I was to take my instrument written exam at Piedmont Flight Center at 3PM on the 7th of January…read more2014 and was greeted by the owner as I stood waiting at his counter at 3:05PM. He had been out back in his hanger. I introduced myself as a test taker, and he told me in a very surly manner that there was to be no test for me today. The tests were administered from 10AM to 3PM and he had sent his proctor home. I think he is a liar. He was very brusque and nasty, and told me that I should have called his office in advance, although I had scheduled my test through CATS as is the procedure. I was prepared to take my instrument written and drove all the way from Fairfax to pay this company a good deal of money for the right to take this test, and was greeted by this nasty man. I did leave, after he begrudgingly gave me his name, and was unable to take my written exam this day. My hope is that others will read my story, and not give this poor businessman their money. It is no wonder why he has lost the fuel business at 2W6, and his operation shrinks every year. I have spoken to others who have dealt with this pitiful operator and they have had very similar experiences with this surely operator. I hope you all stay away. I will do my best not to give him any of my business, and to see that my aviating friends stay away from this lousy operator.

If you are looking to become a pilot, this is the to go! The CFIs are excellent and the curriculum…read morethat NAFC uses meets FAA standards. The CFIs work together to prepare the students for check rides and the pass exams.

This place is excellent! I recently took a flight lesson from them, booked through…read morethingstododc.com. I paid maybe $160 for a half-hour flight with maybe a half-hour of pre-flight instruction. I worked in aircraft simulation for many years, so I was familiar with the pre-flight procedures the pilot went through before the flight. We flew over downtown Annapolis and the bay near the Naval Academy. I was able to handle the controls for maybe about ten minutes. The scenery was fantastic from about 1500 feet up. It was just like being back in the simulators years ago. I don't know If I will get a pilot's license, but I would definitely go through them if I did. The instructors are very knowledgeable and professional. Excellent job. No complaints.

I recently earned my Private Pilot License (PPL) with Pilot in Training Flight Academy, and I…read morecouldn't be happier with my experience. From my very first discovery flight, I knew I was in the right place. My instructor, Jan (CFII), was incredible--he is really a great guy, highly experienced, patient, and always made me feel at ease. His great sense of humor was an added bonus! The owner, Slava, is also a great guy and genuinely cares about each student's progress. He was always flexible and responsive. I also had stage checks with Jeremy and Dost, who were both excellent instructors and added to the solid training I received. The academy's professionalism, organization, and strong emphasis on safety gave me the confidence I needed to ace my checkride. I am now continuing my Instrument Rating (IFR) training with them. If you're considering flight training, I highly recommend Pilot in Training Flight Academy.

Jinlin was my ground instructor and she was thorough, clear, and super helpful. 10/10 experience…read more Plus I was part of a nearly all-women's class, and as a woman this made me super happy.

Most instructors don't really care about your personal goals. If they do, they often lack patience…read morewith someone who hasn't flown before. I went through several instructors trying to find one who would actually stick with me and help me achieve what I was paying them for. Instead, it felt like some were just trying to build hours or take control of the flight, and I ended up wasting thousands of dollars.

This is a large family owned and family run flight school with 4 locations. My background is…read morehaving ran a twin-engine flight school and a single-engine flying club in Georgia so when I surveyed the schools as a place to do my flight reviews, and send friends and their children to, AvAd came out on top. They also have been one of the main schools at Leesburg while others have come and gone. They also hire and train students and retired or career changing professionals to run the front desk, giving them aviation management and dispatch experience. I have flown with a few of the instructors up here and they are all different in how they teach but all are focused on safety, fun, learning, and promoting aviation. "Uncle Mike" is a fantastic advocate for aviation and even politely spent time going over weight and balance. I was 314 or 317 at the time and made it down to 270, which opened up the ability to fly other aircraft like the 172z. I made it down to 253 a few weeks ago and 230 will open up all aircraft, help me live longer, and make it easier to pass my 2nd class medical that I need for my commercial. Mike reviewed this with me very professionally, very politely, and shared his journey with me. He also took my son for a lesson. You would be hard pressed to find a better instructor, human being, safety, and aviation advocate. Safety is always at the top of my list because mistakes in aviation can be very unforgiving. You can fly safely in safe aircraft and still have fun. My favorite instructors are "Uncle Mike" and Mitch. However, I have also really enjoyed time learning from Bob, Ray and past instructors. Buck left for OpenAir, Dan went to fly KingAirs and Connor went to fly Learjets. This is part of aviation. Instructors are hard to find and good instructors are Unicorns. AvAd has had quite a few unicorns and some remain! Eventually they will build their 1000 hours with a degree from Liberty and go to the airlines with their ATP-R or get their 1500 and move on. That's just how aviation goes during a strong economy. Their aircraft are well maintained, particularly for flight school aircraft. I really enjoy flying the 182, the Cherokee Six, and the Grumman Cougar but also dropped weight so I could fly safely within the weight and balance envelope in the 172. My goal is to drop enough weight to fly LSAs like the 162 for fun! Bob and his family are amazing for aviation and have stellar employees and nice aircraft.

I have been flying since 2005. During that time I have used a variety of flight schools and…read moreinstructors, but hands down, 1World Aero has been the best I've experienced. The aircraft are clean, well maintained and comfortable. They decided to stick with mainly Socata planes because of their comfort and handling characteristics. The management is incredibly detail oriented and I am always left feeling like I haven't missed a thing when I go back for some recurrent training or practice work. If you are looking to fly, do yourself a favor and at least check 1World out to compare. Once I discovered them, I wished I had found them sooner.

