MARGATE, Florida — We Florida Financial has introduced We Fly, a new aviation program offering loans to its credit unio members or to Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) members nationwide.

According to the AOPA, Florida is home to 21,220 aircraft and 51,671 certified pilots, including 10,917 student pilots. Florida is home to 857 public and private airports.

“Florida has a healthy aviation industry and has successfully served as a training ground for career and recreational pilots. Its year-round mild climate also makes it a favored location to own and operate private planes,” said Lloyd Gill, president and CEO of We Florida Financial. “We’re thrilled to offer our We Fly program as an affordable solution to those who may have perceived that flight training or an aircraft purchase was out of their reach. only a handful of credit unios can even offer this type of program and we are happy to be able to make these high flying dreams come true.”

We Fly will provide loans for all elements of aviation, including avionics upgrades, aircraft maintenance and flight training, all over the country.

With aircraft purchases, the credit unio will not only give the loan but will handle the aircraft background check, registration and escrow, officials noted.

Heading the program is Alex Martin, an aviation graduate of the Florida Institute of Technology, and a licensed private pilot.