This instructor is horrible and very Rude!!! Avoid him at all costs. My first flying experience and ended up being the worst

If I could rate less than one star I would. I was excited to begin my journey to potentially get my pilots license. Upon arrival we went to the plane that was not prepared to be flown, causing a delay of approximately 90 Minutes upon which time we got to depart. During the flight portion, Mr. Valdes was profoundly unprofessional, any instruction he gave was yelled a the top of his lungs, and was generally unhelpful. Upon the conclusion of our flight, I discovered the pilot was actually not currently certified to provide instruction, meaning this time cannot be counted towards the journey of getting a pilots license anyways. Steer clear of this establishment, if it manages to stick around much longer. read more

If you want to pursue a career in aviation do not study at Miami Fly Inc. The instructor uses no curriculum, no syllabus and his "ground school" was basically what he felt like telling you that day. If you enjoy being yelled at and basically told you will not be any good then this is the instructor for you. My son was accused of using a flight simulator and he basically berated him for that. (My son was 15) Fast forward to now, we switched to a reputable flight school,my son flew solo at 16 and now at 17 will be taking his private pilot's exam. read more

I had the same negative experience that many shared. Euseubio Valdez was pleasant enough on the phone and during pre-flight, but the WORST instructor I have every come across. I am a 2500 hr Comm'l/Inst/Multi pilot working on my CFI and buying a Decathalon. Maybe my experience was somehow insulting to him, and he needed to show me how smart he is and how bad a pilot I am? Was hoping to get in some take-offs and landings and spin training before purchasing the plane and flying it across the country. Was really hoping he could show me what this plane can do, some inverted work perhaps, but was quite surprised we didn't suit up in parachutes for "aerobatic training" at $200/hr (I got his contact from the IAC website). First of all, he told me not to touch the brakes or throttle. How am I supposed to learn to solo the plane if I don't control the descent? He immediated started yelling at me taxiing out when I turned away from a $20M jet that was near our taxi path. I know how to taxi a taildragger. He yelled at me constantly, told me to look only straight ahead at a cloud or a tower on the horizon, and not down at the instruments or to the side. He kept asking me why I don't see the traffic when there was no traffic there. Then one time on short final we nearly landed on top of another plane because he wouldn't let me look out the side. I saw the plane turning base but lost it on final because he yelled at me when I turned my attention away from the horizon straight ahead. Fortunately I saw it at the last minute and avoided a possible accident. When we were taxiing in after the last landing, I was doing my best to keep the plane on centerline with only rudder (I wasn't allowed to touch the throttle, brakes, or stick during taxi). He rammed the throttle forward, pushed the left pedal, and we went into the grass in a ground loop. He tried to blame it on me, and I said I think he did it intentionally. I kept asking him who is flying the plane? How can the student taxi the plane if he doesn't have the brakes or throttle, and the instructor randomly forces the controls and tells the student "don't use your strength" to control the plane? The second flight of the day I told him I wanted to do spins and he was clearly uncomfortable with that, and basically talked me out of it. I mistakenly did a second flight with him because I wanted to build some more hours in the plane, but got nothing out of it. So we just went round and round the traffic pattern for 3.5 hours total (2 flights) with him controlling the throttle, constantly yelling at me, telling me I am working too hard, I need to loosen up, let the plane land itself or with one finger, only look straight ahead at a cloud, banging me on the shoulder, pushing my head, telling me I am stupid, shut up, I don't listen. After we landed, we told me I am dangerous and shouldn't be flying any airplane. Well the reality is this guy should not be instructing at all (don't know how he would pass an FAA CFI practical test). He didn't explain anything or offer any insight during the flight. Didn't distinguish between 3-point landing and wheel landing for example. But he did randomly jerk the stick around on me when I was trying to land. I told him on the ground I think he needs some anger management training, and he said possibly so. But come on, how can you expect to keep students if you constantly berate them, tell them they don't know nothing, tell them to shut up when they ask a question, and NOT LET THEM CONTROL THE PLANE. The instructor should just be there guiding the student on the controls, demonstrating, and be prepared to take controls if something goes wrong. When it is not clear who has control of the airplane, that is a very dangerous situation. What I should have told him to his face is that I cannot learn anything from him. Yes, it was useful today getting used to "flying" the Decathalon, when most of my taildragger experience has been in Citabria and Pitts. But after a couple of hours flying with Valdez, I have had it with this guy and can learn nothing more from him. It is not a positive learning experience and I don't recommend this approach to teaching. Oh I forgot, his credit card machine was supposedly not working, and he walked me to the cash machine in the lobby of Signature and had to pay him in cash after each flight. When I reached my maximum daily withdrawal limit of $400, I gave him another $100 from my wallet, then he got in the car with me and drove to his bank Chase and I tried to withdraw more cash from the ATM there, but could not. Then we went to Publix and I was able to get him $75 in cash back after I bought a soda. He finally agreed to have my administrative assistant mail him a check for the remaining balance of $125 tomorrow. Real professional, huh? And he did not offer to sign my log book after spending $700 going around in circles. read more

