Overall Rating: 10/10 Date of Attendance: 3-DEC-24 to…read more13-DEC-24 I spent two weeks at SAW doing formation, aerobatic, spin recovery, and tailwheel flight training. Flying at SAW was the most exciting flying that I have ever done in my aviation career. The owner Mike, and the other instructors that I flew with had an abundance of knowledge to pass on. Without a doubt this was the most professional flight schools that I have seen/attended. Flight Instruction Quality: Every instruction for the day began and ended with a formal briefing. These briefings weren't over the top, but they did cover the essentials which really made me feel like I was getting the most out of the flight that day. One good example was my first formation flight. The day before we went over a detailed powerpoint that covered FFI and FAST criteria for professional formation flights. All the instructors were very easy to talk to and enjoyed teaching, which I know can be a challenge for other flight schools because most instructors are just trying to accrue hours -- not the case for SAW though. To me, it felt like the instructors cared more about safety and making me a better pilot, and less about money or flight hours. Plane & Equipment: All the equipment was very well taken care of and kept up to date. There was also computer training availability with a VR headset. We used the VR a couple of times to allow me to visualize the aerobatic maneuvers before hopping right into the plane (this helped lower my spendings). Another great tool that maximized my training was filming the entire fight from multiple angles. Mike has cameras set up on the Decathlon and we would review the maneuvers after every flight. When I was there, Mike was also working on implementing an Insta 360 camera that could transition into the VR headset. I found that viewing (360 view) my flight through VR helped me visualize the small errors in my control inputs versus trying to correct them in the air. Feedback: Overall, the instruction was outstanding. It's not often that you come across a school with instructors that have as much combined aviation experience as SAW. I really don't have any negative things to say about them. All flight training is expensive in my opinion, but SAW was very fairly priced for the level of information/training they provide. It's not hard to imagine, but being trained by former fighter pilots enhanced my piloting skills 10 fold. I definitely plan on going back to them in the future. Recommend For: I would highly recommend training at SAW to anyone that is interested. Private pilot and up. Personal one-on-one training that is tailored for all experience levels. If you're a student pilot I might recommend that you get your PPL before receiving any aerobatic/formation training just so you have more of a foundation, but it would never hurt.

From the owner: Specialized flight training: UPRT, aerobatics, tailwheel, backcountry and more. Aerobatic rides…read more By appointment only

They have ruined the quality of life in Bend. Since the opened the flight program at the Bend…read moreairport, they constantly have flights of both helicopters and Cessna aircraft flying below the 1000ft minimum altitude. They fly all day, everyday, and all hours. There is a million acres of desert why do they need to fly over town?

I LOVE LEADING EDGE. I moved to Central Oregon a few months…read moreago and have been seeking to finish some flight ratings and transition aircraft. I made an appointment for two discovery flights: helicopter and fixed. After a few snags, (which happen) one was cancelled but the team mad and extra effort to make the other one a "Go"! They actually went above and beyond to ensure the experience was awesome. A few days later I got a call from Jack, who works there. He had arranged to have me come back to the airport and do a flight to rectify the mishap which resulted in one of my flights cancelled. Again they went above and beyond to make the experience a memorable one. The two flight instructors I had were super professional and a joy to fly with. They definitely knew there stuff as well. The aircraft were in excellent condition and flew wonderfully. Because of this experience I am finishing out all my ratings with Leading Edge. I highly recommend them. You won't be disappointed.

Robert provided a great introduction into the wonders of Trike flight for me! His method of…read moreinstruction built skills and confidence throughout the lesson. He is a great flight instructor. Thanks Robert! Bob H.

From the owner: Action Outdoors Sport Adventure tours in Bend, Oregon & Oregon Outback. Scenic flights tours to…read moreSmith Rocks, Mt. Bachelor, Newberry Crater, SunRiver Resort, Eagle Crest Resort, Central Oregon. Better than helicopter flight tours, Airplane flight tours, Glider tours, balloon flights tours. Guaranteed a window seat. Come enjoy a breathtaking flight in and around Central Oregon. All flights conducted in accordance with FAA standards and regulations by FAA certified flight instructor.

RDD Enterprises installed a BRS parachute in our Cessna-T182T. David, Michelle, Phillip and the…read moreRDD team exceeded our expectations! They clearly explained the process to us on the phone. While the work was being completed, they sent daily progress reports which included photos. They completed the project in less time than they estimated. If you are considering adding a BRS Parachute to your airplane we highly recommend RDD Enterprises.

