubled from 2 to 4. King Air 250 grew from 1 to 2. And the King Air B200 welcomed N36DE — sitting on the ramp at Centennial today.
What we retired: Five Beechcraft Bonanza G36s (the complex endorsement role was consolidated into our TAA fleet, which meets the same FAR requirements at lower operating cost). Five Robinson R66 Turbines — the Apex helicopter program is closed. The PA-44 Seminole was reduced from 10 to 3 aircraft, and the Piper Archer TX from 8 to 5. Both remain in the fleet — the Archer as our yoke-fundamentals platform, and the Seminole as our multi-engine checkride alternate.
For the first time in a long time, we did a full review of what comparable schools in the western U.S. are charging — and we adjusted. Most rates moved. A few stayed flat. Here's the honest breakdown.
Jet-A has risen from $4.85 per gallon in January to nearly $10 per gallon in April 2026. This is the direct result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The war has cost American lives, Iranian civilian lives, and has inflicted billions in costs on the aviation community — fuel surcharges, cancelled training, delayed aircraft deliveries, and students who have simply walked away from their dream because the numbers no longer worked.
Apex takes no side on the politics of this conflict. But we do take a side on our students: if you're already enrolled in a training program, your rate is locked. We will absorb the Jet-A surcharge through December 31, 2026. No pass-through. No surprise bills. If fuel is still above $8/gal on January 1, we'll revisit — together.
We hope this war ends soon.
A 180% increase over last year's scholarship funding. We are giving away one-point-two million dollars not because we have to — because we chose to. Applications open May 15, 2026.
Effective July 1, 2026, our rental fleet opens to certificated pilots outside our enrolled student body. Three-tier monthly membership, month-to-month after the initial 90-day period.
The Vision SF50, Phenom 100EV, and M700 Fury are not part of the rental program. These aircraft are accessed through dedicated type rating, transition, and mentored flight programs.
We've rebuilt our entire program catalog. 116 packages across 9 categories — from a $185 DA-20 Discovery Flight to a $175,000 Zero-to-King-Air ATP capstone. Every program is in-house, at KAPA, with no referrals. Every package shows its full aircraft-hour breakdown, so you can see exactly what you'll fly before you sign up.
Two categories are brand new:
Zero Track (14 packages) — a clearly named path from no flight experience to any terminal certificate you want. Zero to Private. Zero to IFR. Zero to Commercial. Zero to Multi. Zero to CFI, CFII, MEI. Zero to ATP-Ready. Zero to Jet (SF50 or Phenom). Zero to Turboprop (PC-12 or M700). Zero to King Air. Pick your destination — we build the pipeline.
Endorsements and Additionals (27 packages) — replaces the old "Endorsements" category. Every endorsement (tailwheel, complex, high-performance, high-altitude, mountain, CAPS, UPRT, spin) plus every license add-on from where you already are. PPL to IFR. Commercial to CFI. CFI to CFII. ATP. Type ratings.
Transparency has never been one of this industry's strengths. We're trying to fix that.
A comprehensive policy document. 35 simulators. The operational updates that make everything above actually work.
The first written policy document in 15 years. Fourteen sections covering certification, currency, rental requirements, insurance, checkout procedures, cancellation and no-show policy, weather and go/no-go standards, cross-country and overnight, mountain and high-altitude operations (KAPA's density altitude procedures are formalized for the first time), jet and turboprop access, and a discipline and termination policy that's honest about what happens when rules get broken.
35 Level 6 FTDs in Hangar E. We added dedicated simulators for the DA-20, Archer TX, SR-22, Phenom 100EV, and M700 Fury. Expanded simulator capacity for the Vision SF50, PC-12 NGX, King Air 250, and King Air B200 to match the expanded flight line. Simulator time counts toward your certificate under Part 141, at roughly 20-25% of the aircraft wet rate.
The Great Expansion is only Part One. Part Two opens aviation to a category of student we've never been able to serve. The DA-20 is not an accident. We'll tell you the rest in September.
Schedule a tour of our flight line, our simulator center, or book a Discovery Flight in any of our new aircraft.