Meet Jack Parrish | President and Chief Flight Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jack Parrish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jack, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
During 2020, I was on call with the airline I worked for and due to COVID was never getting to fly. At the same time my younger brother had become a flight instructor. We decided to purchase one training aircraft together and he would do the training while I ran the business. Fast forward to 2022 and I resigned from the airlines to run the business full time and bought my brother out as he moved on to his first airline job.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Parrish Aviation was set apart as a flight school from the start. My inspiration to start a school was due to mine and my brothers negative experiences at a large flight school. We saw how they were efficient operationally but lacked a positive culture and experience for the students. Additionally, in their quest for efficiency they unfortunately developed a reputation for training to the minimum standards.

Since the first day, we have been striving to match the operational efficiency and partnerships of the largest schools, while building a tangible culture and community that people want to be involved in, as well as pushing the norms on flight training standards. We believe that investing in our people and flight training excellence is the best way to build a flight school that stands the test of time.

As of today we have grown to 12 airplanes with many more on order for 2026. We have also obtained our 141 Air Carrier Certificate and partner with a few regional airlines and Purdue Global for an online university program. By Q2 of 2026 we expect to offer Sallie Mae, GI Bill, an exciting university partnership, and SEVIS opportunities for students. These will increase accessibility to flight training in a big way at our home airport in South Dallas.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would send them to Uchi-ba or Otaru Sushi for food. Davis Street Espresso for coffee/pastries. Elizabeth Lee Bridal if they need a wedding dress. Upper Room if they want to attend church. Bishop Arts for hanging out in the evenings. For cigars I would take them to Gilded Age or Cigar Art.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Jared and Wendy Scroggins deserve a shoutout in my business story. They own Elizabeth Lee Bridal in Bedford, TX and have been mentors since day one, in fact, I started the flight school at their dinner table in 2020. It is immensely helpful to have people who have gone before you to share their successes and mistakes in business, especially in areas such a legal and accounting that I had very little experience before starting a business.

Website: https://www.parrishaviation.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrishaviation/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/parrish-aviation-flight-academy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParrishAviation

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/parrish-aviation-flight-academy-dallas

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmuigbvDdoF1jVJTcZKC4Mw