Redbird Airport Dallas (KRBD) — Flight School & Pilot Training

If you're searching for a flight school at Redbird Airport in Dallas, you're in the right place. Parrish Aviation Flight Academy is located on the field at what was historically known as Redbird Airport — now officially named Dallas Executive Airport (KRBD) — at 5125 Voyager Drive, Dallas, TX 75237.

The airport's FAA identifier, KRBD, still reflects its Redbird roots, and many longtime Dallas-area pilots and residents still call it Redbird. Whether you know it as Redbird or Dallas Executive, it's the same field — and Parrish Aviation is the FAA Part 141 certified flight school operating on it.

Located about 10 miles south of downtown Dallas, KRBD is one of the most complete pilot training environments in North Texas: a Class D towered airport with an ILS instrument approach, proximity to DFW International Class B airspace, a full-service FBO, and everything a student pilot needs within one campus.

There is no operational difference — they are the same airport. Here's the history:

• Original name: Redbird Airport — opened in the 1950s as a general aviation field serving south Dallas.
• FAA identifier: KRBD — the "RBD" stands for Redbird, and has not changed.
• Renamed in 2009: The City of Dallas rebranded the airport as Dallas Executive Airport to attract business aviation and reinforce its role as a professional GA hub.
• Today: The airport operates as Dallas Executive Airport (KRBD) but "Redbird Airport" remains widely used locally.

For pilots flying in or students looking up the airport in aviation databases, charts, or ForeFlight, always use the identifier KRBD.

KRBD offers one of the best combinations of training features available at any general aviation airport in Texas:

• Towered Class D airport — Real ATC communication from your very first lesson builds professional habits early.
• ILS Instrument Approach — Practice precision instrument approaches without flying somewhere else.
• Adjacent to DFW Class B — Students regularly request Class B clearances and fly routes used by major airline crews.
• 10 miles from downtown Dallas — Central location with easy access from south Dallas, Duncanville, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Oak Cliff.
• Full FBO on-field — Fuel, ramp access, and crew facilities make operations smooth.
• Less traffic than major airports — Active enough to build real skills, manageable enough to keep lessons on schedule.

Parrish Aviation offers the complete range of FAA pilot certificates and ratings at KRBD:

• Private Pilot License (PPL) — Start here. Minimum 35 hours under FAA Part 141. First solo, cross-country, and checkride.
• Instrument Rating (IFR) — Fly ILS approaches and real airways in DFW's complex airspace.
• Commercial Pilot Certificate — 190 hours Part 141, precision maneuvers, commercial aeronautical decision-making.
• Multi-Engine Rating — Train in our Piper Twin Comanche. Required for airline track careers.
• CFI / CFII — Become a certified instructor and build hours while teaching at KRBD.
• Career Pilot Program — Full airline pipeline from zero hours to Commercial Pilot + CFI + Multi-Engine Instructor (MEI).
• Discovery Flight — One-hour intro flight over Dallas. Take the controls. Counts toward your PPL.

All programs operate under Parrish Aviation's FAA Part 141 certificate, which means fewer minimum flight hours required compared to Part 61 and a structured curriculum reviewed and approved by the FAA.

Parrish Aviation Flight Academy was founded by Jack Parrish, a NAFI Master CFI with thousands of flight hours and a track record of producing professional-grade pilots. The academy is FAA Part 141 certified and offers training programs structured around real airline career pipelines — not hobby flying.

Our facility at KRBD includes a classroom, briefing rooms, an on-site PSI FAA Knowledge Test center, a pilot shop, and an in-house A&P maintenance shop that keeps our fleet — Sling NGT, Cessna 172, Piper Twin Comanche, and a PFC CRX AATD simulator — in top airworthy condition.

Financing is available through multiple paths. Speak with our admissions team at (469) 639-1098 or visit us at 5125 Voyager Drive, Dallas, TX 75237. We're open Monday through Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.