DSA TECHNOLOGIES
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FRIENDS & FAMILY ROUND  ·  $10M VALUATION CAP

Desert Skies
Aviation

The operating system for flight training.

Raising $1M to scale an already-working platform.

See Your Projected Return Explore the Platform
$50K raised$1M goal
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80,000 new student pilots every year.
Every one follows the same journey.
No unified system exists to serve them.

WHAT WE'RE BUILDING

One ecosystem. End to end.

Desert Skies combines a real, operating flight school with software and AI that powers the entire pilot workflow — from the first discovery flight through certification and every rating after. Training infrastructure, AI-powered preparation, and a checkride marketplace. One integrated stack.

Discovery Flight
Training
Debrief + Analytics
Preparation
Checkride
Next Rating

Training Infrastructure

AI Training Intelligence

Mock Oral Preparation

Checkride Marketplace

FROM THE FOUNDER

“I didn't build this because I wanted to start a company. I built it because I wanted to spend the rest of my life chasing clouds — and these were the barriers in the way.”

Thomas Ferrier

Founder & CEO, Desert Skies Aviation

ORIGIN STORY

Built from the Cockpit

Thomas didn't start in software. He started as a pilot who loved flying. But once inside the industry, he saw a system held together by paper logbooks, scattered spreadsheets, and word-of-mouth examiner tips.

So he built a flight school. Then he built the tools the school actually needed. Structured training. Automated debriefs. AI-powered preparation. A system that could track a student from their first discovery flight through their checkride and beyond.

Those tools turned into something much larger — a platform that any flight school, instructor, or student could use. Not software built from a conference room. Infrastructure built from inside the cockpit.

THE PATH

Fell in love with aviation
Built a flight school from zero
Created internal operations tools
Tools evolved into a platform
Platform became an ecosystem

THE OPPORTUNITY

A $6 Billion Industry Running on Spreadsheets

Flight training follows a completely predictable workflow. Yet the infrastructure to support it has never been built. That's not a small gap — it's the entire market.

Part 61 — No Structure

Most flight schools operate under Part 61 with zero unified infrastructure. Students don't know where they stand. Instructors can't track progress. Every school reinvents a broken wheel.

Part 141 — All Overhead

Structured programs exist, but they're bureaucratic, expensive, and drowning in administrative burden. Compliance consumes the energy that should go toward actually flying.

Checkrides — The Career Bottleneck

Finding a Designated Pilot Examiner is opaque. Wait times stretch to months. A six-month checkride delay can cost a student tens of thousands in lost career progression.

THE LIFECYCLE

Every Pilot. Same Journey. Over and Over.

A private pilot goes through this cycle once. Then again for instrument. Then commercial. Then CFI. Then ATP. The workflow repeats — and Desert Skies is the system that serves every lap.

1

Student

2

Training

3

Debrief

4

Preparation

5

Checkride

6

Next Cert

WHAT YOU'RE INVESTING IN

Four Layers. One Stack.

Training Infrastructure

The operations backbone — structured lesson plans, automated scheduling, ACS-linked progress tracking, and real-time analytics. This is the system flight schools have been duct-taping together with spreadsheets.

Launch Interactive Demo

PROOF IT WORKS

Already in Market. Already Generating Revenue.

Every number below was generated while simultaneously building the platform — not after a launch, but during the build itself. This is an operating business, not a concept.

$0K+

Revenue to date

0

Discovery flights sold

0+

Students actively training

0+

Instructors on the platform

0+

Mock oral sessions completed

0%

Discovery → student conversion

UNIT ECONOMICS

Revenue & Margin by Vertical

Each business line has its own economics. Together they create a diversified, compounding revenue engine.

ADJUST ASSUMPTIONS

Active Students25
Flights / Student / Week3
Grounds / Student / Week1
Discovery Flights / Mo15

Monthly Projection

$169,125/mo revenue100%
$85,950 total cost51%
$83,175 contribution49%
Annual revenue$2.0M

REVENUE BREAKDOWN

  • Flight training (300 sessions × $500)$150,000
  • 2h flight ($100/h plane + $100/h instructor) + 1h brief ($100/h)
  • Ground school (100 sessions × $150)$15,000
  • 1h ground ($100/h) + 0.5h brief ($100/h)
  • Discovery flights (15/mo × $275)$4,125
  • Total monthly$169,125

COST STRUCTURE

  • Instructor cost (1050 hrs × $40/h)$42,000
  • Aircraft cost (600 hrs × $70/h dry)$42,000
  • Discovery costs (15 × $130)$1,950
  • Total cost$85,950

COMBINED REVENUE PROJECTION

All Verticals Combined

FLIGHT SCHOOL

$169,125/mo

PORTAL SaaS

$1,877/mo

MOCK ORALS

$6,950/mo

MARKETPLACE

$4,500/mo

Monthly Revenue

$182,452

Annual Revenue

$2.2M

Blended Margin

52%

Drag the sliders above to model different growth scenarios across all verticals.

MARKET SIZE

Massive. Fragmented. Ready.

80,000

New student pilots entering the system every year

100,000

Active flight instructors in the U.S.

$4B–$6B

Spent annually on flight training

$250M+

Addressable software opportunity

Thousands of small operators. No platform connecting them. Every pilot who earns one certificate comes back for the next — creating a built-in retention loop.

