Amazing supportive CFI and staff, very well organized syllabus and always opportunity to fly.read more

Read the red flags and don't ignore them…read more First and foremost the Instructors are professionals and really do care about the quality of training HOWEVER, as soon as they reach their 1500 hour milestone expect them to leave This happened to me 3 times and I don't blame them they want to reach their goals as much as you want to. Red flag 1 Student to instructor ratio It was challenging for me to keep a consistent training schedule when an instructor has more students than they can handle although they try their best to manage but from the student's perspective it can be infuriating when you want to keep a constant schedule and the instructor isn't unavailable due to his many students I tried to manage but it couldn't work out. Red flag 2 "You're still not ready" (69.2 hours later) This may sound biased but when 4 pilots say you are ready to solo based on performance and knowledge you would think you are ready. Now I have no quarrel with any instructor because in the end they are being told what to do and how to do it. I come from a background with Aviation Safety; currently employed by an airline at SFO and I work closely with well seasoned pilots so I can understand if there are a few corrections needed to be made in order to solo but if its been little over a year of some-what consistent training and almost no progression and with lesson rates increasing more than once due miscellaneous reasons, this could cause frustration. Beige Flag Summer Upwind Program Summertime here in the SF Bay Area provides a phenomenal weather for flight training. You would think there would be a wide selection of free time to train. Unfortunately that wasn't always the case due to the Summer Upwind Program for High School students to obtain their Private Pilot's License during the summer. Now, before I continue this is all observed from my perspective. I am all for youth to excel in their young careers but should that be prioritized? While they are occupied for the summer and have attention from CFI's what about the students who are paying? Personally, there should be a mutual balance. I support this program but it felt congested with the amount of students struggling to reach the same goal especially to those who are paying. Final Thoughts I do not blame the CFI's or the Chief CFI because in the end of the day someone else is telling them what to do, but I do feel there should be some accountability to the owner. Based from former CFI's and colleagues who are now airline pilots, it used to be about a passion to provide quality training to aspiring pilots, but it became more about money. Apparently this owner is also fairly new according to said airline pilots. It is a shame it took me almost 2 years to catch on to this. Could it have been a different experience? Perhaps However, the fundamentals from the instructors were phenomenal and business aside they were passionate about their craft and are truly proud on creating the next generation of aviators. I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors but I do wish the school shifts its focus to how they once were. My new advice to individuals seeking guidance "As soon as the school starts asking for more money, time to find a new school" Airline Captains agree when it starts to become about money, the passion is gone be better

What a phenomenal experience! I surprised my husband with a Fly with Friends experience. No flights…read moreexperience needed, a pilot goes up there with you. Alexis took care of the takeoff and landing, and did an excellent job coaching my husband during the flight. I recommend this for anyone that wants to try flying and/or see the Bay Area from through new eyes'

Great experience with Alexis- he was super friendly and informative. We enjoyed our time up in the…read moreair.

I'm learning to fly here at WVFC. It's a fun low key club with lots of planes, lots of instructors…read moreand two airport offices (KSQL and KPAO). They also offer ground school and have a few simulators you can rent. They do a lot of club activities in the Palo Alto office. The onboarding for a new pilot who's learning to fly is great.

I've been a member of West Valley Flying Club for a little over a year and I recommend it highly. I…read moream 61 years old and have always wanted to fly but my wife and I raised five children and until recently, the priorities of family life consumed all available time and money. My instructor is Scott Stauter and from the very first demo ride I felt safe and confident in flying with him and learning from him. I also attended ground school at West Valley with Wes Irish as the instructor. Due largely to excellent instruction, I was able to pass both the written and practical private pilot exams on the first attempt. It is a large club with a large and diverse fleet of aircraft as well as a large number of instructors. I suppose with ~40 affiliated instructors there may be a few bad apples in the bunch but I've flown with six different instructors for various check rides or special instruction and they all demonstrated a high level of professionalism and competence. Each instructor provided constructive criticism and suggestions for improving my game that I felt were given in good faith and in my best interest. The fact is I don't pick things up as fast as I did twenty years ago but none of the instructors that I flew with left me with the impression that they were trying to run up the clock. The planes I have flown (five so far) are maintained well and the mechanics are accessible, supportive, and helpful as is the office staff. Scheduling planes and instructors is easily accomplished through an online scheduling system. I fly out of Palo Alto once or twice a week and there have only been a couple of instances when I couldn't schedule a plane when I wanted to. The club has a strong culture of safety and proper preparedness for flight. They have implemented several checks and balances to assure proficiency of both students and instructors as they progress through the training regimen. An argument can be made that they've gone a bit overboard with this and I can understand how this might frustrate some people. But I have to tell you that I went into the PPL check ride feeling calm, competent, and confident and that is exactly how I now feel when I take off with my grandchildren in the plane. All in all, I am very happy with my experience at West Valley Flying Club.

