Training
Private Pilot
A Private Pilot license (PPL) allows you to fly a variety of aircraft with your friends, family, or solo. This is normally the first rating you’ll get if you want to fly for fun or to start out on an aviation career.
Minimum requirements:
40 hours total flight time, which includes:
20 hours of flight training
10 hours of solo flight time
Additional training and solo flight
Flight Review
Required by Federal Regulations every 24 months, this normally involves at least an hour of ground lessons on updates or changes to flying procedures since your last review and at least an hour of flying to go over areas you want to focus on or improve.
Minimum requirements:
1 hour ground lesson
1 hour flight lesson
Post-Purchase Training/Ferry
If you’ve recently acquired a new aircraft, we can help you bring it home! Your insurance may require a certain amount of training in the aircraft, and we can work together to plan a flight home that will help you get comfortable and proficient in the aircraft while satisfying insurance requirements.
Don’t want to fly it home yourself? We can also ferry the aircraft to your home airport ourselves.
Advanced Mountain Flying (weekend course)
Want to take your mountain flying to the next level? Spend a weekend flying through some of the Mountain West’s most stunning vistas and into and out of iconic airstrips across the Sierra Nevadas, the stark landscapes of Inyo Valley, and over legendary locales like Black Rock Desert (Burning Man), Death Valley, Tioga Pass and Yosemite, and many more. By the end of the course you’ll have seen much of what the mountains have to offer and will be ready to tackle new adventures.
Course consists of:
Two- or Three-day long course
Cross-country flight from home base (KPAO) to a variety of locations in the Sierra Nevada mountains out to Arizona (time and weather dependent).
One or two overnights at mountain camping locations or popular mountain destinations (Tahoe/Truckee/Kern Valley/Columbia/etc.)
Experience operating at a variety of airports, both controlled and uncontrolled, and with varying terrain and altitude considerations.
Commercial Pilot
A Commercial Pilot license (CPL) enables you to get paid to fly, and is the stepping stone to a career in aviation. This rating requires you to already have a PPL and some experience flying.
Minimum requirements:
250 hours total flight time
100 hours PIC time
20 hours of flight training
10 hours of instrument training
10 hours solo flight time, including specific cross-country flights and night flights
High Performance and Complex Endorsement
These endorsements enables you to fly faster and more powerful aircraft like the popular Cessna 182 or Cirrus SR22 and retractable-gear aircraft like the Beechcraft Bonanza, Mooney M20, or Cessna 182RG.
Requirements:
We’ll generally spend an hour on systems and procedures that differ with HP or complex aircraft
The flight portion may take between 2-5 hours, depending on your proficiency.
Mountain Flying
California boasts stunning peaks and beautiful airports nestled among verdant valleys. As a pilot, Tahoe, Big Bear, Lassen, Yosemite, and so many other destinations are easy day trips - but flying in the mountains brings unique risks and challenges. Sign up for mountain training and learn how to take advantage of these incredible destinations safely.
Course consists of:
Ground instruction on performance and weather considerations for mountain operation
Flight to a variety of airports in the Sierra Nevada mountains, both controlled and uncontrolled, and practical experience operating at different altitudes/DAs and airfields.