Took my first demo/introductory/discovery flight at OC Flight Center. Michael was my flight instructor and he let me taxi, takeoff, talk to ATC, do flight maneuvers, and finally land. Amazing instructor, beautiful views, and a surreal experience! $150 is a great price point as it includes both the plane and the instructor. Generally most planes rent for around just that price. They let my wife tag along in the back seat for $35 more. The experience starts with checking in at the front desk and signing waivers. Then you do a quick run down in the office with your instructor of what to expect during the flight. Then they take you out to the airport and do a pre-flight inspection of the plane. Finally you're seated into the pilot's seat and start taxing out. Total time in the plane was about 45-50 min of which 25 min was in the air (from take off to landing). We also lucked out in that they assigned us to their newest plane (a Cessna 172S - N227WC). It came equipped with a G1000, which was awesome! It was so similar to my experience with the Cessna 172 in Microsoft Flight Simulator. :D Michael was a super attentive and encouraging flight instructor. I loved that he gauged how comfortable I was in the plane and let me do so much more then I was expecting to be able to do on my first flight. I loved that he let me make the calls to ATC. Also it was incredibly cool taking off and landing by myself (with his guidance of course). Michael spent a lot of time after the flight answering questions that we had. In total my wife and I spent about 2.5 hours at OCFC. I will definitely come back here if/when I want to start my PPL training--hopefully with Michael as my flight instructor! read more

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My daughter is getting her Instrument rating there. Every time she has a check ride scheduled, the airplanes go down for maintenance. This results in her needing another training flight to be prepared after the delay. It's been three times now. Every time she does another practice flight, it costs approximately $600. Meanwhile they are soliciting for students from India when there are airplanes without engines or down for maintenance. Their maintenance shop can't keep up. On any given day, 80% of the fleet is grounded. Highly recommend going elsewhere. This coming from a retired 777 Captain and IA/A&P. read more

If there is less than one star to give this school I would choose that. Been asking the school director Niki Shetty for my money on my Account for over a month now , after I decided to drop off the program but every time I call and email he delay the process. . Not professional behavior from A LAWYER. read more

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Amazing school to kick start aviation career! Has accessible ground school for both Parts. They take it seriously. Also, learning aviation rely on self study heavily, so expect to be organized and learn to become professional yourself. read more

Orange County Flight Center - 916UT - Flight Instruction Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Very poor management. I called to schedule ENROLLMENT, as in here you go take my money so I can get started. I called and spoke to Angela to get enrollment started that week. However, Angela indicated that she is not available that week. We called Monday. Apparently, she is the ONLY ONE who can help with enrollment. A single point failure. I wanted to meet with her to get started so she scheduled for Saturday the following week. We waited another week to get enrolled. We showed up to get enrolled and she was a NO SHOW! How unprofessional. The front desk said that they will try to enroll us, however at that time it was very chaotic since someone took off with a plane that was already reserved by someone else. Bottom line. The way the whole Administration and business operation is being managed poorly. We ended up leaving. We NEVER GOT A CALL BACK from anyone from OCFC, especially Angela! Very unprofessional. I am glad we experienced this before we enrolled. They are in a good location but should change the people they have running the show trained on professionalism and business management. Now, someone posted here about scheduling flights and not being able to get hours for flight. I saw that happen real time. Someone was asking about schedules and availability. Looks like planes are booked weeks and even months ahead. Also, even if you reserve your plane, someone else can take it like we witnessed Saturday when we showed up. Be cautious and pay attention to the reviews. read more