COMPETITIVE EDGE

Why Desert Skies Wins

Built by an Operator

Not theoretical software. Built inside a real flight school, solving real problems that Thomas encounters every day as an instructor and school operator.

End-to-End, Not Point Solution

Training, preparation, and certification in one stack. Competitors solve one piece. Desert Skies owns the entire pilot lifecycle.

Structural Cost Advantage

Automation replaces the admin overhead that eats into every flight school's margin. The more schools on the platform, the more powerful this advantage becomes.

Data Moat That Compounds

Every debrief, gouge report, mock oral, and training session generates structured intelligence that makes the AI smarter and the platform more valuable.

CORPORATE STRUCTURE

Built to Protect Your Investment

DSA Technologies is completing a Delaware Flip — reincorporating as a Delaware C-Corp, the gold standard for venture-backed companies. Here's why that matters for you.

DSA Technologies Inc.

Delaware C-Corp (Parent)

Your SAFE is here — at the top

Desert Skies Aviation Training LLC

Flight school operations

DSA Portal

Software entity

Mock Orals

Mock Orals · Gouge · Checkride Marketplace

Why Delaware C-Corp?

Industry standard for raising capital — required by most institutional investors
Clear shareholder protections and well-established corporate law
Your SAFE sits at the parent level, giving you ownership across all subsidiaries
Each subsidiary is a separate LLC — isolating operational risk between verticals

What This Means for You

Your investment is in DSA Technologies Inc. — the parent company that owns every vertical. If something were to happen to any one subsidiary (an aircraft incident, a legal dispute), the other entities are structurally insulated. The flight school's liabilities don't touch the software business, and vice versa.

And if something were to happen to Thomas personally, the corporate structure, IP, and assets belong to the C-Corp — not to any individual. The company continues. Key-person insurance and succession planning further protect the investment.

REVENUE BY VERTICAL

Four Revenue Engines Under One Roof

Desert Skies Aviation Training

Per-hour instruction, discovery flights, ground school, aircraft rental

Revenue generating

DSA Portal

School subscriptions, per-seat pricing, $3/flight-hour for independent CFIs, AI features

Pre-revenue (internal use)

Mock Orals

$225 instructor-led sessions, ~$49/mo AI subscription, certificate packages

Revenue generating

Checkride Marketplace

~10% booking commission (~$150/checkride), DPE premium listing, prep bundles

Pre-revenue (MVP built)

YOUR INVESTMENT

See What Your Investment Could Become

Adjust the amount and scenario below to explore projected returns based on the $10M valuation cap.

$5K$25K$250K
Your ownership at $10M cap0.23%

3 Years

$57K

2.3x return

at $25.0M valuation

5 Years

$136K

5.5x return

at $60.0M valuation

10 Years

$455K

18.2x return

at $200.0M valuation

Projections are illustrative and not guaranteed. Actual returns depend on company performance. Assumes no additional dilution for simplicity.

HOW THE INVESTMENT WORKS

The SAFE, in Plain English

A SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) is the most common way to invest in early-stage companies. It's one simple document. No complex terms, no interest rates, no maturity dates.

Here's how it works: You invest today. Your money doesn't buy shares immediately — instead, it gives you the right to receive shares later, when Desert Skies raises a larger round with institutional investors.

The key advantage: your shares are priced at our current $10M valuation cap — regardless of how much the company is worth when you convert. If Desert Skies is valued at $40M at the next round, your shares are still priced as if it's worth $10M. That means you get roughly 4x more shares than someone investing at that later stage.

Why SAFEs Are Good for You

Simple one-page document — no complex negotiation
You get the earliest, lowest price ($10M cap)
No interest or maturity date to worry about
Standard instrument used by Y Combinator and top startups
Your downside is limited to what you invest; upside grows with the company

Quick Example

You invest $25,000 today at the $10M cap. At the next round, the company is valued at $40M. Your shares convert at $10M — giving you 4x the shares per dollar compared to that round's investors.

THE RAISE

$1M Seed Round

$50,000 raised$1,000,000 goal

First $50K committed by Cohen Siemens — first CFI hired, now investor.

$400K

Fleet Expansion

More aircraft = more students = more revenue

$250K

Product Development

Accelerate platform + AI capabilities

$200K

Distribution

Instructor network + school partnerships

$150K

Working Capital

Runway for sustained growth

EARLY BELIEF

People closest to the business are investing first.

Cohen Siemens

First CFI hired at Desert Skies

$50,000 committed

Invested

Richard

Active student

Committed to match minimum

Committed

Jake Jorgensen

Active student

Expressed strong interest

Interested

FROM THE FOUNDER

“This raise is about speed, not survival. The platform works. The school generates revenue. This capital lets us scale what's already proven.”

— Thomas Ferrier

QUESTIONS

Common Questions

NEXT STEP

Express Your Interest

This is non-binding. No money changes hands here. Thomas will personally follow up to walk you through the details and answer every question.

This is a non-binding expression of interest. No money is collected here.

This is not just a flight school.
This is infrastructure for the aviation training industry.

Schedule a Call with ThomasRequest Full Financials
DSA TECHNOLOGIES© 2026 Desert Skies Aviation. This page does not constitute an offer to sell securities.