i went in to discuss returning back to flying after a long time away.mentioned was non currant but retired and just want to get back for recreation/fun.got very nice reception from abraham,filled an application(no commitment) talked to jim gray owner was very nice and having an intro flight w/abe no preasure.I FEEL THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO TODAY 5-8-2026.ALTHOUGH AIRCRAFT COSTS ARE UP,THEIR RATES ARE STILL REASONABLE IN THE BAY AREA AND THEIR INSTRUCTOR RATES ARE SECOND TO NONE (their helpful to teach not to make money? that says alot).if your older(senior like me) want to return flying or get the best rates for training/career,oakland flyers is the place. read more

Oakland Flyers - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

Working on my PPL here, just about 6 weeks in, I really enjoy it everyday and think most the other pilots, student pilots, and CFI's and owners have been courteous and encouraging. The building itself is older and has character, the planes are all in pretty good condition and my CFI Noah is on top of his game. No complaints here so far (as of 6/20/24) and I really look forward to continuing the pursuit of my goals and dreams. read more

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I highly recommend this flight club! I got my Private Pilot License here and was very happy with the process. My CFI had a good curriculum to set me up for success. He even worked around my full time schedule to help me achieve my dream The club owner(s) and other CFIs are also very encouraging. They're all very open to talk shop about aviation and answer any questions you may have. The staff genuinely wants to see you succeed and be safe which was my favorite thing. Don't hesitate to book a demo flight with them! read more

BEWARE: 9 Months And $10,469.00+ Spent... Zero Endorsements - Oakland Flyers Customer Review I logged 55.1 hours with Oakland Flyers and was an active student with them from September of 2022 until the end of May in 2023. My CFI told me the first week of April when we were flying to Napa that he was comfortable with me soloing at that point. So after that time I figured that after being very patient and getting most of my flights cancelled from weather that I was finally going to get to the main part of my currency that I needed for my license - solo time. So after that he told me to book my oral check with Jim but he was out of town so I would need to wait until he was back in town. I did wait, he finally got back back in town and I was able to schedule my oral check with him. Before that I did a separate oral check with my CFI to make sure that I was ready. That was late April - Jim's oral was finally in early May and frankly the oral was EXTREMELY easy - as it should be for someone with 80+ hours that has already passed their FAA exam with a 92. After passing that formality with ease I was told to schedule my solo check with another CFI. So I was told that Oleksii was the easiest to book with and to book with him but would have to wait until he got back in town - so would wait until then. Then scheduled the flights, spent 3 hours in the morning studying all of my maneuvers, chair flights, radio calls, etc. - weather delay. Ok, happens. Reschedule for the next week - my plane is unavailable so I let them switch me to another airplane that I haven't flown in a long time so I spend the entire morning on the internet watching videos of the Aspen avionics and doing chair flights and literally following 733ZK around the sky on foreflight to see what ATC is saying to them and prep for it. Then as I'm preparing my flight bag to leave that day after studying all morning I get a text that 733ZK has a maintenance issue and my flight is cancelled - the same plane that I followed around all day on foreflight - unlikely, but ok. Wasted the entire day studying and getting ready - happens. Ok time to reschedule but now that CFI is out of town - ok get another CFI and then rebook with them. Same thing, study all morning, prep, weather cancellation. Ok fine - time to rebook, no available CFI's, my CFI luckily finds one for me and gets me booked for Wednesday afternoon in the plane I liked at a time of day that it will likely not get cancelled - awesome setup, we have a shot at this. Here comes Wednesday be a good student, study all morning, ATC practice, chair flights, drive almost 2 hours through traffic to Oakland, get to Oakland, meet the CFI, pre-flight like a pro and inform him of the active TFR right next to us that he wasn't even aware of and be a good student. As I do the engine start checklist it's time to turn the avionics on and flick - they don't work. So we troubleshoot and end up grounding the plane. So spent the entire day preparing for this flight and now grounded - but luckily the CFI says 733ZK is available and we will just switch to that and I say awesome let's go I am ready and we go out and begin pre-flighting the plane and once we get to check the oil it's 1 quart low. Easy fix, we can just add a quart. But, since there was not a quart of oil in the back of the plane the CFI there was too busy and had stuff to do that evening so instead of going back to get the 1 quart of oil he cancels the flight. My advice to this company is to update your policies so good students aren't sitting unable to progress due solely to the club's mistakes. Also schedule your students hours more fairly so one student doesn't have all the horrible morning hours that get cancelled for months due to the marine layer that everyone who lives here locally knows about. I sit here with nearly 100 hours as a student pilot, 10's of thousands spent on training, and proficient enough for a check ride but can't even solo at Oakland Flyers. read more

