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MentorLIVE: The State of Flight Training 2026
July 15 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The State of Flight Training 2026
Presenter: Josh Harnagel
Host: Aaron Dabney
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Description
Flight training is changing faster than it has in a generation, and the schools that see what’s coming are the ones that will thrive. In this presentation, Redbird Flight COO Josh Harnagel takes the data behind “The State of Flight Training” and digs into what it really means for flight schools, universities, and the next generation of pilots.
Drawing on insight from a network of more than 3,000 training organizations across 50+ countries, Josh maps where demand is heading, where the training pipeline is breaking down, and how a shifting marketplace is reshaping the economics of earning a certificate. You’ll walk away with a clear read on the trends moving the industry. It’s an honest, pilot-to-pilot look at where flight training stands today, and where it’s headed next.
Presenter Bio
Josh Harnagel is the Chief Operating Officer at Redbird Flight, where he runs the company’s day-to-day operations and keeps the team focused on building products that actually matter to pilots and flight training organizations. He joined Redbird in 2009 and built and led the sales, marketing, customer support, and customer success teams before stepping into the COO role, which gave him a clear view of the business from the customer all the way back to the factory floor. Today he oversees the groups that turn that mission into shipped product, from manufacturing to supply chain, sales, marketing, and support.
The work is personal for Josh. He is a third-generation pilot and a Certified Flight Instructor who has spent his life around airplanes. He has logged more than 3,000 hours, including 1,500 hours of dual given, and has flown a wide range of general aviation aircraft, from warbirds to light jets. He owns and flies a Beechcraft Bonanza. That time in the cockpit and on the training side shapes how he thinks about every device Redbird builds. Josh is based in Austin, Texas.
Host Bio
Aaron Dabney earned his Flight Instructor certificate in 2009 and has been an active instructor ever since. He has provided more than 5,000 hours of instruction in more than 30 models of aircraft, mentoring pilots from their first hour through becoming accomplished instructors themselves, and all points in between.
Aaron is a 7-time NAFI Master Flight Instructor and serves as a lecturer in the Baylor University Institute for Aviation Sciences in addition to working as an independent instructor. He serves on NAFI’s Board of Directors and serves in several volunteer roles including coordinating MentorLIVE.