Everything was perfect, first time trying it, Allie was really nice, she explain me everything,…read moregive me options for the flight and she let me fly most of the time(of course not the time she was talking with the tower control) what a beautiful views and she let me fly over the golden gate was so nice. I really recommend it 1000%.

Beware‼‼ Some kind of scam…read more Bought on their website through Yelp intro lesson as a surprise present for my husband, later I called to confirm the time and date, did not send any confirmation. They said that their pilot will call. A pilot called asking about my U.S citizenship and later offered illegal schemes for exchanging flights for weed. I do not know is it a new way of scammers but I am freaking out because their pilot keeps calling and harassing me. I blocked number but I left my address, full name and phone number on their website so I am terrified. I am this close to calling police.

Luis was an amazing instructor. He had so much to share and was patient as all can be. He's chill…read moreand intelligent. Did this as a surprise birthday present for my man and he loved it so much. We will definitely go back and I suggest you request Luis. He's amazing Flight is over San Jose though not the bay view.

I have been training with Chris Murphy and he's an excellent CFI - I have learnt so much and made…read moreincredible progress on my private pilots license. The curriculum is very structured and the school has a very high bar for its students. The airplanes are a little old, but they are very well maintained with a dedicated team taking very good care of them.

I have worked with Dmitriy as my main CFI in West Valley Flying Club for checkouts, currency…read moreflights, and IFR instruction. His teaching covers many ratings and aircraft which makes it easy to continue training with him. He is extremely organized on his syllabus and always show up prepared for each and every lesson. You will know exactly what to expect in future lessons, how to prepare and plan, and what he wants to see for specific items. He writes detailed feedback on what went well and what to work on for every flight. Unlike most CFIs, he is not instructing to build time, or use it as a temporary job, or use it a stepping stone to the next opportunity. He seems truly passionate about aviation safety and has perfected his craft over the years of instruction.

Dmitriy rocks - he will make you a knowledgeable and safe pilot tailoring training to your pace and…read morepersonality. You will enjoy with him your aviation journey. If he signs you off for either solo or an exam - you can be sure you will succeed.

They don't let you get your PPL here. I could tell some instructors are trying to just get money,…read moresaying we need to sit down for 4 hours, he also said I was not close to the cross country solo even though I have 200 hours of dual, SWITCH immediately if an instructor isn't working for you. There are some good instructors here which is why I'm giving 3 stars, but there's also some really terrible instructors. I flew here a year and didn't make ANY progress except getting to the solo. Waste of my time and money. I recommend looking into a different flight school.

Amazing aviation school, great customer service, and great instructors! I purchased the discovery…read moreflight and it was an amazing experience from start to finish. Jonathan was our instructor, he seemed patience, friendly, and was very informative and down to to earth, answered our questions and it was an amazing flying experience overall. Will definitely be back!

I recently started training with Jato Aviation and have had a great experience with everyone I've…read moreworked with. From the beginning, April (CEO) and Jim (Client Relations) made onboarding fast and straightforward, clearly outlining what I'd be learning and what to expect. My flight training with Jack has been exceptional--efficient, structured, and high quality. I've trained with instructors across the U.S., and he's genuinely top tier. He guided my transition into the G7, was responsive and available by text, and consistently emphasized the key safety considerations and how to mitigate them in real operations. Excited to continue learning with them.

They charged $200 for a 172 and instructor rate was $95 at least in my case. For a checkout I had…read moreto do 2 hours ground with the instructor. They were very proud and protective of their g1000 planes, it was surprising that one of the screens went completely dark right after the takeoff, but they charged me full price anyway. Maybe an OK school. I will never know, because for me just doesn't worth the price.

My 8 year old son has taken three lessons with Paige and Isabela. The lessons are 2 hours and they…read moreare both energetic and fun that the time flies by. My son has made clothes for his build a bear, a stocking and the warmest blanket with his fabric from his favorite sports team. He has a hand me down machine that they are teaching him to use. The studio has every tool you could imagine and tools you didn't even know existed! A special note that we have done one lesson during the pandemic. It was one on one without the parent present. He is familiar with the studio and teacher so this was comfortable for us. Both my son and instructor wore a mask the entire time. The studio is well ventilated. But most of all, my son was so happy to create and do something normal. It really brought him a lot of joy.

I found this amazing studio back in 2013, i was pregnant of my first baby so i bought i sewing…read moremachine, i always want to learn how to sew, i've learn so much with Isabela, she is an amazing person and instructor, today still if i need advice she is there to help, she does this amazing workshops, i did the pijama one, and now during the lockdown can't wait for another great proyect even if is trhought zoom. I strongly recommend her studio for a beginners even for little girls.