New offering helps broaden access and provides greater affordability to flight training students
NEW YORK and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Edly, a fintech lending platform that offers income-based repayment (IBR) loans, and Pilotbase, the leading operating system for flight training organizations and the company behind Flight Schedule Pro, today announced that Edly loans will now be exclusively available through Pilotbase’s Pilot Experience Platform.
The new loan offering is designed to support a broad range of student financial profiles, helping more aspiring pilots access training while enabling flight schools to better meet growing demand. Loan repayment with Edly is income-based, so payments are flexible and adjust over time based on a pilot’s actual earnings.
Interest in pilot training continues to rise across the aviation industry, but access to financing remains one of the most significant barriers for student pilots. Many prospective pilots are ready to begin training but lack access to funding options that align with their individual financial situations. Today’s announcement is designed to address that need.
Pilotbase supports flight schools and students by helping connect them with financing options that align with a range of financial needs.
“We’re focused on helping more students take the first step toward becoming pilots,” said Chris Ricciardi, CEO of Edly. “By working with Pilotbase, we’re able to reach aspiring pilots across a wide range of training environments and provide a financing option designed to be affordable when they need it most.”
“Every student’s financial situation is different, and access to flight training shouldn’t be limited to a single path,” said Bryan Landaburu, Chief Revenue Officer of Pilotbase. “What we consistently hear from flight schools is that many students are ready to begin training but don’t yet have a way to pay for it. Expanding financing options helps unlock that demand and support both students and the schools training them.”
In addition to helping more students, the partnership also solves a critical need for Part 141 and Part 61 flight schools, where many students are ready to begin training but lack access to financing.
“We serve a diverse group of students, and no single financing solution fits everyone,” said Matt Liknaitzky, co-founder and Co-CEO of Sling Pilot Academy. “Having access to additional options like Edly allows us to better support students who are ready to train but need different pathways to get started.”
This reflects a broader need across flight schools to provide flexible financing pathways that align with different student needs. Meeting this demand at scale depends on strong partnerships between schools and financing providers.
“Financing partners play a critical role in supporting both students and flight schools,” said Ben Finney, Vice President of Partnerships at Pilotbase. “The strongest partnerships are mutually beneficial, creating value for students, schools and lenders alike. Our focus is on working with trusted providers who align to that model, and this partnership with Edly helps expand access in a way that supports students, flight schools and the broader training ecosystem.”
Flight schools interested in learning more about partnering with Pilotbase on student financing can visit the Flight Schedule Pro website to learn more or apply for access.
About Edly
Edly is a fintech lending platform that provides bank-originated, income-based repayment loans designed to be affordable when it matters most, with payments intended to better align with early-career earning realities. To learn more, visit www.edly.com.
About Pilotbase
Pilotbase is the company behind Flight Schedule Pro and LogTen. Trusted by more than 1,400 flight schools and hundreds of thousands of pilots worldwide, Pilotbase is building the world’s first Pilot Experience Platform, uniting flight schools, pilots, instructors, employers, and aviation partners around a shared mission: safely progressing more pilots from first flight to career. Learn more about our broad mission at pilotbase.com.
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SOURCE Edly, Inc.
