Went a few weeks ago with a bunch of friends. Great time! A little nervous at first but they made…read moreme feel comfortable and we had a great time!

this was a great experience! I would highly recommend doing it. The instructors were very thorough…read moreand made me feel comfortable and explaining the whole process! was able to soar up to 2100 feet but of course you can go higher for my first ride. I felt very safe. I chose an afternoon flight.. my original flight was canceled due to incoming weather so that made me feel more comfortable. if you're willing, you can actually guide the plane as well. up when you're up that high. I would suggest (if you get cold )to wear a light jacket have fun!!

Nothing but great things to say about the instruction and experience I've had so far at AFTC. I've…read morehad the pleasure of learning from and flying with Instructors Bryce and Christian. The level of professionalism and dedication to the students I've experienced from both Bryce and Christian have been extremely valuable to my development as a pilot. They really want you to succeed not only as a pilot but as a person.

EIGHT MONTHS AND $32,393. That's how much time and money I spent just to get my private pilot's…read morelicense even though I was trying to train FULL TIME. If only I could give this place zero stars for the amount of suffering I have had to get this license. I had high hopes of this place because it is part 141 and they told me they get DPEs the fastest in the valley to schedule checkrides which who knows is true and doesn't even matter when they had no interest in progressing me through my license and was just interested in taking my money. Brandon was my first CFI who I thought was a great instructor until the true colors started to show after two months. We were having regular classes until suddenly after New Year's he drastically slowed down my training in favor of taking new students. This really angered me as I wanted to train full time. Next problem I saw was he wasn't preparing me at all for the stage checks. There was so much discrepancy what the examiner wanted and what my CFI was teaching me, and they made it worse by blaming it on me while I was literally being set up for failure. Retraining for the stage checks really added to the total cost, especially when one of them was a cross country for no reason, and this happened multiple times that I had to switch my CFI to Daniel before I lost all sanity. This switch cost more than usual because I had to get reindorsed during the cross-country stage. But I still couldn't pass the second stage check because the examiners, even the whole school is against me and just want my money. There was even a time when I had to sit for about EIGHT WEEKS of no progress whatsoever. This was the school's idea of punishing me because I got a pilot deviation during my solo cross country instead of taking some of the blame and realizing their curriculum is setting us up for failure. I got the deviation because they don't think it is important for students to learn how to use a GPS to cross-check when the dead reckoning calculations were wrong. What made it worse is my CFI looked at my wrong calculations and endorsed it, making me have no reason to think it could be wrong later. This really made me depressed especially when all my friends and family are not in Arizona and I didn't have a good way to pass the time as I planned on training full time. I had such an unpleasant experience in the stage checks themselves. Chris did most of my exams and he is just an unfriendly person to be around. Forget about failing the actual stage check because he will insult you and make you worthless in the debriefing. I bet the military doesn't disrespect you this much. I just wanted a simple discussion with him, but he thought I was arguing and didn't even want to talk to me because he had some 15,000 hours of experience while I was worthless not having any license. I requested Nick to do my stage check as if that was going to be different. I did everything what was required at the time almost perfectly, but he just made up a reason to not pass me. At this point I was done with the school because I saw they had no intention of letting me finish my license and just wanted to take my money quietly. I had to finish my training at another school and waste even more money showing my new CFI what I knew. I learned more in one month there compared to seven months at AFTC. I also learned half the things AFTC taught me were just completely wrong, so I had to waste more money unlearning those habits. My checkride examiner almost failed me because I was referencing Jeppesen during the oral portion which is apparently not FAA-certified. How AFTC became part 141, let alone a flight school, with all these bad practices is anyone's guess. All the five-star reviews are from bribery. If you value your time, money, and sanity, stay far away from this school. It is anything but family.

Fly with the best; Fly Airwest…read more No truer words for our Havasupai adventure for our flight out of Supai Village on 8/28/23. The helicopter arrived shortly after 9 AM for its dropping off & picking up & we were on our flight shortly after 10 AM. While I was looking forward to the flight out, I totally underestimated the magical experience of this flight both due to the beauty of the canyon but also because of our pilot, Keith. I was fortunate enough to sit in the front, having a front row view as we ascended out of this breathtaking desert paradise, leaving me awestruck & speechless. Keith was so friendly & navigated us safely up to the Hilltop with expertise & ease, pointing out interests along the way. This helicopter ride was so much more than transporting us to the Hilltop. Keith made this an extension of our adventure, he was a superb guide sharing his perspective & appreciation for the beautiful land that was below us, landing us & our amazing trip on an all time high! Top-notch service! My heart continues to soar from this magical place & an experience of a lifetime, flying with AirWest. My only complaint... The flight was too short! My thanks also to Stacy for her customer support & following up with me. A+ grade for this remarkable & memorable service!

I have used this business on commercial property mechanical lifts in the past and had spectacular…read moreservice. Will be using them again next month. Friendly, helpful, reliable.