STAY AWAY, YOU WILL LOSE OUT I signed up for flight lessons at Orange County Flight School back in April and in 8 months I have only been able to accumulate 28.9 hours. Shortly after I signed up for their 141 program, the owner decided to bring in more than 50 international students. In order to keep up the requirements for their visas, they are given priority for flights which has caused them to cancel ALL of my flights and the flights of anyone else that is not an international student. THERE ARE 4 AIRCRAFT THAT WORK AND 9 THAT DON'T. That's right, 4 aircraft working and 9 do not. When I signed up for the school, the owner Niki assured me that he had bought numerous Technam aircraft that were on the way. I questioned this, as I work very closely with the only people who sell Technams in California, but he assured me he purchased them. When I spoke to the owner of Cielo Blu, Kayla, she told me there had been no purchase and they had not heard back from Niki in some time and they had been trying to contact him. He lied to my face, full stop. When I called him out for lying, instead of backtracking or seeking clarity, he doubled down. I discussed this with a few of the other employees at the school and apparently he had invoices that showed he made purchases. I have no clue if he just made up the invoices or what, but they do not exist. The aircraft that are at the school are in complete disorder, many of which I have NEVER seen move from their tie-down parking spaces. I do not understand why he won't fix the planes. I have gone out to a lesson before and my aircraft wouldn't start. I was NOT moved to another aircraft as there are no other aircraft. I had to just go home and hope my next appointment wasn't canceled (it was). My next flight was supposed to be my first solo flight ever. That was weeks ago, and the confidence I had built has been completely shattered by continuous cancellations, meaning that now I must pay for a few MORE lessons to regain the confidence before soloing again. That is, if I can eventually solo, since all of the day time slots are filled with international students. I had to BEG for appointments yesterday and even though I now have 3, not one is during sunlight. You read that right, I have not even soloed yet and now the only appointments I can get are for night flying (a completely different stage than I am in), as ALL OF THE DAY SLOTS ARE GIVEN AWAY exclusively to international students and there are ONLY 4 WORKING AIRPLANES. I cannot get a refund from the front desk, but instead the owner requires students to write him a letter (he wont discuss it in person) explaining why they want a refund. I am not a child. I am not going to write 'daddy' a letter to get what is mine. I am in the process of burning off the rest of the money in my account so I can go to a different school. Don't waste your time here, it is a total scam. All of your appointments will be cancelled and you will never progress, but will be forced to spend more money due to the inept owner. Even the military discount is a scam, as it does not apply until you have accrued 40 hours of flying, which I am not able (not allowed) to do as I am not an international student, therefore not able to reserve an aircraft. Go next door to Sunrise Aviation, they have a dog and it won't lie to you. read more

Amazing flight experience. Amazing school. Andrew was my instructor. He is awesome. He taught how to fly well without nervousness. Highly recommended read more

Orange County Flight Center - Flight Instruction Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Niki Shetty, who manages OC Flight School is a terrible business person. Staff are great to deal with, but Niki is extremly unprofessional. I booked a discovery flight on Sept 9th, 2024 for Sept 13th, 2024. I was not told there was a non cancelation policy. On Sept 10th, I called and requested a cancelation due to not being able to finance the cost of the flight center training. Angie, who gave me a tour told me over the phone to email Niki Shetty requesting a refund. One month later, I was never contacted back by email and decided to show up personally to OC Flight Center. Again, I was told Niki was not available and out of the country but to hand write a letter asking for the cancelation even though I showed them that I emailed Niki over a month ago. I asked Angie to call Niki on the phone so I could speak with him personally. When on the phone with Niki, he told me I was not entitled to a refund and to "get the hell out of his office or he will call the police". The flight school may be great, but I would not trust any finances with Niki. I was also told by staff, they they recommened to student pilots to only "pay as you go", because this has happened in the past where Niki has refused to refund their money. Niki-Alexander Shetty is a horrible person. read more

Nah, nasty place - its the upper management.... I got excited and paid a k (block rate) to find out that i cannot fly from FAA, the owners are now doing everything they can to sit on the 1k i dropped. Rude as hell on the phone and they even to go the extent on hanging up - when posed with questions. Terrible place to go and deal with these (.....) read more

Pretty cool! The guys are very friendly and helpful My first demo flight on Sunday morning A trip from irvine to Dana point I controlled the airplane for 5 min and took a U turn Good experience read more

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Terrible flight school. The planes are sub par. Sometimes they didn't even pass pre flight inspection. Very old and run down. When we left the school they refused to refund any of the money in out account even though we requested it in writing as per our contract. The director Niki Shetty is a terrible business man and his character is atrocious. He avoids emails and phones calls. Please avoid this school at all costs. read more

