Bay Area Flying Lessons

I choose Darryl as my CFI and used him through my Private Pilot License (PPL). Darryl is a career flight instructor and knows his stuff inside and out. It took me about 6 months to get my license and I would fly with Darryl an average of twice a week.
I am not a particularly good student and am a difficult «customer» — Darryl was patient with me and very encouraging. I coach wrestling and I see that Darryl has the qualities of a great coach — he will honey drip you when you do well — and immediately point out where you messed up. In fact, he builds to his curriculum mini-​tests that you are almost guaranteed to mess up, as instructional opportunities.
What I found particular about Darryl is his expert risk assessment ability. While training Darryl clearly knows where his students are and lets his students go right up to the «line» when practicing their skills. I found the ability for me to use my judgement in taking calculated risks around weather, airports, and routes was essential in my ability to operate under my own license.
I found that while Darryl is perhaps one of the most expensive flight instructor in the area, I feel that it was worth it. He is dedicated to his student’s success, is very organized, and flexible. I felt pushed the right amount and was never uncomfortable. I learned quickly with Darryl and felt I was well prepared for my PPL checkride.

I took an introductory flying lesson with darryl on a very basic plane with basic avionics as I wanted to have a feel of flying without any modern equipment support.
It was a mind blowing experience and darryl made it all easy for me to fly. 30 mins of explaining the physics of the plane and the controls and the next one hour of flight.
He gave me the entire control of the flight since the takeoff and the climb. It was a very good experience and I would recommend anyone to take his introductory course.
He was kind enough to allow my friend to tag in and sit at the back of the plane

I am a foreign pilot. I got my license in another country and was looking for somebody to teach me how to fly in the Bay Area. Long before coming there, I found Darryl’s website, did a little research on him and had a feeling he would be a good flight instructor.
Before my first flight with Darryl, I tried two different instructors who teach in the Bay Area. They were both very good but I liked Darryl’s style more. I think this is a matter of preference and one should always try a few different flight instructors.
He is very organized. He keeps notes on his students, so he knows what needs to be practiced or repeated. His teaching is goal oriented. I told him what my goal was (it was familiarization with the Bay Area airspace and radio procedures) and he was able to help me achieve it.
Darryl is excellent at identifying bad flying habits. For example, from the very beginning he pointed out that I did not use the rudder properly. With his help, I think I am better at it.
It is worth mentioning that Darryl has a lot of training aid files he emails before the flight. When I mentioned to him in an email that I wanted to improve my radio skills, he immediately sent me a document he made earlier regarding radio calls. This is very effective, makes the time in the cockpit much more useful. This is the thing I like a lot about his teaching style.
I liked that Darryl told me I could call him any time if I had a problem when flying. He is responsive, I think he cares about his students and is truly devoted to giving flight instruction.

I never flown before, but have dreamed of flight since childhood. After searching all over I found Darryl and did my introductory flight. I was hooked!
Darryl is the yoda of flight instructors and wants to see his students succeed. I’m on track to get my PPL and couldn’t speak higher of Darryl. He’s an amazing guy and outstanding teacher — wise, patient, personable, and is good at delivering feedback. If your looking to get a PPL I highly recommend his rigorous curriculum!

I purchased an introductory flying lesson for my fiancé on her birthday because of all the positive Unilocal reviews. However, the first hour (on the ground) with Darryl was completely unstructured and unprofessional — he tried up-​selling us 4 or 5 times in the first 45 minutes. The second hour, she actually went up for a flight with Gopal, who was completely professional, but the experience overall left us uncomfortable, and I don’t want anyone else to be fooled by the seemingly all-​positive reviews here.