Miami Fly - Flight Instruction Near Me - Miami, Florida

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I would NOT recommend MiamiFLy. The only positive reviews about Eusebio - the sole owner & employee - are from people who did a one-off, brief 1-hour flying lesson (ie.: as a birthday gift) where he might have acted friendly. The negative reviews, which I agree with and am leaving, are for anyone interested in more flying experience, like getting a Personal Pilot License. He is an absolutely horrific instructor whose demeanor completely shifts in the air - my friend and I both took lessons with him and had the same exact negative experience, even though we've both flown twice before. The other critical reviews are correct in that he: - is paradoxical/hypocritical in what he says and does, and what he tells you to do - yells at you constantly - expects you to know things he hasn't discussed at all - doesn't listen to your responses or questions for clarification - jerks the plane yoke every couple of minutes without saying it on the radio/headset. Sure, he might have an accident-free record (on paper...), but it's also because no one will ever want to fly with him again and would not recommend him to anyone read more

The Nightmare at 1500 feet continous!!!Mr.Eusebio should not be an instructor at all. Do not go and pay for his service, because he does not have the skills to be an instructor. Has zero people skills. From the minute I arrived and met him, he used profanity. As we started taxing the run way he started to scream at me. I have never been so humiliated. He slapped my hands and told me to shut up multiple times. At that point I told him I did not want to fly the plane or touch anything on the plane. He then accused me of been a "machista" and he told me I did not know how to listen. I was expecting instructions and safety protocols. That never happened. While we were flying he lied saying he saw 8 planes when I only saw 2. This was the worst experience I had endured at 1500 feet. He is 76 years old and should be retired because no other person should go through this experience. When we landed he offered me water I said nonthank you. he told me he was not going to kiss my ass. My son, who was a passenger on the plane, was so disappointed and shocked by what had occured as we were flying. I even had my niece coming next week with her father and I immediately told them to cancel. This gentleman should not be around kids either as he is capable of destroying their dreams of being a pilot. I wanted to learn how to fly but was completely turned off by this experience with Mr.Eusebio. I will not recomend his service to anyone! Please pay an extra $30 more for a professional school at Aviation Zone and not with this individual. Catastrophic experience! read more

My girlfriend bought me a 1 hour intro flight as a birthday present and what I'd expected to be a fun experience was terrible. I check reviews for almost everything but booked this flight without checking in advance. Hopefully this will not happen to you! There is little that I can add to the negative reviews already here but I can confirm: -Valdes' personality changed to hostile the moment I entered the plane. -Abrasive and aggressive if any questions were asked -Constantly insulting and verbally abusive -Will hit you to indicate he intends to operate the radio and wants you be quiet Normally this is not behavior a person would tolerate but of course once airborne you are in a very vulnerable position with your life in his hands. My goal quickly became to not antagonize him in any way and try and keep him calm to get down safely. When agitated he would put his head in his hands and rage about how terrible I was. This left only me looking out the window and no one's hand on the controls; very frightening. When especially agitated he would also slap the steering wheel left and right to initiate sudden turns or harshly tilt the nose of the plane up/down without warning creating a roller coaster sensation. This seemed to be a kind or punishment or scare tactic. A very unsettling experience and I was grateful to be back on the ground. Had i not been worried he would become even angrier I would have asked to end the flight early. read more

I just landed from my second flight with this guy. Eusebio Valdez. I am sure he is an ok pilot (if that ) but holy crap he is a God awful instructor and all he did was berate me and put me down. to date, I have forty nine hours on rotary wing and this guy treated me like all I was, was a monkey with the IQ of a used condom. constantly yelling at me and being genuinely offended that I was flying with him. He constantly accused me of taking my eyes off of the horizon, not identifying aircraft in the vicinity, and not observing his standards of flight- even though I was doing none of those things. also, he has cataracts on both eyes and failed to see or hear (because he was busy yelling at me ) two aircrafts at our 1 and 2 o'clock flying towards us. When I made this observation he was very flustered and accused me of not paying attention to the horizon (again, at his standards, w/e they may be ) and yanked the controls away from me in disgust. It could very well have been a disaster. and speaking of controls, there was absolutely no pre flight whatsoever, no positive exchange of controls. half the time I didn't even know if he was flying the aircraft or if I was. I only knew when he was screaming at me. I think we did three touch-n-goes, and each time he didn't bother to explain to me why does anything with the dials, carburator, or radio. When I would ask questions he would become incensed, yell at me and tell me to RELAX ! while he was damned-near exploding with rage. again, I got 49 hours of helicopter flying time with one of the best instructors in all the country, Rick Guthery. If Iwas as stupid and ass-backwards as Eusebio Valdez claims I was, there is no way I'd still be flying rotary wing with Rick as I currently do.. I am not saying I am the best aviator, but I am no idiot either. yet today, I was treated like an absolute moron by this guy or like I was back at parris Island or something. I never, ever leave reviews but if you value your money, your dignity, YOUR safety!!!!! don't fly with this guy- half the time I didn't know if he was flying or I was. not to mention he was trying blame me for everyone of his screw ups. its disgusting, unprofessional, and a god-awful introductory to straight wing. I didn't beat this guy's face in because he is old and frail- but nobody talks to me that way lastly, the dude makes me go to an ATM that only approves $20.00 transations at one time. So I had to drive out of the airport, find a bank and pull out more money (after I lot $6 in convenience fees). I never want to see that guy again read more

