wordfromthewise

hey everyone,

i am moving to phoenix az next month, i wanna continue flight training there. what are some of the best schools in your opinion. take into account cost, quality and availability of aircraft and instructors.

thanks

AmazonChitlin

I'm loving Chandler Air Service (www.aerobatics.com). They have a nice sized fleet, everyone is really nice, and the price is decent.

I haven't had any problems with aircraft or instructor availability.

I also looked into Falcon Executive Aviation, and it seemed like a decent place to go also. The reason I didn't choose there was because it wasn't as "family-like" as I hoped, and the airport is really busy. The instructor I talked to said that they have an average 30 minute wait at 6:30am in the run up area!

On the western side of Phoenix, there is Glendale Aviation, which I looked into and was told that they would have trouble fitting me in because of lack of instructors. That was a few months ago though, so things may have changed.

I'm not sure what's all available at Deer Valley, Gateway, Steller, or any of the other airports here. I also have no info on academies like ATP or Pan Am, Sabena, etc.

Drop me a PM if you have any questions!

DitchDog

Try Westwind at Deervalley. I have flown (and worked with) lots of guys that went to school there and then worked the charter side. They all had positive things to say about the school.

BoredwLife

It all depends on where you live in Phoenix. Driving across Phoenix to get to one airport or the other can COST HUGE amount of time and money.

Chandler airservice is great. SOme of thier instructors are a pain in the a$$ and think because they have 10 hours flying aerobatics that they know everything. The Owner is a Jerk flat out. But still a great school.

I would also suggest Pan Am and ATP. ATP would be my first choice. This is just my 6 years of experience flying in the phoenix area. If you give me your location I can get more specfic. PM me.

__________________
The usefulness of a cup is its emptiness.

rthompsonjr

I'm biased since I teach here but I like ATP. I did the Private and Career programs in PHX and loved it.

dolemite

any more info on Chandler Air Service would be greatly appreciated. Certain instructors perhaps. What their gimmick is and hows the training?

daytonaflyer

I would avoid Chandler Air Service. I used to instruct at IWA about 3.5 years ago and our school sponsored a safety meeting and invited all flight schools in the area. Most of them sent at least one representative. We discussed safety issues at the local airports and frequency congestion as well as what we could do to be safer pilots. Chandler Air Service was one of the only schools who refused to attend and they are one of the closest schools to our airport.
I had a couple students come from there and they talked about the lack of safety and standardization and how the disregard for checklists really bothered them.

celticpilot

I am an instructor at Chandler Air Service and have been for about 15 months. We specialize in old school stick and rudder. We have about 30 planes give or take a few. We do every level of instruction and specialize in tailwheel and aerobatics. We will teach you how to fly and to truly understand what you are doing. We will not cheat you out of your money and take pride in being one of the lowest priced, larger flight schools in the valley.

We are not an academy and we will not teach you how to fly a warrior like an airbus. You will fly the airplane that you are in and be very proficient at it. Most of our instructors are older (30's and up) career changers and have flown for years, not months. Amazingly our biggest critics are people whom have never flown with us.

You can learn an RJ checklist when you get to the airlines (they don't care where you went trust me). Most of our instructors are tailwheel and aerobatics guys and that style of flying filters down to primary training as well. As in you know what a rudder is for.

Come out and see us and see for yourself. My name is Justin by the way. Give us a call. Also we recommend you check out all the flight schools in the area to make an informed decision.

Glendale Aviation was good once, but they went out of business several months back. Phoenix is huge, so it helps to live in the area that you train. I drive about 65 miles round trip a day from Scottsdale to Chandler and I don't recommend that (gas being like it is).

Look foward to hearing from you.

480-963-6420
www.aerobatics.com

DashHornet

Go to different flight schools and talk to several instructors. The school doesn't matter as much as the instructor. I would find an instructor you really like with a lot of experience and make a deal. I went to several different locations in PHX and had good and bad everywhere. Chandler Air Service is a perfect example of the instructor means everything. I did some flying there three of four years ago and I saw good and bad. The chief instructor Kurt was awesome and probably one of the best instructors I have ever had, but he is busy and I would fly with others and they were nothing special. Also when they say they are old school stick and rudder pilots its because there aircraft are really really OLD. It all depends on what you want.

aviator77

Has anyone had any experience with Airsafety Academy in Glendale? My wife is looking to get her CFI and we're looking for a reliable school that isn't outrageously expensive. We looked at ATP but apparently they no longer offer the initial CFI unless you get the CFII and MEI as well. Also, we're living in Surprise right now and IWA is too far away. Any other suggestions for the west side would be great.