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So, long story short... About ten years ago, as a freshly minted French Private Pilot trying to build up flying experience, I called Oakland Flyers to inquire about their fleet and rental rates. Fast Forward to present day : I am about two weeks shy of becoming an ATP Rated Regional Airlines Pilot. This place was my gateway to achieving my childhood dream. They are "Hella Legit", Just call or drop by if you wanna fly or learn how to, and they will deliver, don't worry about it. Yes, Jim may be kinda dry at first, but he cares. That's his baby. Plus he's a Gold Seal CFI. If you get a chance, ask for Drew, he's my go-to guy every time I need to use Oakland Flyers' services. As far as planes go, N553TP is on point! Only thing that needs to be improved: THE WEBSITE!!!! It's been the same for the past 10+ years! Guys, this is the Bay Area, we know how to code... Looking Forward to my next visit in KOAK read more

-Review for Groupon tour buyers. This was my first time on a plane. I needed a more personal experience due to my fear of flying and I have say it was the right call. Dean made sure that I felt comfortable and safe by answering my questions and explaining the process during the instruction and tour. His knowledge deconstructed my beliefs and fear of flying and his calm demeanor helped decrease my anxiety. I steered the plane for a while during which I felt more than accomplished on top of an already satisfying afternoon. Thanks O.Flyers!! Note, it is hard to reach/schedule because its not only the customer's and pilot's schedule that have to match up but so do good weather conditions. read more

Oakland Flyers - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

I've found a treasure in Oakland flyer club, he is captain John. During my recent demo flight lesson with him, he has shown proficiency, patience, dedication, and caring to me. This is the by far most pleasant flight experience I've ever had. He's a beginner friendly instructor who guided and instructed me with patience and dedication. He's a terrific instructor to have. In my near future, I have faith in him that I will be able to acquire my goal, that is my pilot license with ease while having fun at the same time. Again, thank you captain John for you unique and pleasant flight experience, I'm looking forward to do more lessons with him. read more

Thank you Oakland Flyers- I've officially flown a plane. This literally was a life changing experience for me and I couldn't have had a better pilot to be there for me. The sky is the limit right? read more

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I got all my ratings at the club from private to cfi. Learning to fly has been the best time of my life. I highly recommend Oakland Flyers. Best, Wolfe C read more

Hey..... I'm currently a gentleman of leisure.....ummm, ummm, let's learn to fly !! I live in Berkeley so Hayward and Concord are like 50 miles away. Oakland seemed like the logical choice. This place is a private school / flying club. Things are informal and the teaching environment is a little bit duct tape & shoelace, but comfortable. The planes and instruction are Top Notch! Protocol is adhered to. No short cuts in this place. Your ass is going to fly right. Most of the planes are Cessnas or Pipers. Little things with thin skin and takeoff distances in the triple digits so you might feel a little intimidated when taking off. Don't worry though, your instructor can fly like an eagle and do that crazy speak -- "Breaker, Breaker, Cessna 2163, blah blah, smokey, clearance, roger, over" -- and will get you back in one piece. So unless you live close to Hayward, Concord, Reid Hill, Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Redwood City, San Carlos, or Livermore ..... come here and learn.... Then when you're threading your way between Southwest 737's and United A-320's while speaking gobblely-gook into your headset, your sphincter will be relaxed because Oakland Flyers prepared you well ! Two pieces of advice - 1. Bring the behind the ear motion sickness patch. It helps. 2. Clear your schedule for at least 6 hours after your lesson and book a massage at NHI. You will be mentally and physically exhausted. read more

Oakland Flyers - 172 sp - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

Many people complain about problems scheduling. Yes, the Groupon process is a bit discouraging, but be patient and it will work out. Rick called back eventually and everything was arranged. Rick is a wonderful guy to talk to once you connect. I bought this flight for my son who is a true patriot of planes and I honestly could not imagine the experience to be any better! Our instructor was Panha Sethy. I am sure that there are a few "old aces" with great skill and knowledge, but Panha's calm confidence and sincere friendly attitude really makes this young man a perfect teacher! I am considering the club membership and we are definitely coming back for lessons with Panha soon. read more

I purchased a flight lesson through Groupon for a friend for Christmas. We tried calling twice, left messages both times on a machine that said please give them time to respond due to over whelming amount of Groupon purchases. Ok. Two months later and an email sent I still have not been contacted. I have now had to reach out to Groupon (towho will now try to get in touch with this company. I was SUPER excited for this deal but now am bummed and disappointed. I will re-review once this is resolved. So Groupon was not able to reach them as well and they refunded my money. read more

