Most instructors don't really care about your personal goals. If they do, they often lack patience…read morewith someone who hasn't flown before. I went through several instructors trying to find one who would actually stick with me and help me achieve what I was paying them for. Instead, it felt like some were just trying to build hours or take control of the flight, and I ended up wasting thousands of dollars.

This is a large family owned and family run flight school with 4 locations. My background is…read morehaving ran a twin-engine flight school and a single-engine flying club in Georgia so when I surveyed the schools as a place to do my flight reviews, and send friends and their children to, AvAd came out on top. They also have been one of the main schools at Leesburg while others have come and gone. They also hire and train students and retired or career changing professionals to run the front desk, giving them aviation management and dispatch experience. I have flown with a few of the instructors up here and they are all different in how they teach but all are focused on safety, fun, learning, and promoting aviation. "Uncle Mike" is a fantastic advocate for aviation and even politely spent time going over weight and balance. I was 314 or 317 at the time and made it down to 270, which opened up the ability to fly other aircraft like the 172z. I made it down to 253 a few weeks ago and 230 will open up all aircraft, help me live longer, and make it easier to pass my 2nd class medical that I need for my commercial. Mike reviewed this with me very professionally, very politely, and shared his journey with me. He also took my son for a lesson. You would be hard pressed to find a better instructor, human being, safety, and aviation advocate. Safety is always at the top of my list because mistakes in aviation can be very unforgiving. You can fly safely in safe aircraft and still have fun. My favorite instructors are "Uncle Mike" and Mitch. However, I have also really enjoyed time learning from Bob, Ray and past instructors. Buck left for OpenAir, Dan went to fly KingAirs and Connor went to fly Learjets. This is part of aviation. Instructors are hard to find and good instructors are Unicorns. AvAd has had quite a few unicorns and some remain! Eventually they will build their 1000 hours with a degree from Liberty and go to the airlines with their ATP-R or get their 1500 and move on. That's just how aviation goes during a strong economy. Their aircraft are well maintained, particularly for flight school aircraft. I really enjoy flying the 182, the Cherokee Six, and the Grumman Cougar but also dropped weight so I could fly safely within the weight and balance envelope in the 172. My goal is to drop enough weight to fly LSAs like the 162 for fun! Bob and his family are amazing for aviation and have stellar employees and nice aircraft.

I have been flying since 2005. During that time I have used a variety of flight schools and…read moreinstructors, but hands down, 1World Aero has been the best I've experienced. The aircraft are clean, well maintained and comfortable. They decided to stick with mainly Socata planes because of their comfort and handling characteristics. The management is incredibly detail oriented and I am always left feeling like I haven't missed a thing when I go back for some recurrent training or practice work. If you are looking to fly, do yourself a favor and at least check 1World out to compare. Once I discovered them, I wished I had found them sooner.

I've been flying with 1 World Aero for 7 years, and they're a fantastic organization! The planes…read moreare maintained in fantastic condition, I feel very safe every time I take one flying. Terry Russell is an outstanding instructor, manager, all in all pilot, and I highly recommend any flying you'd like to do at 1 World Aero!

This school has several new (at the time) and near new Cirrus aircraft that they use for flight…read moreinstruction. The planes are gorgeous. These are not old beat up inexpensive 172s but really nice Cirrus aircraft, comparable to a new Cessna 172 or 182. These have aircraft parachutes (CAPS). They also are a little more expensive but comparable with other schools in large metro areas One of the instructors, Buck, was really funny and has a unique ability to train. Also, he doesn't believe burning time on the ground (20-30 minutes) trying to teach the G-1000 to new students like another school on field would do. There are less expensive computer programs and ground trainers.

From the owner: We specialize in training individuals in complex and technologically advanced aircraft. Our mindset…read moreon training is a little different; instead of training to minimum standards, we take it one step further and train our students to be equipped to fly from point "A" to point "B" confidently and most importantly, safely.

I had a discovery flight this morning with Jonathan Outmezguine (adding his last name just incase…read moreanother Jonathan is there) from Washington Flight Academy, and it was such an amazing experience. From the moment we started, he was incredibly friendly, calm, and easy to talk to, which made a huge difference as someone who had never flown before. He gave clear, helpful direction and made flying feel way less intimidating than I expected. His patience and confidence really stood out for me, as well as how comfortable he made me feel the entire time. He also went out of his way to capture a lot of footage for me, which I really appreciated. Overall, my instructor was great and made this such a smooth, enjoyable first experience. I highly recommend flying with him, and I'll definitely be back again in the future.