So I went yesterday for my spin endorsement for my cfi rating and I was so excited for the flight but this guy ruined everything for me and made the flight a disaster. He was so good on the phone but in real life a living nightmare. On phone we discussed that it's only going to be an hourly flight and the cost would be 225usd for an hour. I was 20-30 minutes off time which was my mistake and honestly I felt bad for being late . He told me to meet him at signature fbo which is located in Tamiami Airport .When I reached in the waiting area he started yelling at me like really loud in front of everyone. I should have understood at that time itself that this man is a piece of shit. There were 10 other people in that area and all of them started looking. He starting asking me about stalls and bullshit . After that we went to his hanger and he was constantly yelling at me for no damn reason . BTW This guy is already half dead, must be in his 80-90s ,2 more years and a funeral for him. Still in his last days he is making people's life miserable instead of going to church . Guys he flies so unsafe we almost ended up on the grass while taxying . He told me 10000 times that he is flying since 1973 and has 27000 hours time and no incidens and accidents till date. Really? 2700 hours and still don't know how to fucking fly an aircraft.? He doesn't instruct you just want us to handle it and do everything .sir it's our first time like wtf? How can expect us to do everything by ourselves? I told him let's go back to the airport as I was not comfortable flying with him and I think he is a poor instructor .Remember not everyone can teach . I was too nice coz I thought he was elderly but a respect is always earned Also he charged me 50 dollars extra and told we flew 1.2 .we didn't even fly 1 hour and he overcharged me . Also he was not giving me an endorsement for the training I told him I will only pay if I get the endorsement. This man just are money out of you run ‍guys run away from him read more

I didn't punch him after landing only because it's illegal, although he did hit me on the head during the 90 minutes I tolerated him in the air, let go the controls and told him to land his plane. We pilots are very supportive and enthusiastic individuals, now this guy, is the exception to the rule at it's finest! I can't name this regretting experience a lesson nor a flight, to the extreme that I didn't even logged it, my logbook is such a precious collection of memories, that I wouldn't allow my self to spot it with his name. read more

Regrettably what would have been a great business opportunity was ruined by the owner/instructor himself. He was rude and offensive within 2 minutes of meeting him (that's because he didn't speak for the first 90 seconds). At one point I asked "Are you trying to be offensive?" hoping it would maybe snap him out of whatever bad day he may have been in...but little did I know this was his normal setting. He is confrontational and condescending while also being obnoxious, rude, and insulting. He may be a nice guy off the flightline and he does have a fascinating personal philosophy but as an instructor he has horrible social skills. Every single thing the other reviewers wrote is exactly what happened to me. The airplane was dirty and sloppy from flat tires to a dead battery. I did feel a lot better reading the other reviews realizing that he treats everyone like this, not just me. read more

I have started pursuing my pilots license which has been a dream of mine. Did my research on areas and businesses and made the decision to start with Miami Fly. Owner/instructor is extremely experienced and has made me feel comfortable the entire way. He is tough yet extremely funny which makes it enjoyable. I highly recommend if your just wanting to do the discovery flight or wanting to go all the way. read more

I bought an hour lesson for each of my grown daughters. Neither had ever driven a plane. They loved it and said that I couldn't have picked a better guy to teach them. Thanks Valdez! read more

Miami Fly - Flight school for my girls! - Flight Instruction Near Me - Miami, Florida

WORST WORST WORST!!! This guy was screaming at me. I had to stop the flight. I couldn't take it anymore. This guy ruined everything for me!! Save your time and money and go somewhere else. Oh and by the way, He tried taking my headset from me. This guy lost his mind!!! read more

Will definitely become a regular flyer after my experience with Eusebio. I took my dad to fly for the first time and he made our experience very special. He is a very experienced and knowledgeable man, so if he gives you instructions it's for a reason. When you're flying a plane you must have your eyes and ears open as you are listening to the tower speak. Eusebio made flying look easy and guided my father the whole way. After our flying sessions he took several pictures for us, made us laugh and shared stories about his experiences. He is a truly genuine happy down to earth soul that made our trip even better than I expected. I don't read yelp reviews, because it's normally bitter cry babies who just didn't get their way, with one sided stories. So let's be fair and give credit when it is due, not just complain. I can tell you my experience was amazing and will be going back with my father. If I could give him 20 stars I would read more

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This past Sunday my daughter took me for an introductory flight with Miami fly inc. at first I was scared but I followed instructions and it turned out to be a blast the instructor is very knowledgeable and it's got thinking about taking flight lessons one thing don't try to be a bad ass and know everything flight simulator are crap just follow instructions and chill would like to do it again thanks Eusebio. read more

Not only did he make me feel super comfortable but most importantly he pushed me out of my comfort zone. He made sure I was ok during the entire flight, cheered me on, and gave me some words of wisdom. You can tell he's not your usual "pilot". He's not rude, just very straight forward. I'm assuming most of these reviews are from uptight, sensitive or easily triggered people. Trust in him and do what he says and you'll have the best time. He wants you to have fun and not take it so seriously (while still being safe and aware of course). The way he flys with ease makes you feel like you can do it too. read more

