P&N Flight & Charter has transferred its entry-level pilot training to V1 Flight, a new school that will operate at the former Marion Municipal Airport.
The transition ends nearly 39 years of P&N’s entry-level training operations centered in Marion. V1 Flight will take over Private Pilot and Instrument Rating students at the Marion location, which transitioned to private ownership after the city voted to close the airport runway earlier this year, ending the city’s ownership stake in the airport property.
“This transition is about the future where we can have a larger positive impact on aviation and safety from the background rather than exclusively on the customer-facing side,” said Cole Norton, owner of P&N Flight & Charter and FAA Safety Team Representative, in a release.
P&N will shift its focus to advanced and specialty training programs, including multi-engine, helicopter, hot-air balloon, complex/high-performance, tailwheel and high-altitude training. The company is also expanding its on-demand air charter services and FAA pilot testing operations.
The Marion-based company launched a training-aircraft leasing program this fall, placing six aircraft with flight schools primarily in Iowa and as far as Alabama. P&N retains operational control of aircraft used for advanced training programs.
Mr. Norton said the company is developing structured, accelerated programs for working professionals and out-of-state pilots, positioning the Cedar Rapids area as a destination for advanced aviation training. Norton, 29, serves as an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner, conducting checkrides and issuing pilot certificates.
P&N recently received FAA Part 135 approval for a Piper PA-46-350P Mirage on its Air Carrier certificate. The pressurized, six-seat aircraft can fly nonstop from Cedar Rapids to destinations including Destin, Raleigh, Syracuse and Denver with one to two passengers.
“Our passengers asked for more comfort, better efficiency, more speed, and longer range; the Mirage delivers all three at a fraction of jet-charter cost,” Mr. Norton said.
The company has implemented a formal Part 5 Safety Management System across its charter and air tour operations, ahead of the 2027 FAA compliance deadline.
P&N also completed the sale of its aircraft service department to Streeter Flying Service, its maintenance partner. Streeter will operate maintenance services from Independence.
Founded in 1981, P&N Flight & Charter provides advanced pilot training, aircraft leasing, pilot testing and on-demand air charter services under its FAA Air Carrier Certificate.
