Learn To Fly San Diego

I am a CFI, teaching out of Caldwell airport right near New York City. I chose Learn to Fly San Diego because of their selection of aircraft as well as the initial impression I had that the instructors and overall school philosophy was one of teaching their students not how to pass a checkride, but how to become safe, proficient pilots. I went up in one of their extremely clean, working 172N models. Do not let the fact that it is a carburated airplane deter you one bit. Their aircraft are in excellent shape and are fully IFR capable. I was assigned Blake as my instructor, and he was extremely patient in explaining the airspace procedures and local individualities. At the same time, though, I was not a passenger along for a scenic ride… Blake allowed me to make radio calls, and never touched the controls unless I asked him to demonstrate a particular maneuver. Learn to Fly San Diego is a flight training center, and not a pilot mill as so many other schools are. I would highly recommend employing this flight school whether you are a new student seeking his or her first certificate, or an experienced pilot looking for a BFR or an IPC.

Took my boyfriend to fly for his 21^st birthday. At first he was a bit nervous however our instructor Griffen was amazing! Extremely personable fun and professional. He was very knowledgable and made sure we felt safe. Couldn’t ask for anything better.

The overall experience was amazing! I would highly suggest the instructor named Griffen. He was so personable, and would explain everything no matter if you were a first timer or expert. He really knows his stuff but the best thing about him is that he makes everything so much fun! I would definitely go again. We had about an hour of flight time and cruised across the shoreline. Again it was such a great experience and highly recommend.

I am going to take the high road and give this business my original 5 star review. Although I do not agree with being charged for the place of business credit card machine making errors and charging me for those errors I will eat it as the customer. They have great equipment and good prices but I am a person of principal and will go elsewhere over the $ 25. In my option they lost a good customer over being greedy over $ 25. Just look at any bad review and see if you ever see an apology or accepting responsibility for being outright wrong. The customer is always wrong. But again for equipment and prices you are in good hands. They even go to the extreme of adding up how much I have spent to try to show I am off base. Even if I was off a thousand dollars is it really worth arguing and not just saying sorry I will take $ 25 off your next rental. Would have make me feel much better especially after great reviews and referrals. Just my opinion for what it is worth.

I found this company on Unilocal and selected them after reading the great reviews.
So i reached out to learn about obtaining a training and a license. I offered to come in to talk about it but he, Chris, basically just referred me to their FAQs and if i had any questions, i could ask him.
Sorry, I don’t know what questions to ask and their FAQs are severely inadequate. For example, he told me in our chain that training needs to be in day light hours because i wanted to make an evening appointment to meet with him after work. Obviously, this is the sort of thing i need to learn about before committing to a school and a pilot’s license.
From my experience, poor customer service before i’m even a paying customer is an indication for what i can expect if i started training with this company.
Moving on to another company.

I purchased an intro flight lesson for my boyfriend as a gift since he has always been interested in aviation and obtaining a pilot’s license. Our instructor was Griff, and he was great! Very personable and professional.
Before taking off, he spent some time showing us everything to check for beforehand (safety procedures). We flew along the San Diego coast, and it was an awesome experience all around. My boyfriend got to fly, and I got a fantastic sight-​seeing experience of the beautiful San Diego coast as a passenger. Whether you are interested in obtaining a license or just want to try this for a once in a lifetime experience, I highly recommend Learn To Fly San Diego and Griff!

Bring out the bomber jackets, aviator sunglasses, and put the TOP GUN soundtrack on repeat — it’s time to learn how to fly! Lol.
The first part of training was an hour long talk about safety while conducting a pre-​flight checklist. The cockpit can be a little intimidating with its endless panels of instruments and controls, but if you have a great, smart, informative, tall and cute instructor… it isn’t that bad. lol. ;)
There was a lot of pilot lingo, multi-​tasking, and for me, hearing difficulties. You wear a headset to reduce the noise in the cockpit during flight, and to supposedly facilitate clearer communication… but that didn’t necessarily work out for me. Personally, I’m not a fan of headsets, bluetooth, or speaker phones because of the quality of sound, thus I had a difficulty understanding my instructor at times. After a while, I guess you get used to tuning out certain noises.
The entire experience was amazing, and the views were worthwhile. I was torn between taking photos, but I really wanted to maneuver the plane with little to no help. Sometimes people get caught up into taking photos, they miss out on really embracing the moment.
For you YOLOer’s out there that want something exciting, but not dangerous, you should definitely give this place a chance. Now, make Tom Cruise or «Maverick» proud, and who knows… he may give you a cool TOP GUN name too. lol.