It was written by me jimmy. Also my flight instructor had to use the on board fire extinguisher TWICE on Oakland flyers aircraft mid flight. I repeat to everyone, that your money will be better spent elsewhere read more

Oakland Flyers - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

Marked my bday 2000 feet in the air. GREAT instructor. Very detailed from the time we entered their office. Took time to explain all the functions of the aircraft. I'm sure he's given hundreds of tours but he made us feel like this one was just for us. Clear day and got some GREAT views of the Bay Area. read more

Oakland Flyers - 2000 feet up! - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

Problems scheduling. Finally got through, they have very little space, and stopped selling the groupons. read more

Excellent customer service and was able to book lessons for my boyfriend on his birthday with confirmation with one phone call. The instructor was extremely professional and a very informative. We had the best experience flying over San Francisco Bay. We highly recommend Oakland Flyers. read more

LOVE! LOVE LOVE! I attempted to purchase this for my Husband's bday, but instead - got him his flying class through Fly Bay Area. And I got to do it with Oakland Flyers! (which in my opinion was even BETTER!) Our instructor, Ivan, was AMAZING! He def helped calm my nerves and we got to do a 360 over the Alcatraz, fly over the golden gate, and do a "touch and go". It was LOTS of fun and highly recommend them! I did an order through groupon - admittedly, it was hard initially to get a hold of someone. But hey, persistence is key and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!! read more

OH.AM.GEE!!! You guys, this place gets my highest recommendations! I got a Groupon for my bday to try this whole thing. My expectations were low since it wasn't something I ever thought about. I would like to start by commending Rick, the owner. Super friendly guy. I had questions and the guy went above and beyond even giving me his personal number. Who does that? Good guy Rick does! Thanks for everything. On my actual lesson, I got to fly out with Derek. The guy is a superstar! I felt super comfortable with him from the get go. He was super friendly to my boyfriend and myself. He gave me the opportunity to do everything from beginning to end. I felt like an actual pilot. Super stellar guy. Ask for him when you come here. Over all experience left me wanting more. And my god, more I shall have! The feeling of flying the plane and not just being a passenger is such an amazing and addictive feeling. Go, go do this now. Seriously, can't recommend enough. Run, don't walk. Do it! read more

I got my private pilots license there in 2008 and started my instrument rating. However I had a disagreement with the owner and canceled my membership and stopped my training there. The good: The planes are well maintained, the prices are better than most places, the instructors ( at least the three I had ) were really good and flying out of KOAK will really dial in your radio work and build a lot of confidence. The bad: Jim Grey, the owner, is not very good at communicating with other instructors or student pilots. It is obvious he loves his club, but can be emotional and unreasonable. The simulator had issues when I used it. Club rules did not seem very well explained or even understood. Bottom line: If you want to do a Bay Tour or even get your Private Pilots license Oakland Flyers is an OK option. Most of the instructors are great. However you will have to be sensitive in communicating with club management and proactive understanding the sometimes opaque club rules. read more

If you're looking for a beautiful sight or just want to learn something new, Oakland Flyers is your place to go. The lesson was informative and engaging. I was lucky enough to have the owner, Jim Grey, teaching me. The only downside you do feel quite vulnerable in such a small and "flimsy" plane. This was a gift from a good friend but I understand that it was purchased thru Travel Zoo. Best thing is to wait for a deal online in this half off economy! Other adventures I recommend are: indoor skydiving at iFLY in Union City, Hollister Soaring Center, SkyDance Skydiving in Davis, CA! read more

I have an awesome experience on my birthday. The instructor was cordial and explained everything in layman's terms. My wife & I had an exhilarating experience. Highly recommend. read more

Pretty disappointing. I purchased the groupon for my husband as a gift in December and called and emailed 5 times the last six months and no one has called me back nor emailed me. Talk about bad customer service... I am trying to work with groupon to get my money back since it's about to expire. read more

It was fun! My boyfriend took me on a date (I suppose) and since we were in the air, he sat upfront, he was the only one allowed to fly while I basically kicked back. The ride was smooth-so smooth that I was falling asleep because it was so calm. The scene is so pretty and looking down seeing my house made it cool as well. This was like a $230. deal but I just saw a groupon deal. I'm probably going to hell for even enjoying this "date" because neither of us bought it. Apparently, his ex girlfriend did and they never used it. They break up and 2 years later, we meet, and we enjoy. I would love to thank her, but I will just yelp about it instead. :) read more