Miami Fly - Flight Instruction Near Me - Miami, Florida

Definitely not able to instruct anymore. I don't know about his past as pilot, but he can't teach fairly to a student. I did a first flight with him on a Friday. it was enough interesting cause I took it as something new and tried just to follow and go with the flow. Stay quiet and only listen. He just taught me about the fuel color and see if the trimtabs were ok before flight. The rest were like easy. Then we flew. He told me at the end that I did very good. I really don't know what about, because i stayed more quiet and listen all the time. I didn t really made any efforts. 2nd time was 2 days after my first flight on Sunday. We did the same things but I was trying more to know.. asking for functions of little windows and vocabularies of main elements from the commands. He said I didn't need to know that for the moment. I wasn't sure if driving on the middle yellow line was fine or not, because if there was an other airplane coming on the road, maybe be prepared for that ? I should ride on the right side. He started to ask him that simple question to be sure. He started to shout on me saying i'm not listen ing, while he didn't even say where exactly i have to be. So I just shut up and without getting my answer. Then at the departure.. we went to the air ( I don't even know this vocabulary opposite of landing .. ?) . In the air he told me to go to the left/right/left... then go up ! . He didn't taught me how to go up even down. So I prefered to ask him before to make this movement to not doing wrong. He started to shout again that yesterday he taught me how to do it. I wasn't with him yesterday ( saturday) . He started to shout louder more . I was trying to make him remember calmely that students of saturday weren't me. He shout again. I shut up. Then ask calmely. How we do to go down, then he abruptely push hard on the command .. i felt like we were in this Space Mountain engin this instant where it went down at 90° !!, then he brutally pull .. i m used to fly on airplanes so many times but my stomach was going to vomit .. and loosing my gravitation. Then during all the rest of 1h. He was shouting the same things ! Once on the ground he was continuing to shout but I was calm. And tried to understand he was maybe too old but he is kind of not accepting he can be wrong, confusing me with other students, and accusing me not to remember what he didn't taught me , then shouting on me and belittling me. Even if I made him calmly remember he wouldn't listen 0. He finished saying " the first time I did with him it was very good ! But the 2nd time was terrible. That I don't listen and I use to much strenght and I have to relaxe. I was ok, but He wasn't relaxe at all. He told me " i'm not sure if i m willing to fly with me cause I have to listen". The morning after he called me just to say " you have to listen and not be so strong " . I was thinking maybe he is ok to take me again. And friday of the next week i called him in the morning to see if he is ok, and we said ok to fly for saturday, and NOT watching the videos on youtube. Saturday after 3h in bus to Tamiami airport, i enter in his hangar. He started to ask me : where are your questions ? I was asking which questions ? He told me " I told you yesterday to write your questions !" .. I said no you didn't asked me that yesterday. He started to shout he did ! " I told you yesterday in the evening to do it cause you were watching the videos and i told you not to watch the videos ( of flight lessons ). I said " if you asked me that I would do it . , but yes I fo have a lot of questions that doesn't need to be written anyway i can ask you now ? He went back again on his shout game .. I tried to stop making him calm down and making things going ahead asking this simple question if we have to drive on the yellow line or on the right of the yellow line ? .. he told me as answer " you do yellow or right left... if you are not on the grass !!" .. He back again he asked me that yesterday evening .. ( where did he see me in the evening ... ) he was saying he ask that to all of his students. I remembered him again how the last time we finished that i wasn t sure there will be a 3rd time then when i called him the 3rd time he just said not to watch anything on internet about airplaines lessons videos... no more. He shout again and arguing.. when i tried to make politely remember he shout on me " Shut up !" .. no at this point i don't shut up anymore.. i just had to told him what i think about his confused memory and he is dangerous to flight with. That s was unfair from him accused and always confusing me with students of the day before and shouting.. and arguing. I would never give a pilot licence to a moody angry irritable person. They can kill their co-pilot or put any student in danger while in the air. read more

