They have the best staff and instructors, so professional and polite. Very encouraging and helpful staff. Went from feeling nervous to being relaxed and happy. Happy guests' experience and highly recommend this flying club! read more

I was looking for a new place to continue my PPL training after moving back from Seattle. The fleet at SoCal flying club are predominately diamond star da-40, much nicer than the c162s I was flying previously. Since it had been a few months since my last flight and also my first flight in California, I opted for a scenic flight rather than an instructional one. My instructor let me fly the whole time (since I had hours), while he handled comms (wasn't quite ready to embarrass myself in front of the controllers just yet). Our route took us from KEMT past downtown LA, dodger stadium, hollywood sign, KSMO, transited the LAX bravo via LA Special flight rules, KLGB, KFUL, and back. their fleet is well maintained and it was an amazing flight (except I forgot to flair during landing). read more

See all

I took an amazing Helicopter tour over Los Angeles! It was so fun! I'm gunna start some helicopter lessons !! read more

SoCal Flying Club - US Bank Tower Downtown LA - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

I'd like to start off by mentioning I am not a student here, but my boyfriend is. I was able to join him for a flight demo and that was incredible. He's been flying here since January and his instructor Cyle is awesome! My boyfriend always comes home happy with videos and pictures of his experience. So much so, that he makes ME want to come fly here! Based off of his experience, I would recommend coming here. read more

SoCal Flying Club - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

I started my flying journey over 4 years ago with SoCal Flying Club. All of the instructors are knowledgeable and work with your schedule to help you complete your ratings. I just received my commercial license with CFII Mike Marchand, former FAA guy and a really good instructor. Monica and Evan at the front desk really make you feel welcome. read more

SoCal Flying Club - Me getting my commercial license. - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

Diamond Star DA40 Planes are super nice and clean, and many of them newer with g1000 avionics, easy rental experience. Everything's organized if you need oil, headsets, or life jackets for your particular trip. El Monte is a great small airport in Los Angeles to fly in and out of. SoCal Flying club also has the best rates I've seen for Diamond Star aircraft. Highly recommended! read more

SoCal Flying Club - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

Been flying with this school for over a year now and must say I've been and still having a great time here. They have a plethora of planes and great instructors to chose from. read more

Amazing school with new planes and great prices. Instructors are very helpful as well

Customer service was great and Steven was an awesome instructor. We flew for 1 hr and went around the LA area to see landmarks and key locations. I would highly recommend to others. read more

SoCal Flying Club - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

A trusted friend of mine went to SoCal flying club and inquired about getting checked out in a diamond aircraft. He told them he had Basic med as his medical and was current. Their Mechanic that was manning the desk told him that they don't accept basic med And to come back when he got a real medical! I was shocked to hear this and that they said those exact words. My friend went to cable airport and the flight school there was happy to accept him. And was shocked that SoCal flying club had that position. So sad. read more

Best planes. Best instructors. And they have a really cool looking plane outside that looks like a tiger.

Awesome place to learn how to fly! All the instructors are very knowledgeable. Come learn to fly here!!

Outstanding place for flight training and aircraft rental. Great instructors, GREAT PLACE, staff and management. Glass cockpit DA40s, twin DA42, c182 for complex training. And couple of more read more

SoCal Flying Club - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

SoCal Flying Club is the best flight school! All the planes are well maintained and this flight school has the best instructors you could ask for! 100% recommend for anyone wanting to learn to fly or to continue your training! read more

SoCal Flying Club - Flight Instruction Near Me - El Monte, California

just wasting time and money,there goal is just to get you in and start to charging over asking price.

Awesome flying club. Great people and safe, reliable aircraft. Glad I found this club!

