Mr. Pello such a knowledgeable guy. Great multi engine training, very nice plane to fly, the Apache is really a forgiving and docile light twin. Stearman Field and Wichita are a heaven to aviators, after the two flights and a ground school scheduled for every day, a time to visit the Kansas Aviation Museum was a must. Close to the Praire Air Service, the Stearman Restaurant by the RWY 17 of 1K1 is a nice place for lunch. I will schedule in advance for the Instrument Rating. read more

Prairie Air Service - Specialty Schools Near Me - Benton, Kansas

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Strangest Flight School Ever. Found this guy on the internet to get my ATP rating in a couple of days and was completely satisfied with not only the level of competency of the instructor but also with the price and the facilities and aircraft. Be warned however, this will be your most unique flight school experience ever. Herb picked me up at the airport when I arrived (I was late and he was more than happy to wait a bit). He drove me out to his house which is located on the Benton Air Park airport. He has added on to his house a hangar and a couple of dorm style rooms for pilots to stay in (included in the price of instruction). My room was perfectly adequate with clean sheets and a little desk and lamp. Also included in the price of instruction is 3 square meals a day. Generally his wife whips up a pretty decent dinner and all the students and his family gather around the table, really its like your part of the family. Herb's instruction style is....unique....He is very adamant about doing things his way and as long as you're prepared to do that you're going to do just fine. He sets up the FAA examiner and the whole process is very smooth. His lovely wife dropped me back at the airport on her way to work once I was finished. The whole experience is funky but fun at the same time....Be prepared to work your ass off. read more

Web site prices are out of date. When you call Herb will tell you he has not had time to update the web site and the price he will quote you will be double what is advertised. This is just a ploy to ensure he keeps getting calls for the low ball pricing. Your training time will be well beyond the quoted package price. Don't plan on getting finished in a timely manner, he takes on three or more students at a time so you will only fly a few hours a day and then sit waiting the rest of the day. Insists on doing things his way, that works great for a student pilot but not so much for an experienced pilot who already has established techniques and procedures. This will set you back several hours as you relearn new ways to do things you already knew how to do just fine. Also he insist on using Jepp charts which is great if that is what you already use but bad if you use NACO charts as you will now have to relearn how to read the charts. All of these things add up to more training time and increased cost. Don't plan on meeting the minimums in his quoted package price. It will take twice as long. Herb does not fill in your log book until the very end of training so you will have no idea just how many hours you have flown. He will also not discuss going over the agreed upon package hours with you. Instead waiting until the very end to stick you with a bill for twice as much as you thought. Training is done to time, not to standards. Every flight will be two hours regardless of how well you do and there will be plenty of holding regardless if you need the training or not because holding eats up time. No training prior to 10AM, Herb likes to sleep in. Check rides are scheduled for late afternoon because "that is when the air starts to calm down." Actually the air is calmest in the morning but you will never fly during that time because Herb needs his sleep. The other down side of afternoon checkrides is you lose another complete day as you will not be finished until around 7PM. Be prepared for unusual behavior in the cockpit. He gets frustrated and agitated very easily. This leads to added stress and aggravation on your part. PAS is located on S.W. Shady Lane. This should give you a clue as to what you are getting yourself in to. read more

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I found this link while looking for a pilot friends contact info. I'm a former student of Herb's (Prarie Air Service) and I have nothing but good things to say about his school. Dollar for dollar you will not find a better training experience, I flew there 15 years ago and today I fly 737's for a major airline. Herb is tough, but he knows IFR multi-engine flying better than any pilot I have flown with. Compare his 25 thousand hours of experience to your average 400 hr. American Flyers or ATP fight instructor. read more