SCFC is awesome. I'd been thinking about becoming a pilot for years, and finally decided to bite…read morethe bullet. After much research online, SCFC seemed like the best choice. I was hooked after the demo flight, and am currently 3 months into my training. SCFC has easy freeway access, and is great for both San Francisco and Penninsula folks. The staff there is super friendly and knowledgeable. The CFIs all seem to have full student lists and the ground instructors and senior pilots are top notch. There is a diverse fleet of planes and simulators available for members to rent and for students to use during instruction. The ground school offers two classes per week to accommodate people's varying schedules. Thanks to my ground instructor Herb and everyone at SCFC, I just passed my written test with a 92%! SCFC member for life.

Amazing supportive CFI and staff, very well organized syllabus and always opportunity to fly.read more

Came for my 30th birthday, left with one less irrational fear…read more I'm terrified of heights, but Nakela was so calm, funny, and reassuring that I somehow ended up actually enjoying myself. He made the whole experience feel safe and unforgettable. If you're on the fence (or white-knuckling it like I was), book with Nakela. He'll have you conquering fears and grinning the whole way. Thanks for making my 30th one I'll never forget!!! You rule!!

What a phenomenal experience! I surprised my husband with a Fly with Friends experience. No flights…read moreexperience needed, a pilot goes up there with you. Alexis took care of the takeoff and landing, and did an excellent job coaching my husband during the flight. I recommend this for anyone that wants to try flying and/or see the Bay Area from through new eyes'

I've been flying with Eliot for over 10 years. I am instrument-rated, and work with Eliot to keep…read moreup on glass panel skills and emerging technologies. He's a master at simulating challenging flight situations and instrument failures, and after years of flying Cirrus SR20s and 22s, both Avidyne and Perspective-equipped, I feel like we've explored every corner of those systems -- and yet on every flight, I still learn more. Eliot has the patience to take on the newest of pilots, but the depth of experience to train professionals. I can't say enough about his professionalism and his focus on making me the best pilot possible. I'd recommend Airfloe Aviation to anyone ready to learn how to command the aircraft they fly.

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.

Beware‼‼ Some kind of scam…read more Bought on their website through Yelp intro lesson as a surprise present for my husband, later I called to confirm the time and date, did not send any confirmation. They said that their pilot will call. A pilot called asking about my U.S citizenship and later offered illegal schemes for exchanging flights for weed. I do not know is it a new way of scammers but I am freaking out because their pilot keeps calling and harassing me. I blocked number but I left my address, full name and phone number on their website so I am terrified. I am this close to calling police.

I took an introductory flight with Binh today and it was great! From the time I booked my flight,…read moreBinh was responsive and very pleasant to deal with. She made me feel at ease when we met and judging by how meticulously she inspected the plane before we boarded, I knew I was in good hands. We flew a C152 and though it was a little windy, we had a nice ride over the bay. Got some nice views of Sausalito, TI, downtown SF, Alcatraz and GG bridge. Binh let me fly for a while and she was so good at giving instructions. Looking forward to learning from her and flying with her again. Thanks, Binh!

Luis was an amazing instructor. He had so much to share and was patient as all can be. He's chill…read moreand intelligent. Did this as a surprise birthday present for my man and he loved it so much. We will definitely go back and I suggest you request Luis. He's amazing Flight is over San Jose though not the bay view.

I have been training with Chris Murphy and he's an excellent CFI - I have learnt so much and made…read moreincredible progress on my private pilots license. The curriculum is very structured and the school has a very high bar for its students. The airplanes are a little old, but they are very well maintained with a dedicated team taking very good care of them.

I completed all of my Private Pilot License (PPL) training with Dmitriy, followed by…read morehigh-performance and mountain flying endorsements. I'm very satisfied with the quality of instruction--Dmitriy gives undivided attention to safety, pays close attention to details, and ensures a deep understanding of aircraft systems and emergency procedures, which could one day be crucial. I highly recommend Dmitriy for anyone looking to take the next step in their flying journey, no matter where you are in your pilot career.

I have worked with Dmitriy as my main CFI in West Valley Flying Club for checkouts, currency…read moreflights, and IFR instruction. His teaching covers many ratings and aircraft which makes it easy to continue training with him. He is extremely organized on his syllabus and always show up prepared for each and every lesson. You will know exactly what to expect in future lessons, how to prepare and plan, and what he wants to see for specific items. He writes detailed feedback on what went well and what to work on for every flight. Unlike most CFIs, he is not instructing to build time, or use it as a temporary job, or use it a stepping stone to the next opportunity. He seems truly passionate about aviation safety and has perfected his craft over the years of instruction.

I was a member of this school for two years and do not recommend this school to anyone to start…read moretheir flight training. Very time-consuming and expensive with respect to the quality of their training. They don't provide any agenda and reasonable schedule and lengthen the training with many unnecessary steps and paperwork to make more money. Nothing noticeably better than other places.

They don't let you get your PPL here. I could tell some instructors are trying to just get money,…read moresaying we need to sit down for 4 hours, he also said I was not close to the cross country solo even though I have 200 hours of dual, SWITCH immediately if an instructor isn't working for you. There are some good instructors here which is why I'm giving 3 stars, but there's also some really terrible instructors. I flew here a year and didn't make ANY progress except getting to the solo. Waste of my time and money. I recommend looking into a different flight school.

My 8 year old son has taken three lessons with Paige and Isabela. The lessons are 2 hours and they…read moreare both energetic and fun that the time flies by. My son has made clothes for his build a bear, a stocking and the warmest blanket with his fabric from his favorite sports team. He has a hand me down machine that they are teaching him to use. The studio has every tool you could imagine and tools you didn't even know existed! A special note that we have done one lesson during the pandemic. It was one on one without the parent present. He is familiar with the studio and teacher so this was comfortable for us. Both my son and instructor wore a mask the entire time. The studio is well ventilated. But most of all, my son was so happy to create and do something normal. It really brought him a lot of joy.

I found this amazing studio back in 2013, i was pregnant of my first baby so i bought i sewing…read moremachine, i always want to learn how to sew, i've learn so much with Isabela, she is an amazing person and instructor, today still if i need advice she is there to help, she does this amazing workshops, i did the pijama one, and now during the lockdown can't wait for another great proyect even if is trhought zoom. I strongly recommend her studio for a beginners even for little girls.