Did a DA42 checkout here and took the plane to NorCal for a bay tour. Airplane is well-maintained and the CFIs here are all very knowledgeable and friendly. read more

This has to be the worst school in the country first of all, all the good reviews are only there because they offer a discount for every good review. First they are horrible most flight instructors just have an attitude the lady at the front desk was very rude to us I was taking my son on a demo flight and she nearly yelled at my kid then there's the pilot that took us he just had a huge ego and would kinda laugh in a rude way when I asked my questions obviously I'm here to train I'll have questions but he just basically mocked me like if I'm dumb. His name is Steven and was just overall rude the whole time. This school only cares about your money they have crazy rates and for those rates, I can fly somewhere else and get double the time. I recommend you look up different flight schools because this place is not it they'll take your money and you won't advance in your training. The airplanes are not even well maintained. The owner is just horrible for trying to rip people off I would stay as far away from this school. Remember all the good reviews are because they give discounts if you give them five stars.. read more

Socal has great instructors and planes! Working on an instrument license here and the instructors are very knowledgeable and don't waste your time. The DA-40's are fun to fly and reliable read more

I trained and received my PPL certification through Socal flying club in 2016 (No thanks to management or Chief CFIs there) because up to them, I'd still be coughing out more dollars to train there. Socal has good airplanes and competitive pricing. Policies and business practices on the other hand isn't so great as you've read from other reviewers. I believe the school has good people and CFIs because some of them really do take the the time to help students out. Management is complete shit though. If you like to find out, just take a trip there any day of the week and see how the boss Jeff talks to his employees; constant nagging and belittling people. I spent a total of 15 months training here, and my overall experience has left a sour taste in my mouth still today. You can watch my full review and experience here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmFd7OqVXPA - In the past I'd recommend this school to students, but New students careful before choosing Socal. Keep an eye on your wallet and don't let them drag your training like they did mine. - Policy for renting aircraft here is very strict. Even on bad weather days. - Airplanes are generally well maintained. But there have been days where I had to seat and wait for an airplane to be fixed or return from being fixed. - Careful if you get assigned with a fresh new CFI at Socal, chances are he/she cares more about building time for themselves to get to the airlines than building quality time for your training. read more

Great staff, instructors, and planes. DA-40's are great planes to learn on so it's nice they have a fleet of them. Friendly staff and relatively open schedule compared to other clubs I've seen. Chris has done a fantastic job as my CFI, and I'd highly recommend SoCal and/or Chris to anyone looking to learn to fly. read more

Nice assortment of DA40/42. All instructors are part timers that want extra income & free flight time. Have to beg to have one flight scheduled. read more

Awesome flight school and instructors. Everyone is very welcoming and helpful here.

My husband and I come to SoCal Flying Club for our trips to Catalina Island; checkout is easy, and there are planes available when we need them! read more

Front desk staff is super nice. Thanks Jessica! CFI's are all professional and exceptionally well trained. Their maintenance staff have been babying my 182 and doing a excellent job! read more

Affordable and to the point. I've been flying here for 10 years and I will come back.

A very nice Da40 with g1000, instructor is very nice and gave excellent tip to fly the da40

My first commercial flight was when I was in the 5th grade to the Philippines - I knew. I knew, this is what I wanted to do with my life. To fly. But to do that, you need to find a place to learn to fly. With the cost involved and the dynamic experience you will need to have with an instructor flying right next to you hours on end - you don't just choose any flight club/school to learn. SoCal gives you both. With some of the lowest rates for renting a DA-40 (G1000 and Steam Gauge) and some of the most friendly and knowledgeable flight instructors out there - they have definitely brought back the fun with flying again. Trust me, I have looked far and wide for a "home" with DA40s, and I have been met with open arms from the crew at SoCal. Not only are they easy going and professional, but they actually care about their customers. Easy to schedule with online as well! Aircraft: SoCal has a G1000 DA40 and steam gauge equipped DA40 (and more on the way!) - they are kept top notch and cleaned regularly and detailed. Each aircraft has its own toolbox with tools and oil may the event you need it. All prices are included with fuel, and if you need fuel at another destination, they will reimburse you to the amount at KPOC. Instructors and staff: From my first tour with Jeff - who was nothing but professional and understanding to my needs; to my checkout with Rick their chief pilot who has loads of flight hours and professional experience. Rick is committed to a professional safe operation of each flight and a knowledgeable experience during training. And it shows; with my flight instructor Ben who is nothing but professional and courteous with my training for my IFR rating. But one thing that all the staff have in common is the fun they put into the process. Easy going, easy to talk to - no B.S. on the instruction hours or surprise billing. TL;DR: One of the best places to train with DA40s, knowledgeable - easy going, instructors, top notch maintained planes, and KPOC is a great airport with two runways, towered with really chill+professional controllers. Not convinced? Go on a demo flight. read more

