Took lessons here. It was a very fun experience. What made it more fun was the fact that the owner…read morewas very much a good guy who's always around. They have an instructor assigned to you from the beginning. I liked my instructor. Except when he makes me dip the plane to the left when he knows that's what I'm scared to do :). Dipping right was never a problem for me. He was very good and patient that on my third week I could land the plane on my own. Reasonable private lessons. Their planes are clean and never a wait to start a lesson. Loved every minute of my time at this school.

Unfortunately I was late for my appointment so i dont know whether i got the full allotted time or…read morenot. Since I was late i got put into the flight simulator asap and before i knew it i was in the damn plane lol. Overall, I had a great experience. You get a lil nervous when you taxi the plane on the runway. More jitters when it starts to go faster and then bloop uve taken off and are suddenly airborne. It was totally cool and Jonathan my instructor (at least I hope its Jonathan) let me do most o the flying but always made sure we were safe. If you are worried you can always let the instructor take control (and sometimes he will) but theres no fun in that. The intro to flying lesson I got was from Amazon local deals. Like i said it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend you try flying vikings if ur in the area as its not too far and the instructors are definitely knowledgeable and friendly.

Bad experience. Didn't get shown anything and was a waste of time. Instructor did everything and…read moredidn't bother to teach

Every year I get myself something for my birthday. Usually, it's something from a department…read morestore. This year, I decided to give myself an experience. The Sundance Flying Club has a pretty crappy website. But don't be fooled by that. If you're looking to pay extra for a pretty website and a prettier office, go for it. If you're just looking for great people who are experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly, give Sundance a call. They answered all my questions before I showed up, and they answered a whole slew of other questions while I was there. Also, I learned that I'm actually too short to reach the pedals :/ (That's right, if you're short you might have issues) But no fear, we found me a booster seat! For a full hour I was a pilot! Master and Commander of the skies! It was fun and controlled, mixed in with just the right amount of bumpy air. After I landed, I got a certificate and my official first pilot hour logged! Truly Awesome.

Really solid business. I highly recommend Shane as your CFI, he's almost always available and…read moreflexible with your schedule.

Flight Dogs is such a nice flight school with well maintained planes that fly great. It is a very…read moreclean and friendly environment where anyone will feel welcomed. Their aircraft rates are nicely priced and their 172's all have upgraded avionics. They also have a couple of Diamonds (DA40 & DA62) along with simulators. I believe Flight Dogs gives you the most bang for your buck when it comes to everything they have to offer in comparison to other flight schools in the area. They just opened a second location at Stockton airport which is great because it shows they are moving in the right direction with be being successful. Their Instagram account is well kept and provides helpful information. I am currently working on my instrument rating and I am very pleased with how the process is going. Between the aircraft and the overall friendly environment that this school has to offer I am genuinely glad to give them 5 stars. And you can't beat their name with their unique paint scheme!

I'm learning to fly here at WVFC. It's a fun low key club with lots of planes, lots of instructors…read moreand two airport offices (KSQL and KPAO). They also offer ground school and have a few simulators you can rent. They do a lot of club activities in the Palo Alto office. The onboarding for a new pilot who's learning to fly is great.

I've been a member of West Valley Flying Club for a little over a year and I recommend it highly. I…read moream 61 years old and have always wanted to fly but my wife and I raised five children and until recently, the priorities of family life consumed all available time and money. My instructor is Scott Stauter and from the very first demo ride I felt safe and confident in flying with him and learning from him. I also attended ground school at West Valley with Wes Irish as the instructor. Due largely to excellent instruction, I was able to pass both the written and practical private pilot exams on the first attempt. It is a large club with a large and diverse fleet of aircraft as well as a large number of instructors. I suppose with ~40 affiliated instructors there may be a few bad apples in the bunch but I've flown with six different instructors for various check rides or special instruction and they all demonstrated a high level of professionalism and competence. Each instructor provided constructive criticism and suggestions for improving my game that I felt were given in good faith and in my best interest. The fact is I don't pick things up as fast as I did twenty years ago but none of the instructors that I flew with left me with the impression that they were trying to run up the clock. The planes I have flown (five so far) are maintained well and the mechanics are accessible, supportive, and helpful as is the office staff. Scheduling planes and instructors is easily accomplished through an online scheduling system. I fly out of Palo Alto once or twice a week and there have only been a couple of instances when I couldn't schedule a plane when I wanted to. The club has a strong culture of safety and proper preparedness for flight. They have implemented several checks and balances to assure proficiency of both students and instructors as they progress through the training regimen. An argument can be made that they've gone a bit overboard with this and I can understand how this might frustrate some people. But I have to tell you that I went into the PPL check ride feeling calm, competent, and confident and that is exactly how I now feel when I take off with my grandchildren in the plane. All in all, I am very happy with my experience at West Valley Flying Club.

Kelly, my instructor, was fantastic! She's a highly professional CFI with excellent situational…read moreawareness and a very thorough approach to flying. I really appreciated her attention to detail throughout the training. Just a heads-up--this is a tough club to get access to if you're not already a member, especially when it comes to booking both a plane and an instructor. But if you get the chance to fly with Kelly, you're in great hands!