Thank you Andrew for great instructions. I was nervous because of my first lesson but he is very calming and a great guy all around. I enjoyed my flight very much. Ps: very tall and handsome guy too read more

Orange County Flight Center - Flight Instruction Near Me - Santa Ana, California

This flight school is amazing. Front desk is extremely friendly and helpful. Instructor (Nolan Ortiz) is excellent and knowledgeable. Highly recommend this flight school for part 61 as well! read more

First flight in a Cessna 172sp. Was very fun and exciting. Was able to bring along a second person with the instructor. We flew to Dana point and through Irvine over the toll roads and back to John Wayne airport. My instructor Graeme was very patient and very thorough. He let me take full control of the plane at times and helped me understand what I was doing and why. Great experience read more

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I would avoid OCFC at all costs. If you have to use them, I would only pay as you go. The owners and management avoided me for over 8 weeks while I was trying to contact them to work something out with a $5000 credit I have on file with them. After sending them a demand letter, which I never received a response to, they deleted my online access to schedulepointe.com, your online portal for the school to schedule instructors/ aircraft /electronic logs/ accounting for credit on file. I emailed asking them why they would do that and finally the owner, Niki Shetty responded. He claimed I was not enrolled as a student at the school in the last 4 years at all and has no record it. After hearing this I had no choice but to file a law suit to try to get my money back. read more

Flight school here was an excellent (albeit very expensive) experience. Cynthia Nguyen is the epitome of what a flight instructor should be. She was always on time, worked around my schedule, and even spent a lot of early mornings with me to help me get my license on my timeline. She is/was pretty stern but always pushed me to fly and learn as best I could. Could not have asked for a better flight instructor. She should probably get a large raise due to the quality of her instruction. read more

Received a Groupon for a Christmas gift for the Orange County Flight Center. The Groupon was for 2 hours of instruction and flying time (combined) for $79. I called the facility to make a reservation and had no issues. Arrived at my scheduled time. Plenty of parking was available. The office is clean and decorated with aviation memorabilia. I was introduced to my instructor, who was pretty outgoing and friendly. After signing a waiver we drove to where the aircraft was and went through a checklist to ensure the aircraft was flight ready. I performed a few of the items on the list, like checking the fuel of the aircraft to make sure there was no water in it and that it was the right color. I also opened the fuel lids to make sure there was fuel in the wings, since at start-up anyway, you don't rely on the gauges. Interesting. After more clearances and checklists, we were finally airborne. We flew over the beaches south to Dana Point. Visibility was outstanding and we could see out to Catalina Island. We could see a pod of dolphins down below and lots of boats. This was my first trip up in a propeller driven plane. It was a great experience. My instructor was pretty good. I had many opportunities to fly the plane, including turns, climbs, descents, and adjusting the throttle. He obviously handled the take off and landing. We were airborne for about 60 minutes. There was no hard sell for future lessons, which I appreciated. This was an introductory flight and as long as the instructor is good, the lessons really just sell themselves. I'll definitely be back at some point. I really had a great time. read more

Orange County Flight Center - Flight Instruction Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I received a groupon certificate for a flight lesson at Orange County flight center from my girl friend as a gift! The certificate included flight instruction and a 1 hour flight lesson hands on in a Cessna with an instructor. My instructor was Jonathan Kridler, he was super friendly very informative and not awkward to me in a small cockpit with at all! He let me take off and made me feel very comfortable at the controls of this single prop plane! All the communication with air traffic control was very intimidating but my instructor Jonathan took care of all this for me and explained what exactly he was communicating. The plane was in great condition, I was also informed of other plane options for future flights according to what I wanted to achieve! It made me realise my dream goal of getting my pilots licence for private use was not so much of a dream but a reality! They also have a flight simulator option for Instrument rating qualification making it a cheaper option for people on a budget wanting to learn how to fly in lower visibility. I had an awesome time, thanks to my girl getting me the certificate, I also saw the pricing for further lessons and it seemed very reasonable. I hope to return very soon. If you're at all interested in this definately go check them out at their website! Thanks for reading. Luke read more

