Reviews

From Brazil to a professional flying career

Daniel Mendes, Brazil, F-1 student, 2022 to 2025, more than 2,100 flight hours. Daniel came to Pelican from Brasilia with zero flight experience and one goal: to build a real aviation career in the United States. He chose Pelican for its Part 141 structure and year-round South Florida flying weather, which let him train without the delays that slow students in colder states.

He worked through every stage in order, private, instrument and commercial, then stayed on as a flight instructor and logged more than 2,100 flight hours teaching the next generation of pilots. In September 2025 the FAA recognized his teaching with the Gold Seal, an award reserved for instructors whose students pass their checkrides at a consistently high first-time rate.

Daniel has since moved on from Pelican into a professional flying career, which is exactly how the pipeline is meant to work: arrive as a student, train, instruct, build hours and launch. His path from Brasilia to the flight deck shows that an international student really can go all the way.

"Thank you for all the kind words to all in Pelican. I will miss everyone a lot. Pelican is so important in my life, and everyone that I met left a huge impact on me that I will never forget." Daniel Mendes

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From Accra to 1,500 hours and a Gold Seal

Elorm Amegashie, Ghana, F-1 student, since 2022, 1,500 flight hours. Elorm arrived at Pelican from Accra on an F-1 student visa with a clear plan: earn his certificates, become an instructor and build the flight hours US airlines require. Like many international students, he started from zero.

He trained through his ratings and moved into instructing at Pelican, teaching daily while advancing his own career. In September 2025 the FAA awarded him the Gold Seal, and not long after he crossed 1,500 flight hours, the threshold that opens the door to an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and a regional airline seat.

His story shows the full Pelican path for an international student: arrive from abroad, train from zero, become a trusted instructor and reach airline minimums, all in year-round flying weather. From Accra to 1,500 hours in a few focused years.

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From Singapore to a Gold Seal instructor seat

Davy Lim, Singapore, 1,700 flight hours. Davy came to Pelican from Singapore. Unlike students who start from zero, he arrived already holding an FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate with an instrument rating and began training here in early 2024 with a clear goal: add instructor ratings and build the flight time that opens airline doors.

He moved into instructing and has since logged around 1,700 flight hours. In 2026 the FAA awarded him the Gold Seal, given only to instructors whose students pass their checkrides at a consistently high first-time rate. It is not handed out, it is earned through a track record of producing safe, checkride-ready pilots.

Colleagues describe him as methodical, professional and genuinely invested in every student who sits in the right seat beside him. His path shows how quickly a licensed pilot can turn existing certificates into a professional instructing career.

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From Tashkent to Assistant Chief Instructor

Azimjon Sobirov, Uzbekistan, 1,900 flight hours. Azimjon came to Pelican from Tashkent as an international student and worked through his certificates and ratings in Florida, where year-round flying weather kept his training moving.

He stayed on as a flight instructor and has logged about 1,900 flight hours teaching the next generation of pilots. The FAA awarded him the Gold Seal, one of the highest honors in flight instruction, reserved for instructors whose students consistently pass on the first attempt.

Today he is Pelican's Assistant Chief Instructor, responsible for training standards across the school. From arriving as a student from Uzbekistan to shaping how the whole program is taught, his story is the clearest answer to how far an international student can go here.

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From Lagos to nearly 2,000 flight hours

Daniel Okebu, known as Tobe, Nigeria, 1,950 flight hours. Daniel came to Pelican from Lagos. He trained in South Florida and stayed on to instruct rather than leaving after his checkrides.

He has logged about 1,950 flight hours, the most of any instructor in this group, and in 2026 he earned the FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor certificate. The Gold Seal is a direct measure of teaching quality: it goes to instructors whose students pass their checkrides on the first attempt at a consistently high rate.

Photos of him handing newly certificated pilots their paperwork tell the rest of the story: student after student, checkride after checkride. His path shows exactly what the Pelican pipeline delivers for an international student.

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