Saw a deal on Groupon for a lesson and couldn’t pass it up!
Bought this for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day, and I was a little skeptical at first. I emailed Chris, the owner I believe, replied to me quicker than I expected and was able to get me a reservation at 1pm. We were set up with Blake and quickly started heading over to the plane. He went over the structure of the plane and how it worked, and was really informative! He shared his stories with us and really click with my boyfriend since they both had a passion for planes. I’m so glad we had Blake because he was so laid back, and we needed that since my boyfriend and I were a little nervous.
Two passengers are able to sit in the back of the plane, and you wear these headphones where you can hear what the instructor is saying!
I’m really sensitive to motion, but it wasn’t bad at all! Blake said if I feel dizzy, he’ll take control, but it was smooth the whole ride!
Overall, amazing experience! We saw whales over the ocean, and it was a great amount of time, and really informative!

Bought a lesson for my father as a 70^th birthday present. He had a great time and the instructor Jared did a great job.
Only real complaint was they promised a flight of a little over an hour, but it really lasted about 35 – 40 minutes. Apparently «flight time» starts when the prop does and ends when they shut it off, so it included a lot of taxiing and waiting for their turn to take off. That was very dissapointing. I wish they had been more honest about that up front.

Just finished my Groupon introductory flight with Sophie — it was absolutely amazing! Great instructor, fantastic views along the San Diego coastline, and a good amount of time on the controls. This is a San Diego must do! Check out their website for specials.

I’ve always wanted to be a pilot since I was young. For 1 hour I was able to live this dream. It was an amazing experience!!! I was super scared at first but my pilot teacher Joe was really patient and reassuring. Throughout the whole flight he was very encouraging and helped me feel at ease. I even started to enjoy the view at one point. I brought one of my friends with me and she also enjoyed the experience. She was able to take a lot of pictures. We had to turn our cell phones off for take off and landing, but once in the air we could have them on and take as many pictures as we wanted. You can bring 2 people with you to ride but there are weight restrictions so I would check first to make sure you are under the requirement.
Upon entering the office I was greeted by my teacher Joe, I was 20 minutes late due to traffic, but he was accommodating. He handed me the manual and my headset and off we went across the street to the airport. Once we got to our plane we did a safety check of all the exterior of the plane. When all of that looked good we boarded the plane. There is a lengthy checklist to go through before leaving the parking spot. I read off the list while Joe checked to make sure everything was top notch and working. Joe steered us out to the runway where then I took over. The turning method is pedals on the floor and not the yoke in front of you. That took a minute to get used to.
Takeoff: I did it all by myself! Joe walked me through it on the headset but had his hands in his lap the whole time.
Flying: Beautiful views! I did most of the flying, I was only helped out once or twice.
Landing: Its scary to see earth coming so close to you when you are in control. Joe did help with the landing so we wouldn’t have a crash landing!
Once safely back on land I went inside the office for a quick discussion about how much further lessons would cost and the total cost of getting a pilot license. It requires 40 hours which never expire and you can do it over however long you want. Total cost for flight hours is about $ 8,000.

Very professional staff. From the moment I called to schedule my Groupon until the time I left, all the pilots were very courteous and personable. I was a little nervous, but once we met with our pilot, all the nerves were put on the back burner. The experience, calmness, and the work ethic of our pilot really put my girlfriend at ease. My girlfriend is scared to ride in jetliners so you can imagine the mountain oysters she needed to go on this ride. She was glad she did and I was happy to have a photographer on board.
The problem with taking a flying lesson on the beautiful day is that I just wanted to look around and enjoy the scenery! He told us we were going to head out to the coastline and fly up towards Encinitas and that i would be able to take the control. I was able to put my camera down and do some maneuvering, though not as much as I would have liked. I learned quite a bit and was happy with the experience. I would recommend this business to anyone! I can’t wait to do it again.

Great place !! Bought a lesson for my boyfriend for his birthday and we went in yesterday ! Sophie was our instructor and she was AWESOME. The entire experience was amazing and we want to go again. Thanks Sophie & Learn to Fly ! You guys rock !

