Brewery Entrepreneurs Channel Passion for Aviation Into Pilot Scholarships

A group of Colorado friends has turned their lifelong passion for flying and craft brewing into a business that funds scholarships to help student pilots achieve their dreams of taking to the skies.

What’s more, they did all this while helping to transform a former air traffic control tower at what was once Denver’s Stapleton International Airport into a place where members of the business aviation community across the nation can gather and connect.

The business, called FlyteCo, was launched six years ago by entrepreneurs Eric Serani, Jason Slingsby and Morgan O’Sullivan. Its two locations – one at the former airport and another on Denver’s west side, offer craft beers and more, amid a theme that celebrates the founders’ deep love for aviation.

Serani got hooked on aviation at age 3 after flying with his maternal grandfather in a 1946 Aeronca Champ. “He was heavily involved with the Experimental Aviation Association [EAA] and built a number of his own airplanes over the years,” Serani said. Those initial flights with his grandfather led to flying lessons, beginning at age 13.

By the time he was 16, Serani had already soloed in the Champ. But sadly, his grandfather passed away before Serani’s training was complete. His grandfather’s fellow EAA chapter members stepped in to help continue Serani’s flight training.

“They realized getting a private pilot’s license flying a Champ without an alternator or any instruments or any navigation whatsoever was a challenge,” Serani said with a laugh. “So, they ended up granting me a scholarship to go to the local flight school here in Erie, CO, and I was able to get my private pilot’s license.”

That was the beginning of the pay-it-forward philosophy that drives Serani as an aviator. “Immediately after getting my private pilot’s license, I joined EAAs Young Eagles program as a volunteer pilot and started flying kids, many of them my own age,” Serani said. “I eventually became involved with the (EAA) scholarship committee that gave me a scholarship. It was just my way of paying it forward and offering others the opportunity to discover aviation.”

Brewery Funds Aviation Scholarships

Serani’s philosophy is also a key part of FlyteCo, which sets aside 10% of its profits to fund scholarships for budding aviators. The scholarships are offered through various nonprofit organizations, including one called Stripes to Bars. “It’s a scholarship organization that gives aviation scholarships to veterans transitioning out of the military and going into the civilian world,” he said.

Oman Herrera received a FlyteCo-sponsored scholarship in 2024 through Stripes to Bars.

“Aviation has always been a huge part of my life,” said Herrera. “My father was a prior agricultural pilot, and he always loved to share his passion for flying, even going as far as naming my older sister Cessna. I carried that same passion with me during my 10 years in the Air Force, where I was lucky enough to be one of the last KC-10 flight engineers. So, when the time of my enlistment came to an end, I took a chance to follow my dreams and became a pilot. It has been a journey, but one that could not have been made without the help of the Stripes to Bars scholarship sponsored by FlyteCo.”

How They Turned an ATC Tower into a Brewery

The addition of a craft brewery and aviation gathering place at Stapleton’s former air traffic control tower has its roots at the University of Colorado in Boulder. It was there where Serani, who was studying for his master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, met Slingsby who also hailed from an aviation family and was pursuing his degree in chemical engineering.

In addition to aviation, the two shared a passion for craft beer. Eventually, they began brewing their own. “Our friends started telling us how great our beer was, and a couple of them even offered to invest if we started a brewery,” Serani said. One thing led to another, resulting in the opening of FlyteCo Brewery in 2019.

After successfully guiding the business through the pandemic, a group of real estate developer friends pitched Serani and Slingsby a unique opportunity. “The old control tower building at Stapleton Airport was up for sale,” Serani said. “They approached us saying, ‘Hey, we’re impressed with how you guys have managed yourselves during this time. We’re looking at buying this building, and you would be the only operators that we would want to move in there.’ So, recognizing it was a massive risk, but a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we said ‘Yes’.”

Stapleton was shuttered in 1995, replaced by Denver International Airport (DEN). FlyteCo Tower opened in August 2022 as part of the former airport property, now called Central Park, which includes homes, schools, swimming pools, parks and districts for shopping and other businesses. The brewery features three levels totaling 25,000 square feet, with a restaurant, bar, coffee shop and game rooms all tied together by an aviation theme including replica airplanes.

Moving forward, Serani and his partners are considering opening additional locations, possibly at other airports.

“Ideally, FlyteCo is about more than just a location,” Serani said. “It’s an idea of supporting our aviation community and providing a gathering space. Aviators are a very passionate group of people who are often geographically spread out all over the country. Having a place for us to get together, share stories, celebrate aviation and just celebrate the camaraderie that we all experience is something that I think can work in pretty much any city in the United States.”