Best Groupon buy and best experience ever! Beautiful Sunday morning to fly and see the city. Our Pilot was super cool, informative, and calm which made me calm. So mad at my self that I forgot his name!!! They did take like 2-3 weeks to call me back, but when they did call back they were all really nice and polite. Worth the wait!!!! Best date ever! Had to do something different and this was definitely it. I will be back guys! read more

I wanted to do an introductory flight lesson so I Oakland Flyers and set up an appointment. At first they were not sure if they had the time, but called back to confirm it. This was 10 days ago. I show up and they have my reservation, they have the plane, BUT they had not scheduled a CFI ( that is the Certified Flight Instructor0 to do the lesson. I did not get to do my flying lesson. :( To say the least I was really bummed, and when they asked if I wanted to reschedule, the answer is NO, you can not seem to get it right the first time, why would I gamble that you get it right the second time. If you want a lesson with them, I suggest you double check that all the components are reserved, booked, line up and confirmed. read more

I called expecting horrible customer service based on the reviews....Rick called me back right away and even gave me his cell phone, so that I wouldn't have any trouble reaching them. Really great company. read more

I bought a Groupon offer for my boyfriend for his birthday. I called about a week before to schedule. Unfortunately it started raining the day we chose. Nick made it very easy to reschedule for the following week. Nick was very easy going and informative. He made the flight feel very comfortable (and I am usually terrified while flying!) The views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline were beautiful! Thank you again Oakland Flyers! read more

Oakland Flyers - Flying over the Golden Gate Bridge - Flight Instruction Near Me - Oakland, California

Bought a GroupOn for my boyfriend as a birthday gift and joined for an additional $50 - we had a wonderful time with our pilot! Not to ruin any surprises.. but he got to take off and land the plane and we had the most incredible experience over the Golden Gate Bridge. Be prepared for many photo opps! read more

I've been taking lessons at Oakland Flyers for about six months now and it's a fantastic flying school. My instructor David Song is very detail oriented and does a great job of preparing students to fly by themselves once they get their license. Everyone at the flying school is really friendly and its a fun place to go. Flying is unlike renting a car, there are a lot more variables. Lessons or sightseeing trips are often cancelled because a plane needs maintenance or a CFI is not available. Oakland Flyers has a great system set up to try and minimize cancellations as much as possible, but it often can't be helped. They are a very busy school and there is a high demand in the Bay Area for airplanes and flight instructors. I highly recommend Oakland Flyers to anyone who is interested in going sightseeing or getting their pilots license. read more

I learned the my last post wasn't posted when I thought it was, I wanted to leave another post but wasn't able to. It seems updating my post is the only way to address the birthday experience. We didn't get to fly because of weather condition; however were blessed to learn about the plane and some very important details about safety. It was a wonderful, epic experience for not only my Birthday girl but my other daughter and my granddaughter with me included. I am sure the other lady whom was a sweetheart name Dora that accompanied us on our adventure felt the same. When we arrived, I was happily greeted with smiles from everyone. Earvie was a super cool guy!! It was our first time meeting him and he felt like family!!! I am afraid of being 20 feet in the air but after talking to him I am truly considering flying myself!!! I am very picky in whom I trust my baby with, not only did I feel comfortable, so did my reserved daughter and the daughter that likes almost no one!!! When we took pictures it felt like he had to be included!!! LOL. When Earvie took time to educate us of areas of the plane and flying I was blessed to learn that my older daughter had actually been interested, I would have never known had it not been for the time we spend with Earvie!!! He makes any mother smile as he is an example of what a mother desires in a son, and whoever raised him should write a book!!! I think that he may have discovered a new way to allow customers to have a more epic experience and a way to even charge customers a little more for the added experience (maybe 10$- 15$ per family). It would be worth it to have a tour of the air craft on a completely separate day then the day of actual flying if desired... I would say that it may increase possibility of individuals that have fear of flying to actually consider it, as it has me, Not to mention for the parents to have better knowledge and reduction of anxiety as they allow their kids to fly... even when they are 18 & 23. lol He totally rocks and so does this company that hired him ;) read more

Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe my experience with this club. Everything is contracted out (the planes, the instructors), so the number of each changes drastically and frequently. Because there are so few available aircraft, the ones they have are used more frequently and are, thusly, unavailable more frequently due maintenance. This includes times when it's important to have an aircraft, such as a check flight with an FAA inspector. Save yourself the time and money and frustration and go elsewhere. read more

