Organizations Donate Terminal Renovations With Space Now Home to ATP Flight School
SANFORD, N.C. — With several other expansion projects underway, Raleigh Exec took another step toward the future when jetport officials welcomed ATP Flight School to the terminal building — in newly opened office space contributed by Carolina Commercial Contractors and Live Oak Foundation.
ATP Flight School now occupies about half of the 3,000-square-foot office suite on the terminal’s second floor — space now available for classrooms, flight simulators and offices. The Florida-based company develops career pilots in more than 80 flight training centers across the United States.
In Sanford, the flight school offers its Airline Career Pilot Program taking students from no experience to 1,500 hours in an airline-sponsored career program. According to its website, ATP Flight School has exclusive hiring partnerships with 39 airline, cargo and corporate operators that offer a range of educational benefits for aspiring pilots.
Pierce Johnston, a pilot currently managing the ATP Flight School, says he’s very happy to be operating out of Raleigh Exec because it brings significant educational and economic opportunities to the community.
“It provides accessible, high-quality pilot training right here in Sanford, opening doors for students who may have otherwise had to relocate or commute long distances,” he said. “Beyond just flight training, ATP’s national presence and airline partnerships mean local students can enter a pathway with real industry connections.
“Additionally, the presence of a major training provider at Raleigh Exec helps foster a more vibrant and engaged aviation community — potentially attracting new talent, supporting local businesses and raising the profile of the airport as a regional aviation hub.”
ATP Flight School is the first tenant in renovated office space built with funding from Live Oak Foundation in Sanford and labor donated by Carolina Commercial Contractors. It was part of a longtime relationship both companies have with Raleigh Exec.
Airport director Bob Heuts said that relationship dates back decades, when Raleigh Exec couldn’t afford to acquire a tract of land near the jetport that could help protect the longterm investment and maintain safe operations as the facility sought to expand. Live Oak Foundation stepped in to purchase the land at the time and make it available when time was right for the jetport.
When Raleigh Exec purchased that land in a series of much larger acquisitions over the last year, Live Oak made a contribution from the sale back to the jetport to develop the new office space and Carolina Commercial Contractors, which has a relationship with the foundation, volunteered the labor.
“This is the type of community support we’ve enjoyed here at Raleigh Exec,” said Heuts, “and it’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful over the years and so attractive for business.
“Terminal renovations have given us new, adaptable space we can rent out without a mortgage, which helps us cover the costs of maintaining the terminal and makes more services and opportunities available here for our Triangle region — things like providing a career pathway for young people to become pilots.”
New office space is just part of ongoing development at Raleigh Exec. In addition to land acquisitions announced last fall, the jetport was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration this spring to build and operate an air traffic control tower, passed the first round of federal review to add U.S. customs services for international flights and recently opened the state’s first charging station for electric aircraft.
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About Raleigh Exec
Billed as a premier corporate gateway to the Research Triangle, Raleigh Exec Jetport is a general aviation airport serving corporate and recreational flights in a region of central North Carolina that includes Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Sanford, Pittsboro, Chatham Park and the Research Triangle Park. Raleigh Exec operates on 1,250 acres off of U.S. Highway 1, just 15 miles from the Raleigh Outer Beltline. It is home to corporate aircraft, the North Carolina Forest Service, many aviation-related businesses and one of the nation’s largest and most respected flying clubs. More information is available at raleighexec.com.
Terminal Renovation Photos
