Part 141 vs Part 61. The age old debate. here's where they get you: If you attend an approved college and get a degree in professional aviation, you can gat your ATP at 1000 hours instead of 1500. However, I highly doubt if I'd stayed with McAir, I would have gotten all the required ratings in 1000 hours. I was at this flight school for the first 40 hours of my training. It was an absolute money and time suck. Show up 30 minutes before each flight to fill out a weight and balance sheet every...single...time. The rates were 270/hr with an instructor when I started, and 320/hr when I left. on top of that, they have a late cancellation policy in which, if you cancel within 24 hours of a flight, they charge you for an hour in the plane, regardless of what the situation is. Let me give you an example. I had a flight scheduled for an afternoon after work one day. I had to be at work by 4:30 AM, so I went to bed pretty early. When I woke up, I saw that someone had changed my flight to start at 7 AM. No notice, no confirmation, nothing. I called to cancel and try to get it rescheduled. No planes available. Later that day, I was charged $320 for a late cancelation. I got my money back, after I borderline yelled at them. Another thing I'll touch on, is the airspace. KBJC is the most disorganized Delta I've flown in. Their system has many kinks, and it's not uncommon for you to arrive at 5AM for a flight, and then wait to take off for 45 minutes. Oh by the way, that whole time you sit on the taxiway with the engine running, you're being charged 320/hr. If you're pursuing your pilots license, go to a part 61 flight school, where the instructors actually car, and the price is a fraction of 141. I pay 240/hr now, for a nicer plane, with an outstanding instructor. I paid nearly $15,000 for 40 hours of flight time at McAir before I switched. All that money, and I still hadn't even soloed. If you're looking for a good flight school, Flights Inc at KAPA has been an outstanding flight school. read more

Started my Flight training in December 2023. Went thru up to 5 different CFI's until settling on the one I was able to get my PPL with. I was in the Allegiant pathways flight program. Very expensive plane rental $225 plus $76 instructor fees per hour. Did not get my PPL until March 2025 at a cost of $48,000 with 148hours of total time. I had no choice but to quit, not what I was promised. Not sustainable. On my way to a part 61, way cheaper and personalized. read more

Terrible flight school. All you learn is how to fly in circles and to touch and gos all day long. Zero practical skills gained

Terrible in every way. Predatory loan practices, horrible community members. There is no pilot shortage, graduated can't even get jobs.

The flight over Eerie, CO is my absolute favorite and the instructor had a close relationship with my partner and I. We enjoyed setting up the plane, checking the gas and oil gauge. We saw that the fuel stick was crystal clear of any debris and odd discoloring. This process didn't take much and whooaa and behold! We were departing from the taxiway and into the sky. My friend practiced landing for an hour or two attempting to master his landing game. I really enjoyed the part 141 aspect of it too. This school is dedicated to get you there. read more

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Newer fleet of aircraft, great CFIs, online training with King Schools, and partnerships with colleges through Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, Liberty University, and Metro State. read more

McAir Aviation - Flight Instruction Near Me - Broomfield, Colorado

So I would say that McAir flight instructor are good people. The way the run thing on the flight side for management is terrible, I go to MSU Denver and have yet met a person that hasn't received a PPL in less than double the amount of time needed by the FAA. If you are looking for a cheaper flight school this is not the one for you. Mcair will absolutely murder your wallet. My suggestion is keep looking for other options in 141 or 61. read more

McAir Aviation (yes, that's the name they went with) is something of a flight school. I came in with a gift certificate my girlfriend got me for flying a plane -- a first for me. They treat that basically as your first lesson, but with an emphasis on just having fun. I took a friend/passenger with me and we went flying in a Cessna 172, which seems like it's made of aluminum siding and is light enough for you to push around by hand. Jeff, my friendly and informative instructor, offered to postpone my first flight until a calmer day, but I jumped at the chance to make my first flight more memorable with gusting winds and turbulence. It's like a roller coaster, that you control, at 1,000 feet above the ground. What's not to love? For about an hour on the ground, I did things like safety checks on plane equipment and learned to read weather data. For example, did you know that pilots read "241728Z 2418/2524 24008KT P6SM FEW140 SCT220 " and automatically think to themselves, "oh, it's breezy out of the southwest and at 22,000 feet, there are scattered clouds." Because they do. Pilots love brevity, apparently. The flight was awesome. I took off with some rudder and throttle guidance from Jeff. Taking off and during the flight, I alternated between sightseeing and feeling the wind bounce the plane around while Jeff explained what to do with the controls. Pulling back on the yolk and seeing the horizon move below you is as breathtaking and turning the plane and seeing houses to your left. It's a great feeling of freedom and the wind gusts made it all the more fun to feel the give and take in the controls. Thankfully, they insist on doing the landing. Unless you're afraid of heights or flying, this is definitely something you should consider doing, at least once. read more

this so called flight school is an absolute rip off at $300+ per lesson. If you like being taught by kids younger and dumber than your own, go for it. They're idiots and set you up to fail! I have 30+ hours in stalls...are you kidding me? But the 'instructor' was able to get his 1000 hours to go with some podunk commuter. Another a**hole, she set me up to fail... After 60 hours I hired a mature flight instructor and soloed in 8 hours which should have happened here if they weren't concerned about every dollar that came through the door to support their operation. Stay away from 141 schools!!! read more