Im currently getting my ppl here at socal. I like the people and aircraft. They have the diamond stars, glass or regular steam versions and some others. El monte is a good airport to learn out of, was going to go to long beach but when i saw all the air traffic there on a visit I thought i better not. El Monte has a calmer environment and way less driving traffic to get in and out of as well. The rates at Socal are good, id say a bit lower than average... if you sign up for the club and front $1000 at a time. Which isnt much since a ppl costs anywhere from 8 to 10 grand anyway. The staff runs the club with well no pressure, just keeps it organized and moving along, never felt like a sales pitch. I havent flown at any other school so I dont have a lot to compare them to, but I do know when Im getting taken advantage of however, and you wont feel like that here. They have a good group of instructors. Including Ben, my instructor, who has over 1300 hours. And some others who work in the aviation field and arent all fresh out of school themselves. If your looking to start, give them a visit, I took a long time to pick a school, 3 years!! And I think I chose wisely. read more

SoCal Flying Club has been my home for the past 200+ hours of flying. I earned my instrument and my commercial ratings here and am in the process of finishing up my CFI prep with them. It's such a great place to train and share your passion of aviation. Everyone truly cares about each student as individuals and they have top notch instructors. A few of them are ATP, a few of them have been chief pilots at other schools before with thousands and thousands of hours of experience. All in all, it's a place where a lot of experience and talent has come together and where they truly love to take care of their customers as well as their fleet of airplanes. No matter who you get as an instructor, you'll be sent to do "phase checks" with a senior instructor before your first solo and before you go do your final exam which adds an extra layer of confidence to your training. I have yet to find any other flight school that has a G1000 DA40 for under $150/hour and $115/hr if you get the old steam gauge one (which still has a GNS530/430 system). These rates are unbelievable. They will walk a mile for you to make sure that you're taken care of, which is a bit different from the usual mundane attitude experienced at many other flight schools. If you get a chance, get on with one of their cheap demo flights, you might get hooked ;) -Ruben read more

So Cal Flying club has newer airplanes that are clean and well maintained. Their rates are affordable. It is easy to schedule with them. I have met several of the instructors and all are friendly and really knowledgeable. It is a real joy flying with them!! read more

See all

I've had my private since 2006 and flown with a few different flight schools in that time. I can honestly say that Socal is by far the best. They the have the best fleet of planes equipped with the best equipment that will definitely enhance your flight experience at the lowest price for similarly equipped aircraft. The staff is always helpful and friendly and always accommodating. One of the few flight schools that I've felt like a participating member and not just another customer. Great place to fly and highly recommend. read more

