About Us
About Countrywide Flyers: Orlando's Member-Based Flying Club
We are a cooperative of pilots, students, instructors and aircraft owners based at Hangar 56 on Orlando-Apopka Airport (X04). Members share a fleet, choose their own instructors and pay only for the flying they do.
Or call 877-277-1188
- IDENT
- X04
- FIELD
- Orlando-Apopka Airport, Apopka, Florida
- BASE
- Hangar 56
- EST.
- 2014
- TYPE
- Member cooperative flying club
Who We Are
Founded in 2014, Countrywide Flyers is a private, member-based flying club at Orlando-Apopka Airport in Apopka, Florida. We give members access to a shared fleet of aircraft, a network of independent FAA-certificated flight instructors and a clubhouse where pilots spend time together on the ground.
We are organized as a cooperative. That means the club exists for the benefit of the people who belong to it, and it runs under bylaws, member agreements and written operating rules instead of a sales quota.
Some members are working toward a first solo. Some have flown for decades. Some do not fly at all and come for the people and the airplanes. All of them belong here.
Why a Club Instead of a Flight School
Most people in Central Florida meet aviation through a flight school. Schools work well for students on a fixed, full-time path to the airlines. They work less well for everyone else.
A working professional who can fly twice a week does not need an accelerated program. A returning pilot does not need a syllabus written for a teenager. A certificated pilot who wants to take an airplane to Key West for the weekend does not need a school at all, only a well-kept airplane and a fair rate.
Countrywide Flyers was built for those pilots. Three ideas shape everything we do.
Choice
You pick your instructor, and you can change instructors if the fit is not right.
Flexibility
There are no prepaid training packages. You schedule when you can fly and pay as you go.
Belonging
Flying is better with other people. Fly-outs, hangar socials and safety seminars are part of membership.
How the Cooperative Works
Members come first
You apply, you are approved, and you become a member. Membership opens the fleet, the scheduling system, the clubhouse and the event calendar. Dues start at $19.99 a month, and every plan is priced openly on our membership page.
Instructors are independent
The flight instructors who teach here are independent FAA-certificated professionals. They contract directly with the members they teach. You choose an instructor by availability, teaching style and experience, and the two of you set the pace. Meet them on our flight instructors page.
Aircraft come from the club and from owners
Some aircraft on our flight line belong to the cooperative or its affiliates. Others belong to private owners who place them with the club under written lease agreements. Owners offset the cost of ownership, and members get a wider choice of airplanes. If you own an aircraft, read about our leaseback program.
You are pilot in command
Once you are checked out, the airplane is yours for the flight. You plan it, you make the go or no-go call, and you are responsible for it. We set the standards and the checkout requirements; you do the flying.
Read the full walkthrough in How the Co-Op Works.
See It Before You Decide
The fastest way to understand the club is to stand in the hangar. Come by, meet a few members and sit in an airplane. If you want to go up, a discovery flight puts you at the controls with an instructor beside you.
Who Flies With Us
- New pilots starting from zero hours who want one-on-one instruction at their own pace.
- Certificated pilots who want regular access to aircraft without buying one.
- Returning pilots who need a flight review and a patient way back into the left seat.
- Time builders working toward commercial and airline minimums.
- Flight instructors who want to teach independently inside an established community.
- Aircraft owners who want their airplane flown, cared for and earning.
- Aviation enthusiasts who do not hold a certificate and are welcome anyway.
Hangar 56, Our Home Base
The club lives at Hangar 56 on Orlando-Apopka Airport. Inside are a members' lounge, briefing rooms and quiet space to study or plan a flight. Outside is the flight line.
Orlando-Apopka is a non-towered general aviation airport northwest of Orlando. Students learn radio work and pattern flying without long taxi queues, then step into the busier airspace around Orlando when they are ready for it. For a training base, that combination is hard to beat.
1321 Apopka Airport Rd, Hangar 56Apopka, FL 32712
The Fleet
Our flight line covers the range a pilot grows through, from first lesson to fast cross-country travel.
- Cessna 172
- Piper Archer
- Piper Arrow · retractable
- Cirrus SR22
- Piper Apache · multi-engine
- Piper J-3 Cub · tailwheel
Every aircraft has its own profile with equipment and photographs on the fleet page, and hourly rates are published on the pricing page.
How We Think About Safety
Access to an aircraft is earned. Every member completes a checkout before flying a club aircraft alone, and stays current to keep flying it. Aircraft are maintained and inspected to FAA requirements.
Beyond the rules, we teach judgment: weather evaluation, personal minimums and the discipline to cancel a flight. Our full approach is set out on the Safety & Standards page.
The People Behind the Club
Countrywide Flyers is led by a team with named responsibility for operations, compliance, maintenance and safety.
- Joseph S. RestivoPresident
- Eric CameronChief Operations Officer
- Chris AselinChief Compliance Officer
- Kyle WhaleyChief Maintenance Officer
- Jun LinChief Safety Officer
Meet the full team on our leadership page.
What We Are Not
We think it helps to be plain about this.
We are not a charter company
We do not sell air transportation or carry passengers for hire. Members fly themselves.
We are not an airline academy
If you want a full-time, fixed-schedule program, a career school may suit you better. If you want to train around a job and a family, with an instructor you chose, we are built for that.
Read our Legal & Cooperative Disclosure.
Where Our Members Come From
Members drive in from across Central Florida: Apopka, Orlando, Winter Garden, Ocoee, Clermont, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary, Sanford and Mount Dora. If you live north or west of downtown Orlando, there is a good chance we are your closest general aviation airport.
Questions People Ask About Countrywide Flyers
Is Countrywide Flyers a flight school?
No. Countrywide Flyers is a member-based flying club organized as a cooperative. Members can earn certificates and ratings here by training with independent FAA-certificated instructors, but the club itself is not a flight school.
Where is Countrywide Flyers located?
We are at Hangar 56 on Orlando-Apopka Airport (X04), 1321 Apopka Airport Rd, Apopka, FL 32712. The airport is northwest of Orlando in Orange County.
Do I need to be a pilot to join?
No. Student Pilot membership is for people learning to fly, and Social membership is for people who love aviation and do not plan to fly as pilot in command. No experience is needed for either.
How much does membership cost?
Monthly dues start at $19.99 for Social and Youth memberships, plus a one-time joining fee. Aircraft rental and flight instruction are paid separately, by the hour, as you use them. Current prices for every plan are on the membership page.
Who owns the aircraft?
It varies by aircraft. Some are owned by the cooperative or its affiliates, and others belong to private owners who lease them to the club under written agreements.
Can I choose my own flight instructor?
Yes. Instructors here are independent, and you select the one who fits your schedule and learning style. You can change instructors at any point in your training.
Can I rent an aircraft without taking lessons?
Yes, if you hold the right pilot certificate. You complete a checkout in the aircraft, meet the currency and insurance requirements, and then book through the online schedule.
Does Countrywide Flyers offer charter flights or sightseeing tours?
No. We are a private club and not an air carrier. A discovery flight is an introductory flight lesson with an instructor, where you fly the airplane.
Come Fly With People Who Love It
Book a discovery flight, pick a membership, or stop by Hangar 56 and say hello. Whichever you choose, you will leave knowing whether this is your club.
Countrywide Flyers · 1321 Apopka Airport Rd, Hangar 56, Apopka, FL 32712 · 877-277-1188 · info@countrywideflyers.com