Orange County Flight Center - Pic courtesy of my girl. Here is Jonathan running me thru a pre flight check & how & why we need to do this before every flight - Flight Instruction Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Worst business, no response after multiple inquiries about learning how to fly. I just want a few simple answers and very misleading as friends have started here flying and Leaving due lack of communication, Aircraft, and uncomfortable front desk. Very unwelcoming atmosphere as everyone seems miserable working for this fight training company. Even during my third and last flight! read more

My time here at OCFC has been life changing; they stay true to their motto, "training to live by". I finished my private certificate here in June and started instrument training on July 5th. Now, on August 5th, I took my first stage check (out of 3 to finish instrument). Throughout my training here I've had different instructors; some were very good, and some of them could have been better. They weren't all perfect by any means (and neither have I been as a student, in all fairness) but for every concern I had, Annie took it upon herself to ensure that it was addressed. As typical in flight schools, they have a standardized lesson plan for every program that is usually divided into three stages. The student is assigned specified readings before every lesson. Pace of progression in training is proportional to how well you've studied the assignment (learned the hard way). At the end of every stage is a check where one of the head CFIs picks up on the pilot's deficient areas and makes recommendations. My current instructor Maggie has been an amazing teacher for instrument. My private instructor Ed is an experienced airline pilot who made maneuvers and navigation around SoCal's airspace stress-free. As far as the aircraft go, most of the fleet here are clean and they're all maintained and inspected in a timely manner. My favorite is 5CS because it has the Sirius XM (how the kool guys do their cross countries). Overall, I'm happy to have done my training with OCFC because they've taken care of me and made sure that I am as proficient and safe as I can be. I had to do my part and apply myself for that result, but if you do that, they'll do their part and make a great pilot out of you. read more

Really bad planes. Advertise an hour demo flight.. what that means is less than an hour in total. We maybe were in the air for 20 minutes. I get it, money, expenses but don't promise something and not deliver. Then I flew with an instructor whom completely disregarded my request of not doing steep turns and some other maneuvers this flight. She did them anyways. Sigh. I decided against coming here also due to the fact that the planes are trashy and old and I'm surprised can still function properly. Location wise and office wise, clean and neat. All in all would say to stay away if able. read more

I cannot begin to express the wonderful experience I had the last couple of days with Linh Nguyen at OCFC! My primary flight school is in Apple Valley, and I've been on a slow quest to obtain my private. Apple Valley airport is non-towered, so I've been having difficulty learning radio comms. A pilot friend recommended I take a few lessons out of a busy towered airport, so based on another friends advice I contacted Orange County Flight Center. I also grew up in this area and visiting John Wayne as a kid on a regular basis definitely fueled my passion for all things aviation. From the moment I called and spoke with Zak and Taylor on the phone, to Annie who I think is the office manager, to my amazing CFI, Linh.. I could not have asked for a more smooth and cooler experience :) Linh obviously enjoys teaching, is enthusiastic and is filled with knowledge. She is kindhearted, super pleasant and made me feel so very comfortable. As soon as I pass my private checkride, I hope to complete my commercial with her, actually! Her thorough explanations were so easy for me to finally understand! I guess you can say some things I've been struggling with finally clicked! As for the office and lobby, it's so organized and comfortable! The airplane we took up was an older model Cessna 172. I've been in much newer planes that weren't nearly as gorgeous and well-maintained as 9HS! It's clear OCFC knows how to run a flight school. Thank you, Linh and everyone! I look forward to some continued lessons! XO read more

I highly recommend OCFC for flight training. My son just obtained his private pilot lic and we give a lot of credit to OCFC and their structured program. Maggie was a wonderful instructor and went out her way to ensure he knew what he was doing, was prepared and safe. He has nothing but high praise for her and the entire team. read more

Great experience on my introductory/demo flight today with Anne! She was a great instructor and was thorough in teaching on the ground and while up in the air. Would recommend the experience to anyone. Will likely be back to start progressing towards my private pilots license read more

This is by far the best flight school in SoCal. The instructors are all very knowledgeable and very skilled. I have gotten all my ratings here and I am now working on my CFI and it has been a great experience since the day I started flying here. They actually keep the planes in great condition unlike some other flight schools at SNA. They have great prices on their aircraft rentals and Gary the owner is a great guy and will do anything to help you. read more

