TruFlight Academy, a new flight school located outside Tulsa, Oklahoma, has chosen the Cabri G2 as their exclusive training platform. TruFlight joins the Cabri USA family as another family run school with a desire to bring helicopter training to a geographic region with otherwise few options.
Todd Guison, TruFlight’s chief pilot chose the Cabri G2 based on safety, modern technology, and because it is designed for training features, all making the G2 an obvious choice. “The real deciding factor for us was the support. We knew from our conversations with Precision and Guimbal that when we had an issue, they would have a solution. For a small school, it is imperative we have people in our corner who understand not only how to keep the aircraft up and running but are also willing to share in our passion and support our business. That’s what you get with you choose Cabri USA.”
Todd and Scarlett Guison, along with their children, are the magic behind TruFlight. Todd grew up in a military family and was specifically influenced by his grandfather who was a WWII aviator. Todd grew up hearing these stories and dreaming of one day joining the family legacy. At a young age, he went to his uncle’s change of command and sat in a helicopter for the first time. “I remember thinking this is the coolest thing I’d seen in my whole life, there was no going back,” says Todd Guison. Todd was serious about this career path and started flying airplanes as a teenager and into college. After his freshman year he enlisted with the Army for a year before moving to North Dakota to join ROTC and their helicopter program. Eventually he graduated and went to Army flight school before going on to spend 8 years in active duty flying all over the U.S., Europe, Afghanistan, and Korea. Most of his army time was spent in the Black Hawk. He remains part of the National Guard and flies the Lakota on the weekends when he isn’t training his students in the G2.
Scarlett was raised in a family where you should chase your dreams. Her background is in marketing, fundraising, and organization of resources – the perfect complement to Todd’s aviation background for running a small business. After seeing the passion her husband had for teaching, she knew the best thing for her family was for them to take a chance and start their own flight school. Scarlett is the one who originally steered Todd toward the Guimbal. She may not have been immersed in aviation culture at the time, but she understood if you were going to train students for a future helicopter career, you should train them in something that sets them up for success – and offers many of the same features they will find in future aircraft, and even some creature comforts such as air conditioning. As a mother, she was particularly pleased with the G2s safety features, as well as the modern standards it met. Scarlett’s vision and out of the box thinking is the perfect balance to Todd’s 12+ years of experience and passion for teaching.
Truflight aviation is located at Gundy’s airport outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is a huge general aviation presence here, with many small airports, however a very small helicopter community. In addition to hangar and office facilities for teaching, Truflight has already set up student housing on site for students traveling for their training. They are working towards an FAA Part 141 program and partnering with community colleges, fixed wing schools, flying clubs, etc. They have even partnered with a local physical training business to offer students assistance in meeting their goals.
Guimbal and Precision could not be happier to have a team like TruFlight using the G2 as their training platform. Stories of family run schools like this remind us all why we got into aviation in the first place – a wonder for the seemingly impossibility of helicopters, a love for flight in its purest form, and a passion to share it with the next generation.
