Why Does Aviator.NYC Exist?
Airline pilot Julian Alarcon built Aviator.NYC to fix what flight schools get wrong — expensive, slow training taught by instructors who leave before you finish. We replaced that with an FAA-certified simulator in Manhattan and a team of airline pilots who choose to teach.
What's Wrong with Traditional Flight Training?
At most flight schools, your instructor has 250 to 500 flight hours and will leave for an airline job within 12 to 18 months. You pay $350 to $600 per hour for aircraft time, lose 30 to 40 percent of scheduled sessions to weather, and your instructor has no financial incentive to get you done faster — because teaching you is how they build hours.
This is the standard model at Part 61 flight schools across the country. The instructor is a time-builder, not a career educator. The airplane is expensive, weather-dependent, and inefficient for learning procedures, instrument scans, and emergency responses. Students spend thousands of dollars practicing things that should be learned on the ground or in a simulator.
The result: pilots who solo after 30 or more hours but still cannot read a METAR, do not understand how to use trim, and have never been taught why wind direction determines runway selection. These are fundamentals that get covered in the first three lessons at Aviator.NYC.
Who Founded Aviator.NYC and Why?
Julian Alarcon is a Boeing 777 First Officer, FAA Gold Seal flight instructor, and FAASTeam Representative with over 4,500 hours of flight instruction. He started instructing in 2010 while serving on active duty and founded Aviator.NYC in 2019 to give students a better option.
Julian earned all of his instructor ratings — CFI, CFII, and MEI — while on active duty. He holds six aircraft type ratings, a Master's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the FAA Gold Seal instructor designation. As a 777 First Officer, his seniority gives him the schedule flexibility to continue instructing — something he does because he wants to, not because he needs flight hours.
The idea for Aviator.NYC came from years of hearing the same complaints from students: training is too expensive, progress is too slow, and instructors keep leaving. Julian built a place where the simulator is the classroom and the airplane is the exam room — so every dollar and every hour counts.
I created Aviator.NYC so when people told me flight training was too expensive, I could give them a better option. I had to pay for my own flight training, so I know firsthand how expensive it is — newer airplanes, newer technologies, insurance, fuel, it all keeps going up. But I also know that flight simulators are the way to make training efficient. You want to show up to the airplane knowing what to expect. The choice is simple: complain about how expensive it is and never take action, or take action and accomplish your dreams.
Julian Alarcon, Founder
How Did Aviator.NYC Get Here?
Aviator.NYC has operated out of four locations across 7 years — from a 6-by-6-foot co-working space to the current training facility in Hudson Square, Manhattan. We survived COVID, trained through a pandemic from an apartment with open windows, and grew every year.
Founded in a Co-Working Space
Started near 6th Avenue and 32nd Street in a 6-by-6-foot office with a simulator and a mission.
Open House, Then COVID
Held the first open house in January. COVID shut everything down two months later.
New Jersey and Back
Relocated the simulator to a client's office in New Jersey — but Manhattan was where it needed to be.
The Apartment Era
Operated from a Manhattan apartment with open windows, no central AC, and an acrylic partition. Training never stopped.
Hudson Square
Moved to the current facility at 131 Varick Street, Hudson Square. The simulator finally had a permanent home.
Record Year
306 training sessions delivered — the highest in Aviator.NYC's history. 163 unique clients trained.
Recurring Clients Lead Growth
66% of monthly training hours now come from returning students. The bundle program is working.
Year-Over-Year Growth
From 27 clients in 2019 to 171 in 2025 — consistent growth driven by returning students and word-of-mouth referrals.
| Year | Sessions | Clients |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 97 | 27 |
| 2020 | 161 | 62 |
| 2021 | 251 | 71 |
| 2022 | 266 | 91 |
| 2023 | 248 | 127 |
| 2024 | 306 | 163 |
| 2025 | 256 | 171 |
Why Did We Choose This Simulator?
Most flight schools buy Redbird simulators because they have motion, good branding, and work well for beginners. Aviator.NYC chose Precision Flight Controls because the G1000 NXi avionics are accurate enough for real instrument training — not just primary students.
Redbird simulators are excellent for kids and new pilots learning basic maneuvers. But the avionics portion is limited — the G1000 replica does not have all the features of the real panel. Once you start doing real IFR procedures, approach briefings, and advanced avionics management, you hit the machine's limits quickly.
The PFC GTX with Garmin G1000 NXi has every feature of the actual avionics suite: flight plan loading, approach coupling with the GFC 700 autopilot, terrain awareness, synthetic vision, and all the knobology that instrument-rated pilots need to stay current. That is why 25 percent of our students are already certificated pilots — they come here because the avionics are accurate enough to train on.
| Metric | Aviator.NYC (PFC GTX) | Typical Flight School |
|---|---|---|
| G1000 NXi Accuracy | Full-featured replica | Simplified interface |
| Approach Coupling | GFC 700 autopilot | Basic autopilot or none |
| Best For | Primary through ATP-level | Primary and basic IFR |
| FAA Credit | AATD: 2.5 hrs PPL, 20 hrs IR, 50 hrs Commercial | BATD: 2.5 hrs PPL, 10 hrs IR |
Who Are the Instructors at Aviator.NYC?
Aviator.NYC has 8 instructors with nearly 28,000 combined flight hours and 14 type ratings across 9 aircraft types — from the Cessna Citation to the Boeing 777. Six of eight hold ATP certificates, the highest level of FAA pilot certification.
Every instructor at Aviator.NYC flies professionally — as airline captains, first officers, or corporate pilots. They choose to teach because of their passion for aviation, not because they need flight hours. This is the opposite of a typical flight school, where the majority of instructors are building time toward their first airline job and leave within 12 to 18 months.
At Aviator.NYC, Peter has been here since day one. William was one of the first instructors at the current location. The only instructor who has left — Josh — got hired at a major airline and shifted focus to his family. He still stays connected with his clients. That is not turnover. That is life.
| Metric | Aviator.NYC | Typical Flight School |
|---|---|---|
| ATP Certificated | 75% | <5% |
| CFII Rated | 88% | ~30% |
| Gold Seal CFI | 63% | ~5% |
| Instructor | ATP | CFII | Gold Seal | Current Role | Type Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Alarcon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B777 First Officer | B777, A320, CE-525S, LR-JET, DHC-8, EMB-145 |
| Charles Canavan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | B737 First Officer | B737, CL65 |
| Peter Lynde | ✓ | ✓ | — | Captain, Major Airline | B737, DHC-8, EMB-145 |
| Elijah Burgess | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ERJ Captain | ERJ-170/190 |
| William Wong | ✓ | ✓ | — | Regional Airline FO | CL65 |
| Ethan Brown | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Regional Airline FO | CL65 |
| Liam Tuohy | — | ✓ | — | King Air Corporate Pilot | — |
| Jack Ablon | — | — | — | CFI | — |
What Does Aviator.NYC Not Do?
Aviator.NYC does not operate aircraft, rent airplanes, or replace your flight school. We are a dedicated training partner. The simulator is the classroom — the airplane at your flight school is the exam room. We make your aircraft time more productive, not unnecessary.
This distinction matters. We supplement your flight school by providing structured simulator practice, instrument procedure training, and pre-flight briefings that most schools do not offer. When you go to the airport, you are prepared — not learning procedures for the first time at $400 per hour in the airplane.
The FAA allows up to 2.5 hours of AATD time toward a Private Pilot certificate, up to 20 hours toward an Instrument Rating, and up to 50 hours toward a Commercial certificate. Those are hours that would otherwise cost two to three times more in an aircraft, with weather cancellation risk and less control over the training environment.