I bought my fiancé a single flight lesson for his birthday and booked with Ivan. Such a great experience. Ivan was super knowledgeable and nice and made us feel safe. We flew around the bay for a couple hours and saw views of the city we've never seen before. We did a couple touch downs/take offs in Sonoma and fell in love with how much closer everything is by plane!! I loved it so much that now I'm thinking of gettin g my pilots license too! Will definitely be booking again to get those pilot hours in! read more

Received my private pilots license early February, and wow....I just can't get enough of flying. Greatest feeling in the world. Thanks to this club my dream of being a pilot came true, and David Song for instructing me through it all. I received my High performance endorsement, and a g1000 checkout just recently. Lately I've been on trips to Harris Ranch, Monterey, and Sacramento. I fly with confidence and a great deal of experience because of Oakland international airport. :-) read more

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They won't get you in, if you buy the groupon. They ask if you brought the groupon, and if so, say they're very busy for those and make you wait indefinitely, with no estimated timeframe. read more

This is a phenomenal experience! I bought a flight lesson for my husband on his birthday. We had Bob as our flight instructor. He is so nice and kind. He calmed me down when he found out that I was so nervous before we flew. The flight was so smooth and the view is outstanding over the Golden Gate Bridge. The reason why I minus 1 star is that scheduling the lesson is a pain read more

Bought a Groupon from here. No one ever got back to me. I called the main line to find that all days for the rest of the month were booked. Very disappointed because this was a gift for someone. Try other places with better customer support. read more

Oakland Flyers is a decent school run by a rather nice owner who cares about his students and works hard to ensure safety and a fun environment. However....a cautionary note for aspiring pilots and students: If you train at Oakland Flyers, there are CFI's to avoid. While many are ethical and professional, many are not. My CFI pulled the wool over my eyes for far too long. All of the CFI's will come off friendly, knowledgeable and trustworthy, but some are out to milk you for every dollar they can. This particular CFI had an hourly rate that is 20% higher than the other hard working CFI's. This CFI may overtrain you to maximize his earnings from your training. I found all this out when I worked with another instructor on my instrument rating after I had received my certificate for my primary ASEL private. The new instructor (at Palo Alto, not Oakland) concluded I was taken advantage of and told me it was "very common". If you are serious about your Private at Oakland Flyers (which, by the way is a good, reputable school), interview different CFI's before settling on one. These people are independent contractors working with the school, so it's in your best interest to choose one who is experienced, fair and VERY ethical. After your first 5 hours of flight time, agree to a minimum to solo, and how much cross country they will do with you. Get it all in writing and don't hesitate to fire them if they deviate from the plan. I wish I had. read more

Redeemed a Christmas gift certificate and spent an amazing hour over the Bay in a small airplane. Courteous staff setup the introductory flying lesson. Christopher Freeze, my flight instructor, was competent, friendly and assuring. We went up to 2000 feet and had incredible views of the Bay including: downtown SF, Golden Gate Bridge, AT&T Park, and Oracle Arena! The thrill was there for both my 9 year old son and I. Christopher's patience, knowledge and skills as a flight instructor were evidenced throughout the activity. I wanna learn more! read more

I wish I could give 0 star. I am so annoyed with this place. I must have called them about 10 times in a span of 2-3 weeks to book a tour for my husband's bday and no one ever calls back to schedule a flight. They literally forced me to buy the groupon so that they would call me back and I immediately did but still no call. I just asked them please let me know if any of the instructors are available or not? Still waiting to hear the reply. P.s I called 2 months before my husbands bday. Still no reply. read more

I love the instructors here at Oakland flyers, but they are under-resourced. I love it here because it's rare to find so many instructors that care about teaching their students instead of just using their CFI job as a necessary building block to get to the airlines. However, they don't have enough planes or instructors to keep up with demand. If you work a normal day job, you are going to have a hard time getting your license here due to scheduling conflicts and club rules that, while they possibly (only possibly) make things a little safer, really impede one's ability to finish different phases of training. My training has been delayed over 4 months in the solo and cross country solo phases of flight training because of this (and the delays cost me major bucks). Also, flying out of a class C Airport just costs more money since it takes longer to get up in the air. Anyways, if you have a really flexible schedule (like a college student), there isn't a better flight school. But if you need a flight school that will work with your schedule and really try to move you along, I'd recommend California Airways out of Hayward AP. Even though their planes cost more per hour, they will save you money in the long run. They have really impressed me with their customer service. That being said, if you are already a pilot, Oakland Flyers is cheaper for rentals and if you are only here for a bay tour, then this place is great too read more