Miami Fly - Flight Instruction Near Me - Miami, Florida

Nightmare at 1500 Feet Like so many other users I neglected to read previous reviews on this "flight school" and that was a BIG mistake and after reading them I am extremely confident that it's not just me. Upon arrival at the airport I was greeted by Mr Valdez himself and intially thought "hey, this should be good and fun"...he repeatedly mentioned the importance of being "relaxed" and how easy it is to fly..after filling out the usual waiver he showed me the hanger and the 1976 Cessna..which I admit I thought was cool and all the while we were chatting about his interests and his views on the world...at this point I was actually getting a kick out of him and was still believing that this would be a great day...he did the preflight inspection...we entered the aircraft at which time the engine would not start...and once again I was amused by his profanity laced reaction to the dead battery...so he had to charge the battery and I found this to be the most enjoyable part of the whole day because I was able to see the engine up close and the inner workings as we waited for the battery to charge... Then it was time to fly..... Engine started and with that Mr Hyde appeared as right off the bat he was in a highly agitated state telling me to "relax" and how easy it is, "use no strength", showing me how he steers with one finger, etc As soon as we get in the air he instructed me to take the wheel and with that the constant screaming and belittlement began...And I will preface this by saying that I am a veteran and a retired Police Officer so I am certainly no stranger to being yelled at nor do I ever take it on a personal level and always consider the source. Every time I was told to "turn right"...turn left"....or as so many others have noted.."aim towards the antenna"...it was met with a level of hostility and fury that has to be seen to be believed. I was told twice to "shut up" and had my hands literally slapped from the yolk more times than you can imagine. I am not a pilot and my previous experience was briefly taking the controls at another very enjoyable and professional school. He would not accept the answer "I'm sorry but I'm pretty nervous here" or "it's my first time doing this on this level". How can anybody in their right mind "relax" while being screamed at by a 75 year old in an almost 50 year old airplane at 1500 feet? Constantly told to watch the horizon for "other airplanes"...I spotted two or maybe three and was belittled later for not seeing 7(was there really 7 Eusabio?). He was visibly irritated and holding his head and was generally disgusted and had me thinking..."What the heck did I do to cause this?" And yes, I get it...you can steer the plane with one finger...I'm not doing that as I don't have any idea what I'm doing. "Don't look at anything but the horizon"...there is a thing called natural curiosity and especially on the part of a layman that has to be taken into consideration. And I lost count of how many times he shouted " use no strength!" And yes, his accent at times can make his "instructions" indecipherable. Finally and thankfully it was time to land...which I have to say I was very impressed with the way he brought it in for that landing. This man can certainly fly and very well. His whole demeanor changed towards me at this point and I'm actually stressed out by being in his presence... Then we enter the hangar... After landing and parking we go back into his hangar...he then proceeds to belittle me for the next 10-15 minutes on how he's "never seen someone so nervous" and how I have to "relax"...it's so easy...and how my reasons for not being the Red Baron are nonsense. He said "how many times did I tell you to shut up while the tower was talking?!" (This incidentally is completely false as it never happened).As I attempt to speak in I guess my own defense...he shouts.."it is because you are a control freak"...a term I don't believe he has the full understanding of...now I finally start to go back at him..to no avail of course because you might as well be arguing with a doorknob at this point. Then I'm asked "How you gonna pay me?"....and I stated I was there on a gift certificate...and agitatedly he replies "do you have it?? I told you to bring it!"(He did not by the way but that is a whole other story)... at that point I gave him my contact info and told him if he had any problems to call me..I left thinking WTF?? This man is surely an qualified pilot and his journey in life is certainly an interesting one but as a "flight instructor" he should be kept away from the general public as he is a potential menace to society. Make sure you read the reviews before embarking on anything with Miamifly because as so many others have noted this behavior seems to be a recurring theme. Needless to say this experience will not dissuade me and I will be doing this again with another school in the near future read more

I was referred to Eusebio by two different family members and both had nothing but a great experience. I did not read any reviews prior to surprising my boyfriend with this gift and quite honestly, i am glad i did not. I spoke to him prior to scheduling because i was not sure if this was the right gift and he sold me on it with his passion for flying and giving someone else that experience in flying on their own. He was very professional and helpful in making this a great surprise and gift. He is clearly experienced and explained everything very thoroughly. I am not familiar with flying planes and i felt at ease with the instruction provided. He is all about safety and following the required protocols. I would go back without hesitation. read more

I went to Valdez for acro instruction. I noticed our first flight we didn't put on a parachutes I questioned him and he said we were just doing basic flying and landings which I understood. We went out flying and what a horrible experience. He kept screaming and tapping my shoulder asking me why was I nervous (doing steep turns and stalls) I was literally laughing telling him no I'm not nervous. I have 600hrs of banner towing and I'm an airline pilot. I was definitely not nervous. It go so bad I told him "you have control and we are going back" to which he was shocked and said no no you fly. I flew back and landed. He charged me $350. I paid him I don't even know how because I was so mad. He wanted to "debrief" and I said not needed. We will never fly again. I can only imagine a poor student that has no experience having to fly with this guy. He should not have a CFI. read more

Worst experience!!!! This person is saying all the time "I got 30 years flying" but he ignores a lot of basic things, I went there for some flight time while in the city, Big mistake! The reviews are true, That Eusebio is an imbecile, rude and the worst is that he's not honest. From the beginning I asked for flight time and he kept me talking for about 45 minutes, later he charged me 50 dollars for ground school... Really???? Please read the reviews, this person is terrible, his business (if you can call three old ugly dead tramps airplanes a business) is terrible. Don't go there, don't do business with that person. read more

My wife got me this as an anniversary gift. By the time I left, I thought she was in on it. The entire flight I was yelled at... I've flown simulators, RC planes, I drive motorcycles and this guy told me all of that made me a horrible pilot. I was there for a flying experience all I got was a yelled at the entire time read more

