I booked a 1 hour sightseeing flight for 2 people with Canadian Flyers Inc. out of the…read moreToronto/Markham Airport and had a fantastic time! The place hardy looks like an airport at all; the bumpy country lane off of HWY 48 leads to a dirt parking lot with an office that is a portable with a wooden porch and a fat wary-looking tabby. The washroom is in another portable with boarded up windows; I made the mistake of letting the door close behind me and was left in pitch darkness, it was pretty creepy until I turned the lights on. I only saw a men's washroom sign and was happy to use that toilet (with the permanently raised seat) rather than risking opening the other unmarked doors. But enough about the washroom. There are a number of old military planes on the property and we learned that the airport owner also holds a museum license so he is able to display some interesting aircraft. Once our rickety ride got off the ground it was pretty cool. Our pilot/instructor was Chang and he was very genuine and laid back. We enjoyed how he let us pick the route and was easy going about the whole thing. He pointed out landmarks to us and let my husband fly for most of the time. It is clear Chang loves what he does. The only thing that would have made this a 5/5 would have been price; over the phone we were quoted $220 for the ride and ended up paying $242 because were were out for a little over an hour but seeing as how that is in the pilot's control I think they just need to make sure the expectations are set out at the beginning and then make sure that is what the customer receives. I would certainly recommend an outting for sightseeing or lessons for the budding pilot. They also do charters so if you want to show up at your friend's cottage in style head up to the Toronto/Markham Airport for your own private flight!

Full disclosure: I'm a member and you can be too!…read more This place is too much of an awesome secret to not put on Yelp for those interested in aviation as a hobby or career. Short of owning your own aircraft, this is the most affordable way to learn to fly or if you're already a pilot --- the most accessible and inexpensive way to rent an aircraft. The WNYFC (Western New York Flying Club) is a not-for-profit corporation whose goal it is to make flying as accessible as possible. It works like this: you pay around $105/mo and you get access to 3 aircraft. You also need to pay a one-time joining fee of $600 (if you're a student pilot, you start with $350 and then pay the remainder of the balance once you get your ticket). They give you the keys to the aircraft and you can sign them out on your own accord by reserving them via an online system. All 3 aircraft are Piper low-wing planes. One is reserved for students to train on and the other two are for pilot's who already have their ticket. They can cruise a little faster and are a little more comfortable. It's too bad they don't currently have a high-wing airplane or anything with a variable-pitch propeller for faster cruising, but hopefully in the future they will at least add a Cessna (the web site is incorrect currently which lists 4 airplanes, but the Cessna is RIP). Rental fees are based on tach hours, not hobbs time which basically means that you won't be paying rental fees while the airplane is taxiing -- only measured by the RPMs of the engine. You're responsible for putting the plane away, taking it out and you're basically a co-owner of these planes while you're a member of the club. The fees you pay are what it costs to maintain them. This means that you can show up on work nights, help change the oil and learn a little bit about aircraft maintenance while connecting with other pilots. You're also responsible for wiping the bugs off and taking pristine care of the aircraft while you fly. As part of the club, there are currently three active CFI's who give lessons to students at $50/hour. There is Bob Smith (my instructor) who is a CFII and is certified to give you instrument training, Jeff Carrick who is a CFI and John J (who is also a CFII). I've reviewed my instructor separately if you're curious. In summary, if you're looking to learn to fly or are an active pilot who flies at least 3-4x a month, the flying club makes financial sense. You save a lot in renting fees and the process of taking an aircraft is easy as pie. You can even take one out for 7-days once a year if you want to fly somewhere for an extended period of time. If you fly for 5-8 hours, but take the aircraft out for 7 days...you'll only be charged for those hours spent flying and there are no fees for taking the aircraft out of service. You're only allowed to take it out for 7-days once a year without the board's approval, but if weekend trips to nearby towns are your thing, you're free to reserve the plane for a weekend as many times as you want. Cool club -- I'm grateful we have something like this in service in WNY.

I've been really excited to try out uFly Simulator because it honestly looks like the best flight…read moresimulator experience out there. The setup and reviews online make it seem amazing, and I've been wanting to book a session for a while now. The reason I've been calling is because I want to talk to someone directly about the sessions--what's included, what you actually get, and just to confirm everything before I buy. I think it's important to talk to a person that works there instead of just booking online. The problem is, I've been trying to reach them and can't get any response. I called almost a week ago, then again yesterday and today, but nobody answered. I also sent emails but haven't heard back. It's disappointing because I really want to go, but the lack of communication makes it hard to feel confident about booking. Hopefully they improve on this, because the simulator itself looks like such an amazing experience.