Had the time of our lives! Truly a bucket list activity. Jon and Lindsay were great. I reserved for…read more3 people and were joined by an amazing couple from Wyoming who had previously done a hot air balloon ride with Jon. If that doesn't say something I don't know what you're waiting for! We drove to office where the baskets are of all sizes! From there we're driven out to where we would take off. We flew over Peoria a lovely neighborhood and saw some wild life in the way. Jon educated the group in how everything worked and the back story of how hot air ballooning came about. Finishing off our trip with mimosas. Will have to bring the family back here for sure, thank you! You also receive a certificate from your flight

So much fun. A bucket list for both my good friend and I. Everything was safe, informative and…read moreenjoyable. The flight had breathtaking views. We even flew above my friend's daughter's house. What a coincidence! I want to go again!!!! Thank you Ron and Lindsay. You made another on the bucket list

I can't recommend this company enough. Debbie and Kevin made the experience absolutely…read moreunforgettable and helped my fiancé plan a surprise proposal. Kevin kept us entertained in the air with some cool stories and fun facts about hot air ballooning and Debbie was so energetic and pleasant while on the ground. The basket is small and intimate but we preferred it that way. We were worried about the landing but it couldn't have been smoother.

One of my bucket list items was to ride in a hot air balloon, and for my recent birthday, my…read morehusband surprised me with this epic adventure! We met the team early on a Saturday morning, and I couldn't believe that we were going in a small basket. I almost jumped in the van with the 15+ group, but instead it was basically a private ride - just Kevin, his niece, his wife, and the two of us. (The other two were helpful when we landed, not to mention photos. Kevin's wife is an expert at getting the best photos. She took the rising sun shot of me that is no doubt the best photo ever taken involving me!) Kevin is a seasoned pro, and the trip showed. We went up high, where we could see the mountains by Flagstaff, the mountains by Tucson, and everything that lay in between. But then, being a smaller, more maneuverable balloon, we were able to skim along the desert hills. We soared just over the tips of the saguaro cacti, and Kevin told us all about the desert flora and fauna. We saw several jackrabbits and even a coyote. This is not the experience you get in the larger balloons, and it's absolutely magical! We eventually landed in the middle of a housing community, which brought a crowd of interested onlookers, but the chase team showed up quickly to load up the balloon while we heard the tale of the first balloonists and then drank a champagne toast to the rising sun while we listened to the Balloonist's Prayer. It was truly a special event, and it did not disappoint in any way. It is hard to live up to something you've always dreamed of doing, but somehow Kevin and his team made it all that and then some.

Had a fantastic first gliding experience! Not only was it fun but I learned so much during the…read moreflight. Highly recommend!

This was a really amazing experience! My first glider ride, and I look forward to going up again in…read morethe future. Phil was great about explaining the process and sharing about all the spots we were soaring over. A wonderful birthday gift, and a good way to experience something exciting and unique!

Very nice cruise on the lake! Beautiful day made the trip even better. Covered deck gave us…read moreprotection from the AZ sun. This was a music cruise and it was outstanding! All the while, we had drinks and very nice people with us. We were on the top deck but there was a first deck that had ac I'm sure was nice too. Don't hesitate!!

Wine-cruise Wednesday rocks!…read more The Desert Belle river cruise was wonderful fun, exceeding all our expectations. The musician was great, the staff was friendly and funny, and the scenery was lovely. We live in Arizona and are familiar with the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert, and it was such as pleasure to see bighorn sheep, herons, eagles, and more on a single sunset cruise. Great way to explore Saguaro Lake!

The Institute is in an office complex. The buildings are numbered. The Culinary Institute on your…read moreright on the protruding right side of the building as you face the building. When you exit from Shea Boulevard, it will be the very first left you can make on 114th St. From there on in you will be in the office complex. Just follow the numbers to where the institute is. The complex may be new and the maps have not changed. You may get proper directions when you. Just keep this in mind. Have a safe trip. The institute is a school, and you will be served food by students prepared by students. At the end of the meal you will get a short form asking your opinion of the meal and service. The school has its own way of doing things. Please be patient with them, they are students. For example they will not seat incomplete parties. You can be less patient with established restaurants that do the same things. The service is fine the students personable. Despite our group ordering almost one of everything, the execution was timely. No one complained that any of it was bad. We were served, without choice a seared Tuna appetizer. Some in our party did not care for anything close to raw, and were unhappy. Soup followed, of which the Gazpacho, (a cold soup) was excellent. They served a Pasta dish of bucatini: with heavy cream and panchetta. It was done to perfection, with the pasta being almost aldente and the pancetta lightly browned on one side. Other selections were chicken, short ribs and salmon. Prices varied but not very much. Expect to pay $30 plus tip and drink. Some items were a little less. The meal included a dessert of German Chocolate cake, which was thick and dark, permeated by coconut and abounded with a thick frosting. Coffee is served on request. What's served is what I call "ingredients food": it's flavor come from the ingredients themselves. Little technique is required. although technique was required for the Gazpacho. Salmon or Short ribs need steady cooking, and they had no adornments. You must know how to cook them. The how is simple, because baking is the one method. This is a really good place to go. Aside from having a very good meal you help others. Life as a Guinie Pig is not so bad at the Arizona Culinary Institute. Lunch anyone?

Incredibly impressive! Had lunch today because a friend's husband is a student. Run by the…read morestudents, everything about this culinary experience is professional. The dining room is a big room with many tables. Attractively decorated with beautiful art hanging, beautiful tablescapes with the kitchen set off in the back. There were 3 app choices: I had a delicious citrus salad with greens, blu cheese and very tasty dressing. For my entree, I had a perfectly cooked salmon sitting on top of a bed of succotash. The dessert was a trio of tiny pastries - Cheesecake, lemon tart and a strawberry choc. mousse. Chocolate strawberries on the table as well. As good as any restaurant I've eaten at. Kudos to the students and school. I'll be back!