Darryl, with his 20 years of experience, calm demeanor, patience, knowledge, and amazing gifts as a teacher is the absolute best instructor out there! Oh yeah, and he’s personable too!
The single greatest thing you will do in maximizing the chance of becoming a great pilot will be to select the right instructor. I tried multiple instructors because you only get to train to be a pilot once and this training is the bedrock to everything that follows. Knowing this, I researched extensively. I knew exactly what would work for my style of learning.
#1 I needed someone who would be patient with me and calm in the cockpit. It can be scary to ‘learn and do’ and at times you will get stressed. But you will minimize that stress if the person instructing you is calm.
#2 I wanted someone with lots of experience. Someone who had flown in both the left seat (as a pilot) and the right seat (as an instructor) extensively. Someone who could teach me based on what they had learned in their many years of being in the air.
#3 I wanted someone with a thorough background of knowledge and who had a gift for transferring that knowledge. In other words, I wanted someone who was gifted at teaching. You are going to love Darryl’s handouts!
#4 I wanted someone who was personable. While not the highest item on my list, spending this much time with someone to get all the certifications I’m seeking, well … the experience is so much more enjoyable if they are a likable person!
#5 I wanted my instructor to be a Gold Seal Flight Instructor. This basically means that the instructor has maintained a high level of flight training activity and has met certain criteria such as holding a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating, have an advanced or instrument ground instructor rating, and have trained and passed a certain number of applicants in the last 2 years.
Darryl knocked these requirements out of the ballpark.
I told my wife, after my month-​long search — I found my instructor! I’m now happily on my way to becoming a pilot.
Good luck on your journey!

Darryl K. could’ve been a physics professor but became a great pilot and an excellent instructor. Darryl is not just knowledgeable but what is more important he is able to communicate his know-​how to the student. He helped me tremendously by focusing on where I needed the improvements and suggesting the way to accomplish that. Darryl created a wealth of materials that complemented and even often replaced my readings recommended by other people. Darryl is very structured and clear so that it’s easy to follow his instructions. At the same time Darryl’s instructions are deep and comprehensive helping the student to better understand the physics behind every maneuver. I’m currently taking some lessons with Darryl and would highly recommend him to the student at any level. Thank you Darryl!

Memorable first time flying experience with an awesome instructor Darryl. I was gifted this by my friend and pushed the date for several months until I could get an appointment with Darryl, but it was all worth the wait.
Darryl is a cheerful and patient instructor, who answered all my questions. I learnt a lot in just those 2 hrs of flying. And, while in air, he made sure you were comfortable and having fun!
I would totally recommend these 2 hrs of flying lesson with him, totally worth the money!

What a great experience it was to learn how to fly. And to make it an even greater experience, to have such an awesome instructor like Darryl.
I found Bay Area Flying Lesson with Darryl on Groupon almost about a year ago. Being the procrastinator I am I waited almost 2 weeks until it’s expiration date to contact Darryl. Darryl replied back quickly and we were able to set up an appointment in the next couple of days. I asked if I could add an additional person and he said it would be no problem and that it would cost an extra charge.
On the day of the appointment, it took about 30 minutes for Darryl to show us all the controls, parts of the play and to answer any questions we had about flying in general. In no time we were up in the air and I even got to take off the plane on my own. We took off in Palo Alto and landed in Hayward to switch flyers, but it was a smooth transition and we were up in the air once again.
Darryl really allowed us a lot of time to take control of the plane. He pointed out all the good spots in the South Bay (Fremont, Hayward, Castro Valley, etc.). Though it wasn’t San Francisco, it still was an amazing first time experience.
Darryl will treat you very well and you’ll have a great time guaranteed!
Thanks Darryl!