Had I known there were yelp reviews on this flight school, I would've posted my review on here way sooner. I flew with Valdes on March 28th and 29th last year and posted reviews on other sites, but I'm going to post here as well... This was probably the worst experience of my aviation career. Eusebio Valdes is a HACK and a THIEF. I went to him to get my spin flight and spin endorsement for the CFI Practical, and before he would even give it to me, he made me do an intro flight, that I neither needed nor asked for in his C172, before moving into the Decathlon for spins. Mr. Valdes' method of instruction is very primitive and completely out of touch with modern fundamentals. All he did was yell and ridicule without giving any actual instruction. His expectations were all over the place, from not enough rudder to too much right rudder to not looking at the horizon enough to not looking at the TC enough, etc... I have an IFR and Commercial rating. I know how to maintain coordinated flight and conduct an instrument/traffic scan, and I have eight other instructors and 5 DPE's who have determined the same. The bottom line is, a good instructor is one who provides adequate instruction through motivation, positive reinforcement, constructive criticism, and effective communication in a non-threatening environment, and you will NOT get that here. Valdes is a legend in his own mind, and that crook will cheat you. Head this, and the other comments below me, as a warning to stay as far away from this school as possible. There are plenty of other schools at TMB, and throughout the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area, with instructors that will give you the training, patience, and dignity you deserve. I'm happy to say that I am now a CFI myself, and will be instructing at a part 141 flight school in Texas starting this month. My FOI's are still fresh in my mind. I would implore Mr. Valdes to refresh on his. read more

I took an introductory flight with Eusebio and had a great time. I had read all the reviews and I likened it to a restaurant review where people complain about the service, while I am more interested in the chef and his food. Before the flight, we sat down and he asked me about myself, and he talked a little about himself. Since we both had been in the military that was a common point between us. He has had an interesting life. From what he told me and his knowledge of flying, he seemed to be an experienced pilot. We went through the preflight, then once in the airplane went through the instrument pre flight checklist. We both had headphones on so I could hear all the tower communication. Eusebio tried to give me the controls, but I said No, you take over. Which he did for the rest of flight, ocasionally asking me if I wanted to fly the plane. There were no fancy maneuvers, just straight and level flight, which was just what I wanted as a first time single engine flyer. read more

Eusebio is a very firm instructor and he puts safety above all else. He wont coddle you and he will tell you how it is. He does this to mold you into a better pilot. He is tough at times but only because he expects the very best of his students and he has many years of flying experience. Eusebio fly's because he loves flying. All his planes are well maintained and care for. He is very flexible and will fly any time you want. read more

The owner Eusebio Valdes is the worst flight instructors I've ever seen and fly with. I hope I can point Zero star. Point for 1 star cause he is even not worth for 1 star. Worst flight school in FL.This guy without patient, very unfriendly talking, with horrible ATC communication and destroy student confidence. The Cessna 172 condition is very bad, the seat can't adjust more forward and he force people to seat in a very uncomfotable way to fly. The radio have very loud noise, hurt the ear all the flight. After the flight, he try to grab my Boss A20 like a thief. Stay away from this guy. Not worth your time and money to fly here. read more

As a first time flyer, my experience with Miami Fly and Eusebio was incredible! Eusebio is a skilled pilot who knows what he is doing. I was a little nervous at first but in seeing how cautious and knowledgeable Eusebio was made me much more calm. Will definitely be going back again. read more

Perhaps one of the worst experiences of my life. The guy called Eusebio Vendes just yells at you and the level of rudeness is unprecedented. Is far from being didactic and even less entertaining. Trust me when I say this: STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AND THIS GUY. read more

Bottom line up front. Avoid Eusebio Valdes at Miami Fly at all costs. Worst pilot, let alone instructor I have flown with in 10 years of flying. I have my ATP AMEL, COM ASEL, and am currently a King Air pilot with the US Army for the last 8 years and am getting my CFI rating through another school in Miami. I came to Eusebio Valdez to do my spin endorsement on the weekend. He was polite and professional on the phone but the complete opposite (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) in person. He asked how much spin training that I had. I told him quite alot since I attended the APS upset prevention and recovery technique school in Mesa, AZ and spent three days flying with ex-fighter pilots perfecting upset attitude/spin recoveries. I could write a novel about this guy but I will just put the highlights. On the ground he was making a mess of his radio calls by making calls on the wrong frequencies and ground had to call him back 3 times in order for him to get the radio call right. In the air there was no rhyme or reason to his instruction. He yelled the entire time and I responded by being polite and courteous. He accused me of being tense but I was actually incredibly relaxed and told him that, to which he responded "how we think and fly is not the same." During all spin entries, I made the appropriate correction and he would say I'm using too much "strength." I find that interesting because during the APS Upset Prevention and Recovery Technique school, I was complimented by ex-fighter pilots for very nice and smooth control touch during recoveries. One of the most confusing things was who had control of the airplane. I would be flying in a clearing turn, he would aggressively take the controls with no announcement, and then while he was flying the aircraft would descend a little and he would shout, "fly the airplane." I politely told him in flight and on the ground that I recommend he makes clear who is flying because it was incredibly unclear. On the way back with the airport in sight, I asked him, "do you want me to land it or do you want to land it?" He said he would land the airplane. He had a terrible bounce landing and was blown to the right side of the runway. On the ground he later told me that I screwed up the landing with my strength, but then was dumbfounded when I told him I didn't have my hands on the stick or my foot on the pedals at all and that he was the only one on the controls. He gave me some more debrief comments and I kept my cool all the while thinking this guy has no idea what he is talking about. He also slapped my shoulders several times during the flight. I didn't want to break out in a huge argument in the air, so I remained calm and collected the entire flight, which made him even more angry. Finally, he mentioned I would need another flight. I politely declined and told him that I would like to pay for the first flight and I would be on my way. He seem very surprised by that. I don't think he deals with professional pilots much and is used to scamming others who may go with the flow. He asked me if I felt comfortable recovering from spins, and I responded with "absolutely." He then asked if he should endorse my logbook that I am proficient to demonstrate and teach spins and spin recovery to students. I told him that he was the flight instructor and that was his call and not mine and I repeated that I am absolutely confident in my ability to recover from spins (from prior upset training, not Valdez' training) and he responded back that he would sign my logbook. Therefore, he was trying to milk more flight time out of me and I thought he was exactly like a shady mechanic shop that tried squeeze money out of repairs that didn't exist. All in all I just laugh at this experience and am wondering how this guy ever became a CFI. Avoid Eusebio Valdes at all costs and go somewhere else to fly! I was comforted by reading all these other negative reviews on yelp.com afterwards. Here is his business info. Eusebio Valdes CFII,S,M, A&P Aviation Consultant Located in the Tamiami Airport 14150 SW 129 St. Miami, FL 33186 (305) 255-5519 read more

