Hillsboro Aero Academy

Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA) is a flight training company based in Oregon. Their fleet is approximately 80 airplanes and 20 helicopters, with 150 flight instructors.[1]

History

HAA began as a division of Hillsboro Aviation, the FBO at Hillsboro Airport (HIO). It was eventually split into a standalone business.

In 2014, the school was sold to Renovus Capital Partners and Graycliff Partners and renamed to Hillsboro Aero Academy. It had 74 aircraft at the time and had trained students from 75 countries.[2]

In 2017, a man breached the airport perimeter, donned a mask and attempted to hijack a HAA helicopter at gunpoint. The Hillsboro Police Department then shot and killed him.[3][4]

In 2022, HAA and Alaska Air Group created Ascend Pilot Academy, a joint venture for training pilots in a cadet program.[5]

In October 2023 a twin engine Piper Seminole crashed into a house in Newberg, Oregon while on a training flight when it stalled and entered a spin. The student and instructor were killed, and the third passenger survived. The family of six, with two inside during the crash, were uninjured but the home was substantially damaged.[6][7]

Campuses

HAA's primary campus is Hillsboro Airport (HIO).

HAA also operates a Part 141 helicopter flight school under the Hillsboro Heli Academy division, at Troutdale Airport (KTTD). HAA had been training helicopter and fixed-wing pilots at TTD since 2008, and switched to helicopter-only program at the airport in 2019.[8][9]

HAA opened an Eastern Oregon campus in 2012 at Prineville Airport (PRZ), and moved to Redmond Airport (RDM) in 2017. Most of the students are from China.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Fulfill Your Dream of Flying at Hillsboro Aero Academy". en.flyhaa.de. Retrieved 2026-04-28. Hillsboro Aero Academyin numbers100+FleetWe operate 80 airplanes and 21 helicopters
  2. ↑ "Hillsboro Aviation sells flight school to Renovus Capital Partners and Graycliff Partners". Vertical Mag. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  3. ↑ Bailey, Everton (2017-07-03). "Police kill gunman who tried to hijack helicopter at Hillsboro Airport". oregonlive. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  4. ↑ Jared Cowley (7 June 2017). "Officer who shot helicopter hijacking suspect identified". kgw.com. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "Training the next generation of pilots: Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air launch Ascend Pilot Academy - Mar 9, 2022". Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  6. ↑ Meg Godlewski (2025-09-24). "Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Flight School Accident". FLYING Magazine. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  7. ↑ Corser, Bobby (2025-09-22). "Newberg family files multi-million dollar lawsuit following devastating plane crash". KATU. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  8. ↑ "Hillsboro Heli Academy granted examining authority by Federal Aviation Administration". Vertical Mag. 27 Feb 2024. Retrieved 2026-04-28.
  9. ↑ Matt Thurber (19 March 2021). "Hillsboro Aero Academy Keeps the Rotors Turning | AIN". Aviation International News. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  10. ↑ "Hillsboro Aero Academy opens Redmond campus". The Bulletin. 2017-12-02. Retrieved 2026-04-28. With larger facilities, the flight school also plans to increase its student body, comprising mostly Chinese students preparing to become commercial pilots for Chinese airlines, by a factor of three, to about 150.
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