I could not have chosen a better flight school in this area to get my Private Pilots License. McAir provides a very comprehensive part 141 training course that thoroughly prepares you for the written, oral and practical tests. McAir instructors that I flew with were very knowledgeable and had an obvious passion for flying. The instructors were also available from sun up to late at night. I once had a night lesson that went to midnight. They have a modern, well-maintained fleet of aircraft and an easy scheduling system. One aspect of McAirs flight training that really put me at ease and allowed me to focus on my skills as a pilot is there eye towards safety. Safety is emphasized above all else and the instructors are always making sure that when we go fly it is safe to do so. One word of advise though: don't come in thinking that you MUST get your license in under 50 hours like what most of the advertisement materials say. Certainly strive to do that but understand that it's pretty tough to do. I had an unrealistic idea of how many hours I would finish with so when I hit that 50 hour mark it put a lot of unnecessary pressure and doubt in mind. I had Cory Peterson as my primary flight instructor. He is a very professional, personable instructor. I never felt like I had to hide my worries or frustrations over the course of my training. He would always respond with a level head and words of encouragement. He showed complete confidence in my piloting abilities. I know I was able to get through the course in the time that I did (just under 3 months) because he allowed me to make decisions and encouraged me to truly act as pilot in command instead of doing too many things for me. I was lucky enough to also get to fly with Dylan Bergman and Nick Plomer who were both fantastic as well! The chief pilot, Patrick Blanckemeier, is a very approachable and dedicated guy. Pay attention and listen up when you get a chance to fly with him. Thanks for everything McAir! I'll see you soon. read more

I would recommend McAir Aviation to anyone who wants to become a pilot, receive an additional rating, learn about aviation, or just take a scenic flight around the foothills of Colorado. I first arrived at McAir frustrated with another flight school I had been working with. The other flight school had aircraft that was constantly down for maintenance, causing frequent scheduling problems, even when scheduling exams with the FAA. When I looked at other flight schools to switch to, McAir became the clear front runner. At the time I was looking to finish an instructor certificate. My instructor at McAir, Luke, did an excellent job tailoring my training based on the experience I already had to help keep costs lower. He even worked around my schedule and would meet me for instruction as early as 6am. Luke did a great job taking what was once a stressful situation and turned into a pleasurable one that left me feeling confident both for the FAA exam and to actually start teaching. Scheduling never became an issue because of the 13 airplane fleet, and the full time mechanic on staff tending only to the McAir fleet. It also helped that the fleet is comprised of 11 new generation Cessna's and 2 Piper's in excellent condition. I think the biggest difference at McAir, versus other schools that I've worked with and looked into, was the professionalism. When I first arrived I was given a tour of the school, met the owners, John and Gary, then sat down with Luke to develop a training plan specifically for me. Even the dispatch process at McAir was more detailed than any other school I've flown with, to verify that you've checked all pertinent information regarding the flight that day. After receiving my instructor certificate I didn't even bother applying to other flight schools because I knew I wanted to instruct at McAir for all of the reasons already mentioned. Being familiar with the school, and being taught at McAir, made the hiring process and transition to instructing much easier. read more

The search continues for the right flight school for family member. While I have known this school well thought the years; new ownership has changed it. Now, they seem to only be interested if you sign up for the full Spartan College experience. At least for us, this is totally unneeded. Just give me basic flight training and let me become a pilot. Nice place, but to focused on the full, high cost program. read more

SO disappointed in the handling of the cancellation of monthly dues. The only way to get any return phone/email was to threaten to contact my cc. I hate doing that! John was offensive and I do NOT recommend this company. Flight training was fine...it's the management that could use some extra skills training. read more

Great flight school! I've been flying here since 2014 and every day since I started, I walk in the door and I feel like I'm their most valued customer. Everyone else I have talked to I feels the exact same way. This is an amazing school with quality instructors that do everything they can to make sure you have a positive learning experience. I have flown at several other flight schools before hand and none of them seemed like they cared about me as a student more than they cared about my credit card number. The owners, Gary and John, are some of the nicest people that you can have a conversation with and the Operations Managers always treat you like you are family. 5 stars all around, SERIOUSLY recommend this school if you are looking to get into flying or continuing your learning experience. Great experience every day! read more