Believe the negative reviews. I am a commercial-rated pilot, airplane owner and familiar with business practices of flight schools and clubs having done all my training in California. My exposure to SoCal Flying Club (btw, it isn't a "club" - it's a for-profit business) is via a friend for whom I act as a safety pilot while he maintains instrument currency. Their Diamond Stars are fairly nice, but that's the only good thing here. First, as has been mentioned by other reviewers, they do not take a pilot's personal minimums or flight plans into account for cancellations. They only take into account the airport's flight condition at the surface. You are taught from the beginning of your private pilot training to set your personal minimums. For example, a low time pilot sets their personal minimum at 10sm visibility. However, this school's policies will either force them into the air at 6sm or charge them half the time for which they are booked if they cancel. Same thing for cross winds beyond a pilot's personal minimums or a suspect weather forecast such as a possible marine layer or wind shear. What if that cross country to Santa Barbara you'd planned for the entire afternoon is blocked because of a firefighting TFR? Too bad. Planned to shoot practice instrument approaches but the haze is causing marginal visibility at altitude? Too bad. Whatever happens, unless the local weather is below VFR minimums, you're going to be charged half the price of your reservation block. I know for a fact this happens and they used Ontario's ATIS, not Brackett's, to force a flight to take off into marginal visibility that the pilot was not comfortable with. What a way to improve safety! (sarcasm) Additionally, their minimum rental policy is not conducive to anything other than flight training. If you book a plane for less than 6 hours, you are charged half the time minimum. They require one hour block rentals, no half-hours. If you wanted to, say, fly to Catalina for lunch, you'd normally plan for 4-5 hours to enjoy your food and maybe hike the airport loop trail. But at SoCal Flying Club, you'd be charged for for half the time the plane was away, not the actual time spent flying. I know of no other rental place in LA with such inflexible policies. Heck, most places would be happy their planes were in the air making money at all. It's not like SoCal's planes are that busy to require this type of rental minimum. And, to cap it off, when I inquired about getting checked out in their twin, I was told they wouldn't share their policies until after I had signed up for instruction! What? You can't read over what you'd be agreeing to regarding rental regulations until you'd signed up to fly a plane? I asked why and Jeff said I could take their policies and steal them for another school. (I am not kidding.) There are many renter-friendly flight schools in LA. Hit the back button and search for a different one. read more

Great location and aircrafts. They have several DA40s, steam gauge ones and glass cockpit ones, which seem to be well-maintained. I've checked them out and they were very nice. They also got a DA42 and a c172. The staffs and instructors were kind and helpful. There are several full-time and part-time instructors. Also, well-organized system and management. It seems like a good place to train and rent aircrafts. read more

I've flown at Socal flying club for over a year. They have the best rate for Diamond aircraft and the planes are always well maintained. Honest company with friendly staff. read more

Been flying out of SoCal for a while now. They just remodeled a little while ago and the facilities are pretty nice. The DA40's are a nice change up from some of the older C172's at some other flight schools. Definitely check out there G1000's. read more

I'm glad that I found this flight school! Instructors here are all experienced and knowledgeable! Most of the CFIs here hold ATPL and so they are not like other typical flight school CFIs who just solely looking to build their flight time. They are here to share their passion, their love, and their knowledge of aviation to the students! Besides that they differentiate themselves with other flight schools by offering modern aircrafts (Diamond Star DA-40) at a offordable price. Students can also choose their flight training between a traditional dial instruments or with the modern G1000 glass cockpit aircraft. You will not find a better flight school than socal flying club in the area! read more

Great flying club. Great instructors, good rental rates and the fleet is awesome! Also convenient location in the cramped LA airspace.

It is a pleasure to work with people who share the same passion for flying. We want to make our contribution to keep this extremely rewarding activity alive. You will find not only knowledge and experience here, but above all, people who care about YOU. The search is over folks, if you have made the decision to start flying come check us out, we will take you on the most incredible journey of your life! Marc A. read more

I've been flying here for a couple of years now and SoCal has really great airplanes. The Diamonds are sleek, fast, new (especially compared to most 172s flight schools have), and this flight school has them at a very reasonable price. The instructing staff here are also great people that are willing to work around their schedules to fit you in. The company uses schedulepointe to book flights so it's always really easy to see plane availability and to figure out schedules of both planes and instructors. And they post an electronic W&B forms and checklists online so flight planning is much quicker and easy. If you get a chance you should try and fly one of the G1000 aircraft, they will blow your mind with what capabilities they have! In a few of the aircraft (both G1000 and non-G1000) they have an autopilot system hooked up with the GPS which makes flying a breeze. It makes me feel like I'm flying a mini airliner. read more