Pretty nice club however the checkout process is unlike anything I have ever seen with any other…read moreclub. I understand that the club has its own policies regarding club entry and has every right to choose its entry process, this is more of a personal opinion on that. Because you need to do multiple scenarios, that will pretty much equate to multiple flights with an instructor which can add up a lot of capital. This can be a pretty large barrier for those that do not have the healthiest finances. Aviation itself is already super expensive. My previous club consisted of one ground and one flight. Which would be around 500-600 dollars total. This club costed me about 2000 dollars for the flights I had to do to get checked out. They have multiple scenarios, which some should be combined. Scenario A- Flight proficiency in aircraft Scenario B- Bay Area flight operations Scenario C- Mini XC flight Scenario D- IFR Flight A and B should be combined. Scenario C is just another money grabber for the company completely unnecessary since Scenario B would show your proficiency in flight operations ADM, risk management, etc. From my previous club which is one of the largest in the world with a good safety record has a better checkout process. They are efficient and are aware of cost barriers. So they would combine multiple scenarios into one flight as opposed to separating it into multiple flights/scenarios such as this club. In that club we did one flight to one airport and on the way would perform the required maneuvers, diversions, emergencies, etc. Every member might have had a different experience than mine when entering this club, but this is from my point of view. Scenarios A, B, and D make sense to me, C is completely unnecessary. Other than the rigorous checkout process, the staff and instructors are very nice, the largest downside was the cost to get checked out due to multiple scenarios.

I recently started training with Jato Aviation and have had a great experience with everyone I've…read moreworked with. From the beginning, April (CEO) and Jim (Client Relations) made onboarding fast and straightforward, clearly outlining what I'd be learning and what to expect. My flight training with Jack has been exceptional--efficient, structured, and high quality. I've trained with instructors across the U.S., and he's genuinely top tier. He guided my transition into the G7, was responsive and available by text, and consistently emphasized the key safety considerations and how to mitigate them in real operations. Excited to continue learning with them.

They charged $200 for a 172 and instructor rate was $95 at least in my case. For a checkout I had…read moreto do 2 hours ground with the instructor. They were very proud and protective of their g1000 planes, it was surprising that one of the screens went completely dark right after the takeoff, but they charged me full price anyway. Maybe an OK school. I will never know, because for me just doesn't worth the price.

Flying with Suburban Air is a very fun and safe experience. Both Saboor and Jackson are great CFIs…read morewith an amazing attention to detail and lots of patience. I learn something new each time I fly with them. The aircrafts are well maintained and have latest avionics. I am happy with my switch to Suburban Air after flying with another club for 15+ years!

Learning to fly with Jackson has been such an awesome experience! He's super patient, easy to talk…read moreto, and really knows his stuff. From my very first lesson, he made me feel comfortable and confident in the plane. What I love most is how he breaks things down in a way that actually makes sense. He's great at explaining what you're doing and why, and he makes each flight both fun and educational. You can tell he truly loves flying and teaching--it definitely rubs off on you! Whether we were working on takeoffs, landings, or just practicing maneuvers, Jackson always stayed calm, encouraging, and supportive. He makes learning to fly exciting instead of stressful. If you're thinking about taking flight lessons, definitely go with Jackson. You'll learn a ton and have a great time doing it!

If you want to learn to fly safely and professionally, this is the place…read more Professional Flight Crew is, hands down, the best flight school in the Bay Area. Here's why: 1. Safety - when you get into a small gasoline-powered machine at 3,500 feet, you're putting your faith, and your life, in the hands of your flight instructor. PFC is obsessed with teaching the right skills and techniques to be a safe pilot, on good days, and in the event everything goes wrong. Their instructors emphasize safe operation, contingency planning, and situational awareness from Day 1. 2. Teaching skills - PFC employs the best flight instructors in the Bay Area. They have thousands of hours of experience, and they have taught hundreds of students to fly. Whether you're a natural ace, or have a fear of flying, they will teach you the skills and techniques you need to be a first-class pilot. 3. The instructors - PFC flight instructors have to be some of the nicest, most patient people on the planet. I have a good time every time I fly with them, and although I've made many mistakes, they are consistently upbeat, positive and encouraging. They won't tell you you've done a good job when you haven't (and you don't want an instructor who does!) but they will support you from your first lesson all the way to your Private Pilot License and beyond. 4. Equipment - PFC has some of the nicest planes and simulators available in Northern California. They have low wing and high wing aircraft, traditional and glass cockpits, simple and complex aircraft, and multiple simulators. Whatever you want to learn, PFC has the equipment to teach you, and it is all immaculately serviced and maintained. 5. Affordability - PFC has some of the most reasonable prices for both instruction and plane rentals in the Bay Area. Learning to fly is expensive, but PFC makes it a lot more affordable than most schools. I can't recommend these guys highly enough. If you've been thinking about learning to fly, this is the place to do it!

Professional Flight Crew (PFC) This is a great flight training school hands down! The aircraft are…read moremeticulously maintained which of the owner Mohamed Chabeene takes pride in overseeing..As a flight instructor here at the school the atmosphere is friendly and warm always when you come in the front door. Everyone is very happy! Congratulations to Warren House solo last week. Bob Quinn