Sunrise Aviation

Sunrise Aviation is a flight school at John Wayne Airport (KSNA) in Santa Ana, California, founded and supervised by Michael Church, a Master Flight Instructor and Master Aerobatic Flight Instructor with more than 11,000 hours of instruction who was named an FAA Safety Counselor of the Year. Its Director of Training, Lyn Carlson, is an FAA designated flight examiner with over 8,000 hours of instruction. The school's philosophy is that primary training is best done in light two-seat aircraft, and all of its instructors have aerobatic experience.

Courses

• Private, sport, instrument, commercial and ATP certificates and ratings
• CFI, CFI sport pilot, CFI instrument and CFI multi engine
• Multi engine VFR and IFR
• Aerobatics courses, competition training and aerobatic demonstration flights; the school hosts IAC Chapter 120
• Flight reviews, ground school and start-up lessons
• Computer knowledge testing on site, student loans, and programmes for out-of-state and overseas students

Training aircraft listed on the site include the SportStar, Citabria and Decathlon two-seaters plus Cirrus, Cessna, Piper, Diamond, Evektor and Extra types, and a Redbird FMX motion simulator.

Motion simulator with Cirrus SR22 configurations

The Sunrise FMX is a Redbird full-motion simulator with a 210 degree visual display and three-axis motion. Its simulator page lists five aircraft models: Cirrus SR22 with Perspective avionics, Cirrus SR22 with Avidyne avionics, Diamond DA40 with G1000, Cessna 172S with Honeywell avionics and Piper Seminole with Garmin 530/430. The same page advertises a 30-minute simulator introduction lesson at US$79 (described as a US$125 value) when booked through dispatch; standard rates are on the aircraft and instructor price page. Rates change; confirm with the school.

The site also publishes a library of training articles and forms, a list of favourite airports in the region, airport weather for KSNA and an online pilot shop, and dispatch can be reached by email for scheduling.

Contact

Email: info@sunriseaviation.com
Description from the company's website (October 2026). Not a Cirrus Aircraft authorized service center. Is this your company? Claim this page to add photos and keep your details up to date.