Miami fly worst place ever. E. Valdes worst instructor ever. Paid $150.00 for a yelling session. Hell I could've done this for free at home.

At first, I thought something was wrong with me...maybe I expected too much based on my past experiences with flight schools and their instructors and planes...however, once we landed, it is safe to say that I had experienced the most abusive, worse person I have ever met in any environment, in my life - and I spent 12 years in the Marines....the first thing that made me suspicious was his immediate availability, then I saw his plane - complete with bald tires - to which he shrugged off its condition as not important....we did a barely cursory inspection of the plane and then our preflight was done without a proper list...and now I was really worried...but the worst was yet to come.....for 1.5 hours this little demon possessed Hitler yelled and screamed at me and told me he had a 13 year old girl who had only flown twice (I have 20 hours) had far superior flying skills than me....he got so mad so often I think the only reason he didn't hit me is because I am built like a linebacker....he shook the controls, slapped the console, and bounced the plane all over the place and screamed at me to fly straight and look outside so much that I felt like I had never been in a plane before....the windows were so dirty I was unable to locate any aircraft around me....it is enormously obvious that this demon can fly a plane, but it is equally obvious that he is seriously demented...he is a walking time bomb...to sum my experience up, he is a nightmare, his empathy and sympathy skills are non-existent, and his plane is shabby at best. I am surprised this guy is allowed to fly much less instruct people. What should have been my first "positive" flight and experience upon moving to this area, became an in air nightmare! If you have any doubts, call me at 303-906-8944. Alan Marley read more

Do not waste your money! I took my boyfriend here for his birthday. We had a terrible experience! The instructor screamed at him the whole time and was very rude. This guy is not meant to be an instructor. He was cursing and yelling the whole time. I don't know much about planes, but the one we rode seemed about a million years old and not comforting at all. Overall we had a terrible experience. We wish we would have done our research before. read more

I understand how some were put off by Eusebio, he is a unique guy and probably not for everyone. I was a newbie when I took lessons with him but I found him quite likeable and sweet. He's obviously a very experienced and confident pilot, and his relaxed and yes, sometimes odd demeanor, put me at ease when we were flying. He definitely pushed me a little when I wasn't totally comfortable but I'm glad that he did, and he did relent when I emphatically told him that he needed to take over. The first time I landed he did sucker punch me in the shoulder which was quite painful (I'm a slender petite woman) but with my nerves going crazy it just made me laugh and left me with a funny memory... and a bit of a bruise. I have also gifted a first flight with him to a few friend and they loved it! I suspect his eyesight isn't so great but he is highly experienced and a safe pilot. Just odd, but in my opinion, delightfully so. read more

Ever since my son was little he said he wanted to be a pilot. We purchased an introductory lesson for his b-day. We were so excited for him. Unfortunately, the experience could not have been worse!! Being his first time up he was a little nervous, he's only 16, and he didn't know what to expect. The pilot, Eusebio Valdes, didn't not give him any type of briefing as to what to expect or what would occur throughout the 1 hr flight. I was able to sit in the back seat so that I could take pictures and record the experience. From the get go he was so abrasive and overbearing. Questioning him why he didn't know the weight of water when doing his pre-flight check. Telling him that he didn't pay attention in school - WTF??? Then from start to finish all he did was yell at him, telling him he wasn't paying attention, slapping him on the hands to not grab the yoke so tight, yelling at him to RELAX - because that always helps people to calm down. He would leer at him when he would say stare at the horizon, over and over again. How does this man get repeat business! I was in the back seat and I was stressed out by him. My son had difficulty looking out of the window because there were cracks or something in the window where it wasn't very clear. I could not wait to come down. Yes, he is a very experienced pilot with over 20K + hours and 40 years of flying but his communication style is reprehensible. How do you expect anyone to learn, especially for a 1st time experience when you're yelling at them for the whole flight. My son was so upset and turned off by the whole experience. I cannot believe this guy thinks his style is effective. I shelled out $150 for this ride but now I'll have to pay for another flight so that he can get a real and enjoyable experience at a real flight school. If I had not witnessed it myself I would not have believed it. So sad and angry that his 1st experience was so miserable. Needless to say, if you like getting yelled at and belittled this is your place if not then take your hard earned money somewhere else. read more