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Thank you Dane for the outstanding experience and professionalism today with my demo lesson. It was wonderful!! OCFC is definitely where I would go to pursue my licence. Thanks to all and Happy Flying!! JoAnn read more

Great atmosphere and friendly helpful instructors. I followed the instructions given to me and took off on an introductory flight. I felt confident in the school and the aircraft while taking my first flight. I have only taken one demo flight so far at this school, and I am not a pilot. That being said, as a newcomer I would happily walk in to OCFC any day. read more

Great day for my son on his first discovery flight. Thanks again to Dane and Mathew for making us feel so comfortable from the front office to the flight everything was simple and straightforward. Would highly recommend OCFC. read more

I write this not out of spite, but as a warning to any new students looking to begin their aviation journey. AVOID THIS PLACE. I began flying here in March 2019 and all the way through August, I had not even landed the airplane, let alone solo. I thought to myself that maybe I was just a slow learner but I thought about it after talking to at least 25 different pilots at my workplace and at the airport and I came to the conclusion that I was getting screwed out of my time and money. This was my training timeline: 6 months, 18 flight hours, and $11,000 had already been spent for barely even learning how to perform basic maneuvers. (For reference, a private pilot-VFR license should total up to about $15,000 and I was about a tenth of the way through my training for already three fourths of the total estimated price.) About 70% of the time my instructor, Gregg Plambeck, didn't even let me fly the airplane, he didn't let me course correct in flight and he would take over the aircraft before I could get a good feeling for the controls. He also rigged up my ground instruction time, and with just 18 hours of flight time, I had already done 48 hours of ground with him where he not only explained things terribly but also could not admit to his own knowledge-based mistakes, thus dragging out the session time (since they get paid hourly.) He would give me study material beyond my level and try to convince me that I did not study the next time we would meet. Basically he made it impossible for me to learn effectively. Whether my instructor was deliberately trying to hold me back, or if he was just a skittish and forgetful CFI who had no business being a Certified Flight Instructor, I still don't know. I also had a coworker who experienced these same hindrances from the same instructor at this school. And after a long discussion as well as taking advice from at least 20 different other pilots at the airport I confronted Gregg about my cost concerns. First, he tried to convince me that a private license should cost $35,000 (which is just under the cost for obtaining a commercial license.) I asked him to confirm that he was talking about a private license vs a commercial license being so expensive and he basically told me to quit bothering him and soon took me off his own schedule to make way for students who were flying more expensive aircraft. He also told me I should quit flight training altogether because I was not ready to throw away money blindly on ineffective training. It was at this point I knew I would not be spending another dime here, but I wanted the money back that I had been practically robbed of. It was about 2 months later I was actually able to meet with Alex Beckman, a Chief Flight Instructor, and discuss my troubles with Gregg in an effort to warn him about what Gregg and possibly other instructors were doing to their students. (To no surprise, Gregg for some reason could not make this meeting in which I had specifically requested for him to be there.) Alex did not start off the meeting by asking me what my concern was. Instead he gave me a lecture on their methods why it was usually students faults for their troubles and for making even the smallest mistakes. And then to little surprise to me, he defended Gregg's words, actions, and methods as well as his ridiculous figure of $35,000 for a private license. It now made sense why the first words at the airport when someone asked where to begin flight training were literally this: "Just don't go to OCFC." Also instructors here will also drag out portions of the flight such as a 2 mile extended downwind and an extremely wide traffic pattern to run you high on engine time. So if they don't manage clean out your pockets on ground time, they will do it in the air whenever possible. If you got to this point, thank you for reading and please spread this message. There are at least 4 other flight schools that I know of operating out of John Wayne Airport such as Royal Aviation, OC Flight Lessons, and Pacific Flight Aviation, so if location is a primary concern to you, then these are some alternatives. And make sure you talk to people a bit from each place before you settle with one. I cannot guarantee the total price for you, but it should be somewhere between $11,000 and $18,000. read more