My wife & I got a flying lesson from Darryl K. this afternoon. The five star rating gives you the bottom line, but here I’d like to speak to people who don’t plan to go on to get a pilit’s license.
Of course you can simply get your first flying lesson. That’s what I got, though I don’t plan to go on. And it was a good lesson – after an hour’s worth of discussion on the ground and familiarization with the aircraft, I got to take off and for most of the 45 minutes of time in the air, fly our Piper around the central Bay Area, gaining and losing altitude, turning and banking, learning the instruments and controls, dealing with minor bumpiness from thermals and wind patterns.
At all times Darryl was ready to take over the controls if I got in over my head, which was comforting, because flying an airplane is not simple. But from the seven page lesson plan he emailed us well in advance to the prep on the ground to each
I concluded that Darryl is willing and able to give you any kind of flying experience you want in such a lesson (excluding acrobatics). If you just want him to fly the airplane at all times and show you what he’s doing, that’s fine. If you want to take off and manuver the plane, that’s fine. If you want anything in between, that’s fine. If you change your mind in the middle of the lesson, that’s fine too. If you just want a tour of where you live and play from the air, that’s fine.
I also appreciated the extras offered on a reasonable a la carte basis. I wanted my spouse to go up with me and Darryl, but our combined weight exceeded the max for the default airplane. But for $ 40 extra we got a alternate plane with more capacity. Likewise for equally reasonable increments you can pay for a longer flight that, say, goes over San Francisco. You can pay to have the plane land and switch seats with your spouse or friend so both of you get a chance to fly the plane.
One very nice standard element was first-​class headphones that effectively blocked the roar of the engine yet let me hear Darryl, my spouse, and the tower.
Some tips: if you want something other than the standard lesson – such as our need to fly a bigger plane – make sure Darryl knows you need that, and reconfirm that before going to the airport.
You’ll get the best views of the ground from a Cessna, which has high wings. My view from the front seat of our low-​winged Piper wasn’t impeded much, but the back seats are over the wing on the Piper.
It can get warm in the plane. I wore lightweight pants and a T shirt and was more comfortable than if I’d worn more. And this was in late October.
Read the lesson plan Darryl sends you. You’ll get more out of the experience.
I recommend doing this even if you never plan to become a pilot. There’s nothing quite like the experience of flying an airplane with your hands and feet on the controls. It will make you appreciate the pilots of the airliners you’ve flown in more, and you’ll never forget the experience of a simple introductory flying lesson.

I tried to contact them to schedule an appointment after purchasing a Groupon and never heard back. I’m not sure if this is how they treat all of their new clients (the other two reviewers are lucky that they got help and service!) — so good luck to other Groupon buyers. I wouldn’t recommend these guys based on lack of reliability right off the bat.

I have always strongly disliked flying and a wise man once told me I wouldn’t dislike it if I was in control of the plane. I decided to test this theory and signed up for a mini lesson with Darryl.
During the lesson Darryl was very accommodating. He kept checking with me to make sure I was comfortable with what was going on. Also, when I told him I was prone to motion sickness in the heat he did everything possible to keep the air circulating in the cockpit before takeoff. I don’t think I could have had as much fun without such an obliging instructor.
Amazingly enough, despite my reservations concerning flying, I enjoy the experience immensely. It was such an amazing feeling, not like a commercial flight at all. No crying babies or claustrophobic cabin. Just blue sky and open space. It was absolutely liberating!
If you are thinking about doing this think no more. It is a MUST do! Darryl is a wonderful instructor and you will have an awesome time! I cannot recommend it enough.

«Let’s fly, fly, fly, flyyy.
Up, up, here we go, go.
Let’s fly, fly, fly, flyyy.
Up, up, here we go, go.
Where we stop nobody knows.»
Literally JUST finished my lesson with my instructor, Gordon,~ 3 hours ago. It was so much fun!
Me and my friend got the Facebook deal flying for 2 for $ 99, which only included flying for 1 person and then the other person would have been just a passenger. But my friend and I decided that we wanted to do a Bay Tour and Pilot Swap as well for an additional $ 105 more. We also got to choose which airport we switched pilots at. We were given the choice of Oakland International Airport and Half Moon Bay airport and we picked Half Moon Bay since it was more scenic and less busy.
The Bay Tour consisted of flying up to SF and by downtown SF, Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, Pacifica, and down the coast to Half Moon Bay. We even got to see the huge crowd at Outside Lands today!
My friend was super kind and let me pilot the Bay Tour section while she flew from Half Moon Bay back to the Palo Alto airport. We even got to take off and land the plane!
«There’s a world out there that we should see.»
So true! Everything looks so different while you’re in the cockpit flying the plane, it’s amazing.
Gordon was really knowledgable about planes and flying, we definitely learned a lot. And he was patient enough to answer all of our questions and willing to repeat stuff that we had missed. It was a lot to take in, but very interesting and important info!
So much fun! I’d totally be down to do it again if I could just scrounge up the money for more lessons.