TL;DR: The instructor, Arron, was unbelievably great; The management and their booking and phone…read moresupport, in our experience, are a carcrash. My wife and I bought a 1 hour gold session for Christmas 2021 for our daughter and her girlfriend through Travelzoo. They booked it a few months later in 2022 with the lesser evil, Omicron, taking the next shift which of course, days before their scheduled event, got. While trying to reschedule a few days before the big day they were told they needed a PCR test to confirm so that the voucher wouldn't be voided; not an easy nor inexpensive task. They called back a few weeks later when they felt better to schedule a new date and were told nah ah, and that to keep the voucher active they needed to reschedule within 3 days and that they could have just done a rapid test. Wha?! But the girls were never told either of those things during their first reschedule call!; only that they needed a PCR test. uFly then told them that the voucher was void and we were out money and service. A handful of calls--with promises to call us back with answers to our queries that never happened--and it was now looking bleak and heartbreaking. So I called, on what turned out to be the last day of the voucher would be good for, asking for answers, asking for a partial refund, asking for something for our money, and instead got a wall of policy recitations. OK, whatevs. So we wrote it off as a loss and went on with our lives, sworn to remove uFly from our past and future. Three weeks later--just days ago--out of the absolute blue, on a Saturday, I got a call from uFly, calling to confirm my appointment for the next day at 1:30. Like, WHA?! I never discussed a date, nor did the girls. I told the polite and patient woman on the phone that "I mean, you guys blew us off!" I asked her to call my daughter, which she eventually did, though I was told that she called and left a message which my daughter confirmed didn't happen. They eventually connected and and my daughter was told she'd only have to pay the GST. OK, whatevs. Let's just do this, and hope they don't get there and find out it's not another runaround. The next day when they arrived they were told they'd have two hours (!!) but 10 minutes into the session an administrator came in, took Aaron out of the room and told him they'd double booked the session. The couple waiting in the foyer for their one hour session agreed to come back another time (I hope they book it within 3 days, ya know?) and the girls were off and flying. My daughter told me Arron was amazing. He was fully engaging and enthusiastic and professional and knowledgable and they all chatted and learned a ton and he answered all their questions and they loved it. When the two hours were done and it was time to pay, the administrator demanded they pay for the second hour, which they were never informed about! They wouldn't have done another hour if they were told this beforehand! Aaron fought the good fight for the girls but it was not to be. So instead of them paying the GST on 1 hour, which was on top of the original cost of the voucher, they had to pay that AND another hour plus GST. Unbelievable. Unfair. Unprofessional. What a mess. 7 stars for Aaron. -4 stars for everyone else.

What an incredible ride around buffalo! I highly recommend trying it out this summer. Can choose…read morebuffalo, Niagara Falls, or both. Such a different and beautiful way to see our amazing city. Everyone that I spoke with was so friendly,and they were accommodating about scheduling a time. Can't wait to go back again!

I had purchased a Groupon for Niagara Falls helicopter tour for our family. Mike was very friendly,…read moreaccommodating, and professional. He's an extremely good pilot and the tour is amazing! The views from the air are magnificent! I would strongly recommend the fly buffalo team and the Niagara helicopter ride! It is 20-25 min ride that's once in a lifetime, memorable, thrilling and unique experience!

We had an appointment at 12.30 pm to discuss the courses, we rushed in the snowing weather. After…read morereaching on time we asked to meet Sydney. The man behind the counter told us to wait there and did noy even offer a chair to sit, after waiting for 15 mins, Sydney seemed to me be surprised when I mentioned I had an appointment. She did not offer a smile nor an apology to have kept us waiting and after few mins, took us into the room and started talking to us in high pitched voice. The entire club people did not offer a smile to us and treated us like garbage, looking down as we are BROWN Skin. As a customer who was willing to spend $125000 on a course, I was highly discouraged by my overall experience. Probably only white skin people get respect and are treated well in this flight school.

Ask about hidden charges in restaurant. Ordered bacon and eggs comes with toast and home fries. I…read morewas disappointed when I received my bill and was charged extra for rye bread.

At the beginning of April, I made the decision to pursue a private pilot license. I love traveling…read moreand I figured that having the certificate would allow me to access destinations in a shorter period of time and combine my love for adventure and freedom as well as test my resolve and commitment to a new and arduous hobby. Every spare weekend and evening that I've had has been dedicated to flight training at the Lancaster Airport with my trusty instructor, Bob Smith (Robert C Smith). I found him through the Western New York Flying Club, which is a non-profit flying club whose goal is to make flying affordable and accessible to all. For $100/month, which covers insurance and maintenance of the planes -- you get to access their fleet of four airplanes practically at-cost for what it would cost you to own them yourself. You're basically a co-owner of these planes, along with all the other club members. The result? Much cheaper flying and instruction. As part of the club, there are a few CFIs -- those with a certified flying instructor rating who can help you on your journey to get your license. Bob Smith is one of those. A retired guy who has saved my life in the process of training, now...on at least on a few occasions. What I love about Bob is that he will let you make mistakes pretty ruthlessly as you learn to fly (it is a part of the process!), but he always keeps you safe as he's able to judge very accurately those moments when it's absolutely necessary to recover from that mistake. The result? Fast-paced learning. I've logged about 12 hours of flight time with Bob so far and last week celebrated a milestone of my first landing where he didn't manipulate the flight controls at all. No, it wasn't exactly a solo flight, but he didn't touch a thing. I was super proud of that and I'm grateful to have Bob as my instructor. His rate is $50/hour and you must belong to the club in order to access the trainer (unless you have access to a plane of your own), but joining is pretty simple and painless. It will save you lots of money in the long run as opposed to going to a traditional flight school. Another plus? It's super flexible as opposed to a flight school. He's available most weekends and you can schedule a few lessons at your schedule's convenience. I wish Bob would utilize a syllabus a bit more. The lessons feel a bit unstructured at times, but they do all come together. At first I was worried that "I wasn't learning," but after completing that "unassisted" landing in a Cessna 172, I'm 100% singing my praises for Bob. If you're considering pursuing a pilot's license, definitely look into him as one of your options!