From the owner: RDD specializes in helping people achieve greater flexibility in travel and lifestyle through high…read moreperformance personal. We can help you be free from long lines and wait times!

Highly recommend Astro Paragliding! The instructors care so much and work diligently to teach…read moresafety and flying concepts. I've grown so much learning with Astro Paragliding and in my opinion, they offer the best paragliding lessons in Oregon.

Love working with Astro! I met Harrison after already completing my P2, and found his instruction…read morefor further upping my skills incredibly helpful! I highly recommend Astro for anyone, from people just getting into the sport or checking out a tandem flight, to pilots looking for more advanced instruction to refine skills. Great instruction from knowledgeable people!!

If you are local to their facility in Oregon and can show up in person to get your order taken care…read moreof, I am sure you will have a great experience. They answered my emails and phone calls, which is more than lots of companies do, especially after they have made a sale. This review however is based on my experience working with them from a different state. Ordered a used propeller for my PA28 after seeing an advertisement posted on Barnstormers. Communication was great and I placed an order for the propeller and paid the full balance immediately over the phone on May 20th. It was an additional $150 for flat rate shipping, no problem. I was told that it would be two weeks before the propeller would ship and sent photos of the propeller which would be zero timed and shipped to me. Great! After three weeks, I called asking about the status and for tracking information. "We are on it now and will have it in the mail this week." Great. I waited a week and called again. "It is going in the mail today and I will send you the tracking information." No problem. I also request that they put a note to deliver to the back of the house so my wife doesn't need to manhandle the propeller if I am out on a work rotation when it arrives. They say, "No problem." Another week goes by and I call (in their defense, I greatly appreciate that they continued to pick up the phone during this). "I don't know what is going on with the shipment and I will get back to you." I hear nothing for a few days and call again. This time, "I had to go down to UPS and the label fell off of the box. I had to search and put the label back on the box and it is in the mail now." Wonderful. I just wanted the prop. A full week goes by and I have no tracking information and no prop still. I call again, this time, "I don't have your shipping address. You need to give me your shipping address and your prop is in the shop getting worked on now." I'm sorry... what? The prop that was mailed two weeks earlier to me? Now I'm getting frustrated. I give the shipping address and am told it will arrive Saturday the 12th of July. I leave for work rotation on the 13th, so fine. At least I will be home when it arrives. I am finally sent a photo of the tracking information and it won't arrive until Monday the 15th when I am not home and out on work rotation for a week. It arrives to the front door on July 15th in a cardboard box wrapped in flexible thin foam sheets without any cribbing or additional support and my small wife has to bring the box into the garage. I arrive back home on the 20th, open the box and retrieve the logbook and paperwork. Wonderful... finally. All of the requested and promised paperwork was included. I get to install the prop on the 25th of July. Two month process. Fully unboxing the propeller, there is a small dent on the trailing edge of one blade and the tip of one blade is 'flattened' seemingly by dropping the box on the end. All of this happened post propeller painting as no paint was seen on the damaged locations. Things happen... I understand that. My A&P suggested I reach out to the propeller shop as he now needs to file on my 0 time prop that was just overhauled. I reach out to the shop with photos on July 27th, and this is the response: "propeller is fine, clean up the nick no problem.... That is exactly how the Factory ships the propeller but they are getting rough anymore. No safety problem sorry it happened... Warrenty (SIC) is still good." I responded requesting any shipping insurance I can claim against, and was told it had to be within 48 hours of delivery and "It is not so bad a mechanic cannot clean up" So, if you decide to order a propeller from this shop, just don't expect that it will ship on time, or look new when it finally arrives. I purchased a used propeller which was going to be overhauled prior to shipment and have a logbook. I received a used propeller with a fresh overhaul and a logbook (thank you). What I didn't expect was for it to take nearly two months, being mislead about shipments multiple times, and a company that doesn't take responsibility or any assistance when a poorly packaged propeller shows up damaged. If I didn't already take the time and expense to install the prop with my A&P, it would be getting shipped back and I would be paying the premium for a new prop from the manufacturer due to my dissatisfaction with the way this has been handled by Western Aircraft Propeller. I did express this all directly with the company. Their response was extremely rude and disappointing and the reason for this review. If you are in the Oregon area or can pick up your prop from them, you will probably have a wonderful experience, but if you are relying on them to act with responsibility and integrity in getting a prop to you within a specific timeframe, stay away.

Great to work with Laurie and the team. I had a 12 year-old, fixed-pitch prop with a gouge on the…read morerear face. They were able to repair, repaint and balance the prop quickly and get me back in the air without a complete overhaul. I'll definitely use them the next time I need a repair.