Our Mission
Mission and Founding
Bringing accelerated, affordable, innovative training to the Delaware Valley in partnership with local schools and airlines for the next generation of high-paying aerospace careers.
flyGateway’s Founder, Regis de Ramel, has a mission to complete the aviation legacy his family started during World War I. His great-grand-uncle, Norman Prince (and later his great-grand father) learned to fly at the Wright brothers’ school in Georgia and soloed in 1911. Norman soon went on to form an all-American volunteer squadron for France called the Lafayette Escadrille. This elite group of aviators are credited to be “the founding fathers of American combat aviation.” These men flew missions flying directly into combat to protect France. This unit is credited as having instigated hundreds more to volunteer for France, and most importantly, their experience as early combat aviators directly aided new squadron mates with aerial combat, in the newly formed U.S. Army Air Service (f. January 1, 1918).
Today, de Ramel believes that service and availability of affordable education are vital to the aviation industry.
“If you can help yourself by helping others, that’s always a good thing. However education should never be tied profit. That means we needed to start a not-for-profit school that would help deliver the best commercial pilot program for the Philadelphia metropolitan market.”
de Ramel started working as the mid-Atlantic Regional Sales Director for Cirrus Aircraft in 2003. This spurred the thought that private aviation could be more affordable, and not simply just a hobby. “Flying over the top of stratus clouds in a Cirrus, enjoying the sunshine over white wispy clouds while everyone below was stuck in the overcast gloom, made me realize how pleasant traveling by air could be – so why not make this more available to more?” In order to accomplish that vision, flyADVANCED needed a training academy to help fill the growing gap of pilots.
Putting thought into action, de Ramel helped acquire Gateway Aviation out of Queen City Airport in Allentown, PA in early 2018, and converted it to a Not-for-Profit entity. flyGATEWAY soon then launched two more locations in New Castle, DE and Blue Bell, PA, forming what has now become the largest regional Part 141 flight academy in our area.
Now we can not only spark an interest outside of a traditional (and expensive) 4 year college degree, but we can take students to the next level and allow them to get well paying jobs with the airlines and corporate aviation.
flyGATEWAY is about furthering the legacy his family started by making a calling in aviation possible for all people, purely through service.