So I had the desire to learn to fly and I started doing research on places that will take you on a "Demo" flight, to see if you like it and want to take further lessons for your license. I found two places to look into further based on positive online reviews. The first one I found was disappointing, the instructor didn't seem interested in teaching anything, he just wanted to get me in the air and let me control a bit. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for and I was kinda turned off. I decide to try again and go with my other option, Orange County Flight Center, which was closer to home anyway. The place seemed to be a good fit to do the "discovery flight" with and see if I was actually interested in taking further lessons. I first made an appointment and they had to reschedule me a couple times. But they were very straightforward and professional about it. I finally got to the office for my discovery flight and it was a very simple process. Quick paper to sign, show an ID and wait for your flight instructor in their very comfortable lobby. I wasn't sure if it was going to feel busy or crowded, because it is based at John Wayne airport. But it actually didn't feel overwhelming at all, in fact the opposite. Then my instructor Linh Nguyen came out and introduced herself. She immediately made me feel so comfortable and any worries I had about the experience completely disappeared. Her smile and excitement in teaching me to fly was wonderful and refreshing, especially compared to my last experience. From the moment we started walking to the plane, she asked about my desires with flying and explained exactly what we would be doing. She was extremely informative and most importantly, patient with my complete lack of aviation knowledge. We went over everything we were doing and she seemed enthusiastic about it, even though she's probably been on hundreds of flights at this point in her career. I know a lot of flight instructors are just interested in building flight hours for their next venture, but I did NOT get this feeling from Linh at all. When we were in flight, she explained everything we were doing and let me fly most of the time myself. I couldn't have asked for a better experience, she genuinely seemed to enjoy teaching me things and that made it fun. I am most likely going to sign up for further lessons for my private license with Linh and if the rest of the training experience is anything like the demo discovery flight, I will be very happy. I will keep everyone informed if/when I start the process! read more

Great flight school! I've received training and have done many aircraft checkouts at several flight other schools and OCFC is by far one of the best I've experienced. I came in with my commercial pilot license to complete my flight instructor rating and it was a seamless transition. John Prince was my excellent CFI who helped me pass the CFI checkride on the first try! It's very well run with well maintained aircraft and a great team of CFIs. I had no problem getting scheduled or getting aircraft. The staff in its entirety are very helpful and I would recommend OCFC to anyone who is interested in flying or just wants to rent. read more

Needed to take my FAA drone test; this place was a good choice. Very efficient, friendly, clean and I thankfully I aced the test. Will come back again, because why take chances? read more

Gary the owner is a great guy. I trained with Mike Morgan as my CFI and passed my Check Ride no problem. Mike and I became great friends along the way. I did my stage Checks with Barry and Matt Harlin who where awesome too. The entire OCFC team worked like a team to get me through. I would highly recommend OCFC to anyone looking to fly. I am a loyal and satisfied friend/Student/customer of OCFC. read more

I have been flying out of OCFC both as a student and renter for several years. Without exception, this is a first class operation. Gary the owner is a fabulous person as is his staff. The instructors are really engaged and make the learning experience fun. If your a student, you will be taught the "right" and safe way. I finished my Private several years ago and am just now finishing my Instrument. I highly recommend OCFC for lessons and rentals. read more

This has got to be one of Southern California's finest flight schools. Every call I made was responded to promptly. All the others either did not respond or were too busy.Took a demo flight & Pete Angelici the CFI that took me up was very thorough explaining the basics. I now have a new friend in the cockpit called the "trim wheel" Thanks Pete for the introduction! I cannot leave Matt out at the front desk with this review. He was very patient & informative with my multitude of questions. So far my top pick of flight schools in my search of training. I hope to be flying with them soon! My medical cert comes next. read more

This was my fist time flying a plane and OCFC made it memorable. Please see my pictures and story about my flight: http://eugenesulyma.blogspot.com/2012/05/orange-county-flight-center-john-wayne.html read more

