Riverside Flight Academy

Drove from lax to riverside. Johan was our instructor and we had a blast definitely going to return totally worth it

Still a great spot. It’s ‘do-​able’ if you plan accordingly. Today I flew with Choi –who by my estimates is EXTREMELY thorough while at the same time being exceptionally professional. I recommend going with him, especially if you’ve never flown before because he goes over important details regarding basic procedures, simple applications, parts of the plane, what to expect, and ‘what to do: ifs’. He made the experience pretty pleasant and I had a very fun flight. Looking forward to getting more hours and doing it again soon.

I’m currently working on getting my private pilot license at Riverside Flight Academy. The instructors and the staff are extraordinary. The airplanes are well taken care of and I feel like the school is well organized. The academy has a welcoming atmosphere and the instructors are very patient and kind which is essential when you’re learning something new.
This is definitely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had!

Like many people, I’ve dreamt of flying since I was a kid. Being in the pilot’s seat, lifting off the ground and taking flight has got to be one of the biggest thrills I’ve experienced in a long time.
If you’re reading this Unilocal page, you are undoubtedly digging the idea of flying too. Rest assured knowing that when you soar with Riverside Flight Academy you are with talented instructors that you can count on to keep you safe.
Now for the hard part… what to dream up next?

It was an experience you wish all your life to do, My Lady and I enjoyed it beyond belief, Sam our instructor was very good and patient with us. This is a get out there and do it!

I’ve been going to Riverside Flight for some time now, my experience here has been amazing!!! The staff is super friendly and always there to help you succeed!!! They have great Groupon & Living Social deals to help give you a taste of the freedom of flight… Live life and go fly already!!!

I’ve always been a fan of flying, having played many different flight-​sims; but I’ve never actually flown a real plane! However, I’ve been saving up to get my private pilot’s license for a while now, and I just recently saw that Living Social had a nice deal for a discovery flight here at Riverside Flight Academy. I bought it, without hesitation, after seeing the great reviews here on Unilocal,and I couldn’t be happier! In fact, I had such a great experience, today, that this is the very first review I’m adding to Unilocal!=D
Sam was my instructor, who started off by putting me on the simulator. He told me that I had one of the better sim flights that he’d seen (top 3, he said)… I guess my flight sim experiences paid off!
That said, I was really feeling those nervous & excited butterflies as we headed outside to the plane. This was going to be my very first time actually flying in a real plane! Sam was an amazing instructor; very calm and friendly!
After the initial walk-​around of the plane, Sam let me taxi to the run way; I got to take off, and we were in the air for a good 30 mins before approaching the airfield for the landing. Of course, Sam was right there, doing what he needed to do, to make sure we didn’t die on the landing (hahaha)… but it really felt like he gave me a lot of control during all aspects of the flight (even the landing!) It was so amazing!
As I said above, I couldn’t be happier with my experience. I highly recommend this place! And the experience really solidified my dream to go after my pilot’s license. I’m planning on starting the official training within the month! Thanks Riverside Flight Academy; and thank you, Sam! It was a blast. Can’t wait to fly with you again!

I got my private pilot’s license with RFA. Every instructor there I’ve flown with has been personable and patient, and I feel like I went out into my flying career well-​prepared to be pilot-​in-​command. Scheduling and the like has generally been easy, and their rates are very reasonable.
My only complaint has been with maintenance issues surrounding the planes that I happen to fly– they have a 172 that is the backbone of the company, and that is always flying, but I decided to avoid flying it due to scheduling difficulty. The Cherokee and the Skycatcher, the two planes I’m checked out to fly in, have both had multi-​month downtimes recently. (In the Cherokee’s case, they did also give it a new interior, but it was down for six weeks before that.)
I realize that maintenance is an issue that affects all flight schools, because of the nature of the GA fleet, but it’s still annoying, and I want the review to be honest.

Had such a wonderful experience here, that I will never forget! Eric was our instructor and he was very thorough, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. Eric made the process easy and exciting and I highly recommend requesting him when you go for your flight lessons-​you can tell that he is truly passionate about flying. Thank you for such a great experience. Will definitely come back

I should start by saying that I am afraid of flying, so much so that I took a container ship across the Atlantic ocean rather than fly back from a trip to London. That was seven years ago and I haven’t flown since. That is until my girlfriend booked us for a discovery flight at Riverside Flight Academy. Amy (The instructor/​pilot) was very understanding and even switched planes from the Piper Warrior to the C172 so I’d be more comfortable in an airplane that I’d had at least a little prior experience in. After a really fun and successful quick flight on their awesome Redbird sim, I was surprised that she let me taxi, take off, make the turns in the pattern including the final approach, and even perform the landing which was really fun. It made me rethink my fear of flying and what’s more, it made me want to take lessons.

Instructor was really nice and very informative. If your thinking of learning to fly I would say come here mikes your guy.

My dad has a long bucket list of things he’d like to do. My mom found a deal and bought this for his birthday. He had a blast. Mike was very informative. He allowed my children to fly with their papa and Mike was very patient.

The staff were patient and personable. Would love to fly with them again.

Great place for flying airplanes and checking items off your bucket list.
If you’re in the area and have a dream of learning to fly an airplane this is the place to try out. Your discovery flight will be really affordable and will change your life forever. Think about all the opportunities if you had your pilots license!!! Getting it may be a bit expensive for the average person, but totally worth it.
I had an excellent experience at Riverside Flight Academy!