The owner Eusebio Valdes is one of the worst flight instructors I've ever seen. Just like other reviews with one star, this guy is not worth your time. Any reviews with five are obviously controlled. My friend and I came in for spin training and he told us we would have 1hour ground where in reality we had 10minutes "ground". So he started telling us never to use trim for flying and I was already like wtf??? Commercial pilots not using trim?? He has only half of his teeth left making it so difficult to comprehend what he's saying yet he blames you for lack of communication. Then we discussed why the airplanes go into spin. He didn't explain aerodynamics, entry procedure, or even recovery procedure. Continuously talking about rudder and trim... Any proper CFI would know PARE acronym but he didn't even mention it. Then he told us we must perform maneuvers like steep turns, stalls or slow flight first to demonstrate that we don't get into spin. OK sounds fair but again we are here for spin training and it's recovery. Then ground ended with "any questions?" , I asked him "so why does airplane go into spin?". He said "because uncoordinated" which was what I told him 20seconds earlier. My friend went for the flight first in a rusty 172. He had to leave everything in the rearseat including kneeboard so he couldn't write ATIS down. He was prohibited from using throttle and aileron in slow flight nor trim. All the six packs have been hidden and a constant yelling for 1.4 flight WITHOUT any demonstration of a spin from the guy. Having to do 360 before EACH maneuver to waste our time. His excuse for not demonstrating a spin was that my friend who just got his single and multi commercial two months ago doesn't know at all how to do any maneuvers which doesn't make any sense as to why he doesn't demonstrate a spin anyway. After they got back on the ground all he talked about was money which was paid in cash. Then he GRABBED my friend's A20 headset and tried to take it away so we got into an argument then I decided we should just leave this guy alone. Airplane is VFR equipped tho he claims he can teach instrument.... lol. True story, I can go in more depth though what a waste of time and money. read more

I did not have a pleasant experience, in fact it was stressful. And to think it was my first time flying yet it left a bad memory recorded in my mind. And it was due to the fact that the Aviation consultant Eusebio Valdes had little to no patience with a person who was their first time flying. Another thing was once we were inside the small aircraft but not yet in runway to take off, we noticed I was not able to hear him clearly through my mic. I brought it to his attention and yet we just went ahead with the supposed to be introduction; how scared was I in the air when I had an eldery man screaming at me and on top off his equipment not working but the noise of the engine and the other radio. We barely communicated proficiently once we were in the air. I was scared, stressed and at the end felt let down. read more

My experience was similar to what others described. He explained nothing, just yelled with rage the entire time. He was so abrasive and unhelpful that I decided to end the lesson early. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

I wish I would have read the reviews here like everyone else. Because I have moved often, I've had a few flight instructors. He was pleasant enough at first but it all changed once we got in the plane. If you ever had a driving lesson with your driving instructor yelling at you berating you and asking you to keep the car at 50 miles per hour no faster no slower while covering your whole dashboard... that would have been easier. This guy keeps screaming look straight only out front only stare and focus on a cloud. No explanation. And ironically wants you to look for traffic while looking only straight and focusing on a cloud in the distance. Every approach was below the glides lope and he would scream when I tried to add power to arrest the descent. And he just kept screaming and berating me through the flight, finally after about an hour and 20 min of this I said we will make it a full stop landing. On taxi in to the ramp for parking there was a pedestrian not paying attention walking and crossing right to left maybe 10 feet in front of our taxi path. I naturally stopped and the pedestrian never looked up. And Eusebio Valdes started yelling again.... I was trying to be safe and got yelled at. I won't go into the vulgarity he spouted while trying to say all about his experience etc. Well take my advice and go somewhere else ANYWHERE else. read more

Worst flight I have ever had! I went to get a tailwheel endorsement. I have had my private pilots license since 2000 and have just a little over 250 hours. Flying is was just a hobby. Currently I am working on my Instrument, Commercial and will be following with my CFI. I have worked with many instructors but have never experienced anything like I did today. Positive Exchange of the controls is the most basic thing that you can do as part of air crew coordination. We taxi out to the runway and he explains nothing I kept asking "do you have the controls". He would say "no man you have the controls", next thing I know he is going to full throttle with no communication. I am on the controls for takeoff and feel him fighting with my inputs immediately I ask again "do you have the controls?" He states no! I have no idea who conducted that takeoff. Immediately he starts yelling look out in front, I am used to scanning the entire surrounding he just continues to yell don't look anywhere else, never look anywhere else just look front. During clearing turns I turn to look he hits my head, don't look nowhere else look in front. The flight gets worse and worse we manage to make some steep turn, the entire time I keep asking if I have the controls the entire time he is fighting with my inputs. Landings were terrible no instruction at all and I have no idea who had the airplane. I finally terminated the session and will not be back. I have no idea how Valdez states he has 20k hours. Terrible, Terrible Instructor. Do not waste your time and money with this guy. What makes it so bad is that the airplane (Super Decathlon) would have been so much fun to fly. read more