Lauren Zeppieri
Operations Manager
Airport
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport · KPHF
Flight school in Newport News, VA.
Opened in 2026 in partnership with Hampton University, on ground with its own aviation history.
Metro
Hampton Roads
Opened
2026
Partner
Hampton University
Why Newport News.
- Partnership with Hampton University
- Hampton Institute trained Civilian Pilot Training Program aviators here from 1939
- Only Thrust campus on the East Coast
The history under this campus
From 1939, Hampton Institute ran a Civilian Pilot Training Program on this ground. It was one of a handful of programs in the country training Black aviators before the war, and part of the pipeline that fed the Tuskegee Airmen. Thrust's Newport News campus operates in partnership with Hampton University.
What you would train in
Piper Archer TX for private, instrument and commercial single-engine; Piper Seminole for multi-engine; approved flight simulation devices for procedures work. Same fleet, same syllabus, same Part 141 certificate (3USS960L) at every campus.
The field: Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (KPHF).
- Airport
- Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
- Identifier
- KPHF
- Field elevation
- 42 ft
- Airspace
- Class C
- Frequency
- Tower 118.7
- Weather
- About 214 flyable days a year
Practice areas. North over the Peninsula and the York River, 10 minutes out
| Runway | Length | Surface | Approaches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/25 | 8,003 ft | Asphalt | ILS, RNAV |
| 2/20 | 6,526 ft | Asphalt | RNAV |
Getting here
- Hampton University 9 miles
- Norfolk 22 miles · ORF
- Williamsburg 20 miles
Who runs Newport News.
Three people you will deal with directly. They are on this field, not at head office.
Hunter Little
Chief Flight Instructor
Natalee Adams
Flight Team Lead
What is on this ramp.
3
Piper Archer TXSingle-engine trainer. Glass cockpit, autopilot, air conditioning
1
Piper SeminoleTwin-engine, for the multi-engine rating
1
Redbird FMXFull-motion simulator, used for instrument and procedure training
Maintained by an affiliated Part 145 repair station. Aircraft move between campuses as demand shifts, so these counts change through the year.
Where you would live.
Hampton University residence halls
On the Hampton University campus · Residence hall rooms, shared
- Furnished room
- All utilities and internet
- Campus dining plan available
- Access to Hampton University facilities
The only campus where housing runs through a university rather than Thrust. Rate and terms differ from the other five; ask an advisor.
The Newport News campus buildings.
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Newport News, VA · Every day, 8am to 6pm
Flight operations
On field at PHF
Dispatch, briefing and classroom space.
Hampton University
Hampton, VA
Degree program, curriculum and admissions stay with the university.
Next Newport News class start dates.
Seats are capped by how many aircraft and instructors are on this field, so a class fills and closes.
Loading the Newport News calendar…
The other five Thrust Flight campuses.
Addison, TX
Addison Airport · KADS
Main campus. 13 miles north of downtown Dallas, 16 northeast of DFW, 11 north of Love Field.
Denison, TX
North Texas Regional Airport · KGYI
Wide-open practice areas and a quiet pattern, 20 minutes' flight north of Addison.
Conroe, TX
Conroe / North Houston Regional Airport · KCXO
Near The Woodlands and Houston, with practice areas outside the busiest airspace.
Fort Worth, TX
Fort Worth Spinks Airport · KFWS
South Fort Worth, at Spinks. The west side of the Metroplex without the Addison drive.
Mesa, AZ
Falcon Field · KFFZ
East Valley of Phoenix. Desert practice areas and flyable weather almost every day of the year.
You are here
Newport News, VA
Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport · KPHF
Opened in 2026 in partnership with Hampton University, on ground with its own aviation history.
Come and look first.
An advisor will arrange a campus visit, and you can talk to the instructors who would actually be teaching you.
Arrange a visit to Newport News→Worth a look.
Learn about our Hampton University flight training partnership.