I've been flying with 1 World Aero for 7 years, and they're a fantastic organization! The planes…read moreare maintained in fantastic condition, I feel very safe every time I take one flying. Terry Russell is an outstanding instructor, manager, all in all pilot, and I highly recommend any flying you'd like to do at 1 World Aero!

I have had the pleasant opportunity of visiting Trident Aircraft twice now. I drive or fly from…read moreManassas Virginia for two reasons... 1) To experience professional instruction and service and 2) To fly the T-34B which is the on the list of some of the most fun you can have with your pants on. Dealing with the professional and knowledgeable customer service staff makes schedule an introductory lesson a breeze. I've dealt with Christy and Peter and they are both very personable and approachable. NEVER had a bad experience with the customer service staff. They are one of the reasons that I continue to give Trident Aircraft my business. Once I arrived to the office for my lesson, I was greeted by whomever saw me walk through the door. The instructors carry themselves in a highly professional manner and there are obviously knowledgeable over the subject matter which they teach. After a quick and thorough briefing, you're wheels up and on your way! I am quite impressed with how the flight school operates and although they are small compared to some others.. they make up for it with the wonderful services they offer to the aviation world. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't really drive the 2 hours to visit the airport. Trident Aircraft has an outstanding, well maintained fleet that would make any pilot's jaw drop. Thanks for the unforgettable flight time, Trident! I'll be seeing you soon! Sam.

I just had my first experience flying a small plane yesterday. The guys over here (Taylor & Nick)…read morewere very nice and accommodating. My girlfriend and I went up for a scenic/lesson flight around Kent Island, and it was both thrilling and beautiful. It was also surprisingly simple to get prepared - we were probably in the air ten minutes after parking the car. As it was my first time, I don't know how Trident compares to their competition, but I definitely had a great experience.

I had a discovery flight this morning with Jonathan Outmezguine (adding his last name just incase…read moreanother Jonathan is there) from Washington Flight Academy, and it was such an amazing experience. From the moment we started, he was incredibly friendly, calm, and easy to talk to, which made a huge difference as someone who had never flown before. He gave clear, helpful direction and made flying feel way less intimidating than I expected. His patience and confidence really stood out for me, as well as how comfortable he made me feel the entire time. He also went out of his way to capture a lot of footage for me, which I really appreciated. Overall, my instructor was great and made this such a smooth, enjoyable first experience. I highly recommend flying with him, and I'll definitely be back again in the future.

This was a really cool experience! Israel was a great instructor, explained things well, and was…read morepatient. Definitely take some Dramamine as the cock pit is warm, lots of gauges to keep track of while watching the horizon; I love roller coasters but this had my stomach turning I do not recommend for people who are sensory sensitive. There is a lot going on to include broken chatter from other planes and Control constantly streaming over the radio (headphones). I don't think passengers would be affected when sitting in back. Definitely recommend!!

It was easy to get checked out in their Cherokee Six with the new G3x touch. The instructor spend…read moreabout 45 minutes on the ground and about an hour in the air with me. We were able to go through the nuances of that specific model. Eventually I ended up flying on one of their adventures, with a friend of a friend, and really enjoyed their Manassas office and aircraft. I will say that they had a few more people in Manassas but I also really enjoy the folks up in Leesburg.

I hate to give anyone a poor review, but Aviation Adventures was one of the worst experiences in my…read morelife, and I was in the military. I had to leave my first flight school because the college I was at was not affiliated with that flight school. Aviation Adventure is. First to start, I had at the time around 70 hours of steam gauges. Due to COVID I had not received flight instruction in almost a year. I brought up an issue I had with a CFI and after that it was down hill. My new CFI was horrible. I was his first student and he told me in the plane that he didn't want to be a CFI but was forced to because of a deal he made with Bob Hepp after buying a Cessna from the University of South Dakota. He said I needed to be there an hour early, but would show up sometimes 30 min late. When I asked for ground instruction on the G-1000 he said it was a waste of time, we would do it in the air. Going from steam to G-1000 was tough in the air. The CFI insulted me, cursed at me and told me I was acting like a sensitive millennial. He went on a rant while I was flying about people being too sensitive. I didn't feel comfortable asking questions because when I did the guy told me I was stupid. When getting ground instruction and my CFI wasn't on his phone he was chatting with other CFIs. At one point he made fun of me in front of other students and CFIs. It finally came down to one last flight and I had enough, after the guy yelling and cursing at me I just wanted out of the plane. I pretended to not understand trim so he would end the lesson early. I am sure there are good CFIs at Aviation Adventures, but I never encountered one. The CFIs I encountered were vindictive, Bob Hepp bashed me at my college, and my CFI wrote nasty notes in my online record. Why? I asked for help, I wanted a new CFI, I wanted instruction on the G-1000. Flight training is expensive, it takes a lot of time and study. Aviation Adventures treats student pilots horribly. We are paying customers, but are treated like dirt. I almost quit my dream of flying because of my experience with Aviation Adventures. I was excited to start there, there aircraft are nice, you get experience at a towered airport. That aside, you want tailored instruction, in a friendly learning conducive environment look elsewhere. I concur with the other reviews, it is not a place where student/customer concerns are valued, they are punished till you get frustrated and leave and Bob Hepp has your money.

Pat and his team are amazing - came out to help one of our CFIs with a low tire. Much appreciated.read more

Nick, Pat, and the rest of the staff at A3 do a great job keeping my Bonanza healthy. Although not…read morethe "popular" FBO on the field, they do good work for a fair price and provide realistic scheduling, important aspects in the aviation business.