Rafael was patient and extremely knowledgeable , friendly . His instruction was the perfect amount…read moreof hands on to facts ratio. Book a discovery flight and it just might open up a whole new world for you.

Went to this place with a friend and bought the ticket through Groupon. This was the most…read moreexhilarating experience of my life. Even more so than skydiving. Let's start from the top. My friend and I came here and we filled out all our consent forms and gave them the Groupon code. Then they took us to the back and explained everything to us. In the plane, you basically sit shotgun while the experienced professional flies the plane into the air to a safe altitude and then they give you control. Flying the actual plane was such an amazing experience. It felt scarier than skydiving to me. The instructor let's you fly for about 20-30 minutes and then he takes you down to the location. He also lands the plane. It apparently gets added to your flight hours if you were planning on becoming licensed. This is a once in a lifetime experience that I high encourage you try. I don't regret it in the slightest and the staff here make you feel safe.

My experience at dream flight school was just what I expected. Started off with the Discovery…read moreFlight right through the Private License. Friendly staff and great Certified Flight Instructors. I highly recommend Dream Flight School if you're looking to obtain your PPL or IFR certificate. The planes used are clean and well maintained, some are even being updated with the newest technology. Additionally KDMW Airport is clean, and the Skytech staff are friendly. It's always nice to have the people fueling your planes encourage your progress -- just adds to the overall experience at Dream Flight School!

If you are looking to become a pilot, this is the to go! The CFIs are excellent and the curriculum…read morethat NAFC uses meets FAA standards. The CFIs work together to prepare the students for check rides and the pass exams.

This place is excellent! I recently took a flight lesson from them, booked through…read morethingstododc.com. I paid maybe $160 for a half-hour flight with maybe a half-hour of pre-flight instruction. I worked in aircraft simulation for many years, so I was familiar with the pre-flight procedures the pilot went through before the flight. We flew over downtown Annapolis and the bay near the Naval Academy. I was able to handle the controls for maybe about ten minutes. The scenery was fantastic from about 1500 feet up. It was just like being back in the simulators years ago. I don't know If I will get a pilot's license, but I would definitely go through them if I did. The instructors are very knowledgeable and professional. Excellent job. No complaints.

I recently earned my Private Pilot License (PPL) with Pilot in Training Flight Academy, and I…read morecouldn't be happier with my experience. From my very first discovery flight, I knew I was in the right place. My instructor, Jan (CFII), was incredible--he is really a great guy, highly experienced, patient, and always made me feel at ease. His great sense of humor was an added bonus! The owner, Slava, is also a great guy and genuinely cares about each student's progress. He was always flexible and responsive. I also had stage checks with Jeremy and Dost, who were both excellent instructors and added to the solid training I received. The academy's professionalism, organization, and strong emphasis on safety gave me the confidence I needed to ace my checkride. I am now continuing my Instrument Rating (IFR) training with them. If you're considering flight training, I highly recommend Pilot in Training Flight Academy.

Jinlin was my ground instructor and she was thorough, clear, and super helpful. 10/10 experience…read more Plus I was part of a nearly all-women's class, and as a woman this made me super happy.

This was very expensive but made our wanna-be, young pilot very happy. Emile, the pilot/trainer was…read morevery patient, funny and kind. This mall is a nightmare though, so allow extra time to get there.

Enjoying lunch and shopping at MoCo Mall, we noticed a new business located on the same wing/floor…read moreas the Archlight Theater. It's a business where you can rent time in their airplane stimulation machine. It starts at $175/ 30 minutes, with 15 minutes additional time for your birthday. There are more packages, offering more time and different price ranges. Check out the website for further details. We decided to wait to try it. They also sold cute aviation related items, like a airline pilot teddy bear, phone cases, key chains and such. The stimulations take place in this great big pod that sits in the space. This definitely goes in the special treat category or a really great gift for aviation fantastic. We were told it's the only airplane stimulations around, offered to the public.