Zone Aviation, LLC, Elyria

Thanks to Zone Aviation, LLC, the skies around Lorain County Regional Airport have transformed into a training ground for new pilots. Zone's FAA-certified instructors help students soar towards Sport Pilot, Private Pilot, and Instrument licenses. They can even train career pilots—but leaving the runway isn't necessarily a requirement if you want to get a taste of the open air. With an interior surrounded in screens and simulated controls, Zone's Redbird FMX AATD Simulator recreates the experience of piloting an aircraft, right down to full movement up, down, and side-to-side. Zone also rents aircraft (its fleet includes a total of six planes), and its pilots can charter private trips within a 700-mile radius of the airport, as long as the destination isn't straight up or down.