My wife bought me the discovery flight for my birthday. Johan explained the basics of flight and put me on the simulator. Afterward, the real fun began. I was very surprised that they let me taxi, take off, fly the plane and approach the airfield. Of course this was with Johan giving me lots of instruction, working the throttle, the radio, the trim and flaps. Basically he did the hard work while I got to have all the fun.
I have been lucky enough to have been in a small plane before along with several flights in helicopters. I have to say that it doesn’t compare to actually flying the plane. I loved it! It has always been a life long goal to get my pilots license but life has a way of slowing you down. You know. The usual things like work, school, marriage and kids. All of theses things that make life worth living.
My wife and kids came along during the flight. Afterward, she gave me the green light to get my pilots license and I’m going to do it. She said I’m not getting any younger and sadly it’s true. So now I need to find a flight school that works for my schedule and I’m leaning heavily towards Riverside Flight Academy. Either way, I thank them and Johan for giving me that extra incentive I needed to get it done. Thanks to my wife because without her support it wouldn’t happen either. All you happy husbands out there know what I am talking about.

We got a deal through living social. Our first time and our instructor Asher was awesome! We had an amazing and cool experience! Highly recommend this place!

Yep, bought a groupon for my son to fly, for his 21 st b– day. He loved it and they are really great people working there. I highly recommend this place. I even put up a flyer at my work that stayed posted an entire year. It’s such a cool thing to be able to say you have done!

These guys were great. My girl friend booked a flight lesson and they managed to fit me in as well at a great rate.
Pre-​flight: The instructor took us up in the flight simulator, spending at least 20 minutes a piece. After we were done he took us around the plane to explain the different parts from the ailerons, rudders to the yoke.
Flight: He took us both up allowing us to flight and showing how over-​compensation worked. He loved hearing the endless questions we both had. The instructor was very detailed, explaining how the flight’s controls and mechanisms work together. My GF demonstrated she knew what she was doing while flying and he took time to let her descend and land, telling her all sorts of tips. I only had one flight under my belt, he didn’t let me land (which is completely fine) but he gave me some great points on how to improve my steering of the plane and how the controls worked to find your heading.
Post Flight: After landing the owner spoke to us and asked up how our flight was. Everyone really wanted input and cared how we were being treated. They knew we were not from the area and used a groupon, but they were equally concerned which shows the sign of a great business.
If your in the area, I would highly recommend checking this place out. We did a couple’s get-​a-​away based around this experience staying at a local hotel. It was a great weekend excursion. I believe it is $ 120 for the simulator and flight (combined).

This place is awesome!!! Johan was my instructor & he rocks!
I’ve been in small plane a few times before, so I had an idea of what to expect. However, this was my first experience with a flight simulator. That was very cool! It helped me to get familiarize myself with the controls (mainly the pedals) and get an idea of how everything looks when flying from the front seat of the plane (instead of observing from the back seat).
After the flight simulator training, Johan walked me around the plane & pointed out all of the main parts. After that, we jumped in the place & went for a ride with great views of Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake. Not to toot my own horn, but I did pretty well for my first time as a pilot.
After my first training session, I’m convinced that I should become a pilot (in this lifetime)! LOL Take a few lessons with Johan if you get a chance. It’s a wonderful experience! :-)

I originally booked a flight with Riverside Flight School to surprise my wife for Valentine’s Day. She was super excited, but on the morning of our scheduled flight, the flight instructor gave me a call to inform me that while it was still «safe» to fly, visibility was pretty low, which would result in a less favorable experience. As such, he recommended that I reschedule for another day, in hopes of having better weather. Boy was I surprised that Riverside Flight School would miss out on business by discouraging their clients from flying! This just goes to show that they have their clients’ best interests in mind, rather than trying to make a quick buck.
Later in the year, I took my wife to Riverside Flight School for her 30^th birthday. I signed her up for the «discovery» flight, which includes 15 minutes of ground instruction (learning about the plane’s external features and how they keep the plane in the air), 30 minutes in a flight simulator, and 30 minutes of flight time with an instructor.
My wife tends to be pretty adventurous, while I’m the complete opposite. I have a fear of heights, and can’t stand roller coasters. I do OK as a passenger on a commercial airplane, but still have a fear of flying. When my wife mentioned that she would like to learn how to fly, I was thinking there was no way in the world I would get in that plane with her!
When I called Riverside Flight School, Dave was extremely helpful and friendly. He informed me that there were two different discovery flight options — one with the flight simulator, and one without the flight simulator (roughly $ 50 cheaper). Dave explained to me that the flight simulator was recommended for anyone that hasn’t flown a plane before, as it gets your body and mind prepared for what you’re going to experience while in the actual plane. My wife wasn’t worried and wanted to skip out on the flight simulator. Since I was going to be a passenger however, I really wanted to experience the flight simulator. Since the flight simulator only has enough room for two people (instructor and student), Dave was kind enough to allow me to do the flight simulator, as my wife would be flying the plane.
Let me just say that the flight simulator was awesome! It really made me feel like I was flying a plane, complete with motion and all! Dave showed me how to take off, land, and navigate the simulated plane, and pointed out the Ontario airport and other landmarks on the simulator’s computer screens. It felt so real, I was afraid to crash the simulator! :)
This really helped me feel more comfortable about getting into the real plane (Cessna Skycatcher) with my wife. Our flight instructor was Kim, and she was fantastic! The flight included amazing views of La Sierra University, Lake Matthews, Dos Lagos, and even Lake Elisinore! I was in the back seat of the plane like paparazzi snapping all kinds of photos of the breathtaking views and of my wife having the time of her life! After the flight she admitted she was a little scared, to which I told her she should’ve done the flight simulator!
Upon landing, it was time to pay for our adventure. Apparently we had just missed a Groupon special that expired, but Dave went ahead and honored the Groupon pricing for us, which saved approximately $ 80!!!
I am so pleased with my experience at Riverside Flight School that I have recommended it to several of my friends, and will definitely be going back to fly again!