My boyfriend has always talked about wanting to learn how to fly. When I saw the deal on groupon for an introductory flight, I had to get it! The experience was beyond mazing for him and I was able to experience it with him. Pete, our pilot was great and he made us feel comfortable and safe, while also making it fun and exciting! This is definitely something I would recommend for someone who wants to see if flying is for them

What a thoroughly enjoyable experience!
I bought the Groupon deal for my grandfather who used to fly many years ago but hasn’t kept current. The last time we flew together I was too young to remember, so this was a great way for us to make new memories.
All the staff was very friendly and our instructor was great: professional, friendly, and just a really nice guy. I’m terrible with names, but I think his name was John. My grandpa piloted while the instructor handled all the radio communication, and I was as happy as can be just listening to it all on my headset and enjoying the view of this beautiful county in which we live. (The Groupon deal included bringing a passenger, so no extra charge for me).
I LOVE flying, but other than when I was a toddler it’s only ever been in commercial airlines. I was a bit nervous at the thought of climbing into a little 4-​seater, but I found the ride to be very comfortable, and taking off and landing was smoother than I’ve experienced in many commercial jets.
Highly recommended, for sure! I’ve always had an interest in flying and I’m sure I’ll be back to get some training of my own.

Just used a Groupon today for my first flying lesson! I’ve always been curious about what it’s like to actually fly a plane and today I got to do it! So much fun! My instructor was Elena and she was great. Very professional and walked me through every step of the entire process. She made me feel at ease whenever I was in control of the plane.
I brought my girlfriend with me, who sat in the back taking pictures and mocking me lol! It was a gorgeous day to fly, clear skies and warm sun. We flew over La Jolla and the ocean. I really feel now that flying is something I could definitely enjoy doing. I will 100% be going back.

I used to work right down the street from the airport. I would always find myself looking up towards the airplanes with a childlike curiosity. One day, I just drove over to Learn to Fly San Diego and walked right in. I was met by the owner whom introduced me to three of the flight instructors that were with students.
I signed up for an intro flight and went up the very next day. My instructor was very professional, informative, and let me take part in several procedures. My only regret is waiting this long to finally do it. If you are reading this and have an interest in learning to fly, call or stop by LTFSD!
The school is very clean, staff was all very professional, and I can not wait for my next lesson!

Wow, This place is Great! Just came here Yesterday for a Flightlesson and it was a unforgettable experience. They have excellent customer service and the pilot and staff made us feel real comfortable. They offered us cold water since it was a hot day and took their time to explain everything to us before flight.
Given that we used a Groupon and knowing that buisinesses automically loose 50% of the value you pay for the Groupon as Groupon’s cut some businesses I have been to seem bitter that they are not making any money or minimal money on your transaction this giving you poor service. This place does not do that all and they are very kind and seem to really care for their customers. I would recommend this place to all my friends and plan to join there course for the Private Pilots licesnce. Thanks for the awesome experience guys.

I recently used a Groupon here for my first/​introductory flight. When I called to make the appointment (yes, I procrastinated and waited until a week before it expired), Chris, the owner, answered the phone and told me that things were kinda booked up for that week but not to worry because they would be more than happy to honor the Groupon regardless (awesome!). We set up my appointment for a week later.
I showed up with a friend of mine who was simply tagging along for the ride and met up with Joe, who would be my instructor for the day. We went over a few things in the office and then headed out to the airfield to do our pre-​check and get familiar wit a few things. He showed me the basics, how things work, what we were looking for, etc. Then we boarded the plane where we went over a few more things that would be put to use while going through the flight. With everything set, we taxied out and off we went!
Our flight took us along the shore, so it was rather scenic, but throughout the flight Joe also gave me points and tips as to why we (okay, why «pilots») do things a certain way, which made the flying part easier to understand. But, almost as quickly as it started, my time came to an end as we lined up for landing. Once back on the ground, we parked the plane, finished the checklist, put the cover on and then headed back to the office… after several pictures — haha.
While I have no other experiences to compare this to (I’ve never flown a plane before), I can’t see how things could be significantly «better» at other places. All of the staff I encountered was professional and polite. My instructor was very knowledgeable and experienced, and most importantly to me, he took the time to answer all of my questions and never seemed to rush me or cut me short. As finances allow, I’ll definitely be coming back here again to begin to hone what little flying skills I have — thanks guys!

I was taken here (by surprise!) and did the introductory lesson and it was an unbelievable experience!!! I could not speak more highly of the instructor Chris — he was warm, kind, and professional. I was a little nervous going into it but his extreme attention to detail and safety precautions made me feel completely safe.
I never in a million years thought I would fly a plane and it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever done. If you’re thinking about trying but not sure — just do it!
Also — Here’s my advice to the GUYS reading this: take your lady here as a ***WOW*** unforgettable date. You will score lots of points (well, as long as she’s not afraid of heights :)