I had always wanted to become a private pilot, but I had put it off for a long time because I thought the training would be difficult or that I would have to train at a set pace and a set time a certain number of times a week on a structured schedule, but what I found out was that I was able to set my own schedule and train as often or as infrequently as I wanted. When I first called the flight center, I told them I wanted to train to be a private pilot. They recommended I take a demo flight, which I did. During that flight, I got to take the controls and do a few turns and things. At the end of the demo flight, there was no high-pressured sales tactic or any pressure, really. I called back a few days later and started my training. The instructors are really good. They always answered any questions I had and, more importantly, were constantly feeding me information that was really helpful. When it came time for my checkride, I felt like I was really prepared and passed it without any difficulties. One thing my friends ask me is "How long did it take you to complete the training?" That's one of those interesting questions that's hard to quantify because it depends on how much time and effort you put into it each week. I completed the flight training a little over a year ago and have been renting planes from Orange County Flight Center since. I also like the location of the airport. Flying in and out of John Wayne is a great experience. When you make your final approach into Santa Ana, you fly over the 405 freeway and land adjacent to the incoming commercial traffic. That's a pretty neat experience by itself. The rental aircraft are also well-maintained. Scheduling a rental plane or an instructor is easy and convenient. Most of the time, I use the online scheduling feature, and even though I'm only checked out for Cessna 172s, Cessna 182s (Turbo), and the Piper Archer, they have several other planes to choose from, too, including a Cirrus SR-22. read more

First sent email with my info to contact me which they said they never got, called them to set up appointment went in on scheduled day, they said they have been trying to call me but girl who took my phone number down put in 1 wrong number, they told me plane for demo flight down since weekend due to maintenance(this was now Tuesday) so rescheduled for following Wednesday then they tell me plane still down for maintenance. Due to half ass run company they have lost my business read more

I have flown out of OCFC since 1992. The service,planes,flight instruction,rental planes and owner Gary have always been tops. See you guys soon. Thanks Rob M read more

I can appreciate the system of which flight schools operate, as I am have been flying airplanes out of JWA for over 25 years. I have seen flight schools come and go. I know the management and owner of OCFC and his aviation involvement. One would be hard pressed to find another individual in aviation with his credentials and level of involvement. I have flown many different makes and models of GA aircraft, including small jets and larger turbo props. While I am not claiming to be Chuck Yeager, I do have over 600 hours of flight time under my belt and try to stay as current as possible. I believe safety is paramount in aviation. I want to be safe and when I fly my friends and family, I want them to be safe. I have accumulated these hours mostly by renting airplanes from FBO's at JWA. Plane ownership for me has not made sense. Until now. Unfortunately, with my recent work schedule I went 3 days past the 90 day rule to stay current with OCFC's insurance requirements. The regiment is 3 touch and go's every 90 days for insurance requirements. Yesterday, we scheduled a flight up to CMA for dinner with family in Camarillo. OCFC's dispatcher informed me in needed to go fly with one of their instructors for 3 T/O's and go ahead and take the airplane up north. Easy pezzy. Not so easy. They set you up with a instructor (who has likely less flying time than I) and you are now at his mercy. Remember flight instructors only get paid when they are working with a student and are basically independent contractors in charge of their own income and generating student prospects. They can be fun to fly with or they can but their flying ego to work on you. They can make the process simple and accomplish the goal quickly or hook their wagon to you wallet and pull you around until you either catch on or go broke. I have taken "duel instruction" with many instructors. I have had honest ones and the "milkers". Unfortunately, my last experience was one with a "milker". When ;you change instructors or your regular instructor moves on or is unavailable, there is a good chance you will get a "milker". The latest "milker" took what was a quick review and treated it like i was a beginning student. While I appreciate tips, I don't like being berated, intimidated and talked down to like I have never been in a airplane. This instructor had no interest in my past flying experience, my hours, my ratings, nothing. He was a new instructor and needed to enhance his income and hopefully get more students. I flew 4 perfect "grease" landings for him, just as the requirement stated. He choose to reinvent the wheel. My wheel. I could go into a lot more detail on how his teaching and flying methods compare to mine and the instructors who fly for major airlines, that have worked with me in the past. Not to mention the Charter Pilots I fly with periodically and I get paid for doing so. FYI: If your going to take up flying, beware, there is much more to learn than just flying an airplane. read more