We are proudly based out of the Schenectady County Airport, just ten minutes away from downtown Schenectady, and 30 minutes from Albany.
Since World War II, SCH has been an active training field for pilots, controllers, and the National Guard. When training at Schenectady, you’ll be sharing the airspace and runways with other student pilots, corporate jets, and C-130s.
Five Star Flight Academy is based out of the SCC Hangars at the airport’s south end. Our facility includes 4 hangars and a briefing room, providing an ideal environment for ground and flight training alike.
Most flight training is conducted in designated Practice Areas. These consist of generally flat terrain and open farmland, ideal for practicing maneuvers and simulated emergencies.
The Northwest Practice Area exists largely between Great Sacandaga Lake and the City of Amsterdam. The Mohawk River provides easy navigation between the airport and the practice area.
The Northeast Practice Area exists generally in the vicinity of Saratoga Lake. The lake provides an easy navigational aid for students.
Practice around nearby hilly and mountainous terrain is obtained during the cross-country phase of training.
Commercial students will obtain experience operating south near New York City- the busiest airspace in the world. Instructors will sometimes allow students to fly the famous Hudson Corridor during this phase of training.
While each training flight is different, here are some airports a student at Five Star can expect to visit:
NY0 – Fulton County
5B2 – Saratoga County
ALB – Albany Intl
4B0 – South Albany
GFL – Floyd Bennett Memorial
1B1 – Columbia County
NY1 – Kline Kill*
DDH – William Morse State**
*used for soft-field practice
**used for instrument training
RME – Griffis Intl
4B6 – Ticonderoga Muni
BAF – Westfield-Barnes Rgnl
SWF – Stewart Intl
POU – Hudson Valley Rgnl
N66 – Oneonta
GON – Groton-New London
BDR – Bridgeport/Sikorski
ITH – Ithaca Tompkins Intl
ELM – Elmira-Corning Rgnl
MHT – Manchester Boston Rgnl
ASH – Nashua Boire Field
PBG – Plattsburg Intl
BTV – Burlington Intl
Note: >100nm cross-country flights are generally reserved for commercial training.
