14-Day PPL Thanks what a great experience

Thank you for your help in making my dream of becoming a private pilot come through.

I want to specially thank you for recommending Tom for the job.

Tom is a great pilot, a great instructor, and a great person. He guided me through this very intense program with a well-crafted combination of patience, strictness, and personal support that got me through in just
14 days!

What else would you ask for?

Un abrazo

My 14-Day Private Pilot Course

My experience at AFIT was an unforgettable one. Working with John has been such an honor; he was very helpful in every way even when I had some doubts when things got overwhelming. I learned a lot in such a short amount of time, and I would have never imagined that I would be able to do my first solo after one week and my first cross-country solo shortly after. This is the biggest milestone in my life and many more to come as I will continue flying in the future. I always knew that I wanted to be a pilot and it became surreal after my first solo. I had a lot of encouragement from John. This absolutely motivated me to keep pursuing my dream. I had an incredible time working with and learning from John. I am very looking forward to coming back and do some more flying with John.

 

14-Day Private Pilot Training

Tony,

Flying was a dream for me from the age of 10, and that dream became a reality in just 14 days. All thanks to Tony from accelerated flight and instrument training. I would like to start off by thanking Tony who from the word “go” started to guide me through the whole process and was very patient with all the queries I put through before starting the program.  And upon receiving his advice and guidance I set off to fulfil my dreams.

As for my instructor Jason I really have no words, His unique ways of teaching and instructing, helped me get through the 14 days private pilots program. Apart from the flight training, I learned so much more from Jason, and if it was not for his added effort and persistence I don’t think I would have achieved a solo flight in 6 days and my private pilot certificate in just 14days.

It was such an honour and privilege to meet such wonderful people and fulfil my dreams through their tireless efforts and hard work. I aim to go back soon for my instrument and commercial rating and would recommend AFIT to all those who wish to take to the skies.

Kind Regards
Suleman Munaf Rashid

My 14-Day Private Pilot Training

“Congratulations, you passed.” Those magical 3 words from the DPE were certainly made possible by my fantabulous instructor- mentor-friend, John and of course the training program by AFIT.

From the very first day that I enquired about the program, Tony had been nothing but responsive and helpful with all the administrative “hassles” for a foreign student like me. All the applications and bookings were done seamlessly with his guidance and the best thing from him was pairing me up with John.

John made learning to fly a pleasure. Kid you not, learning to fly from scratch was definitely stressful, but John was there with me, and for me every step of the way. His encouragement and eye for detail pushed me through all the way, especially when the going got tough. I am so blessed for his guidance, patience and most importantly friendship. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through if not for him.

Thank you once again John and Tony for making this possible!

Best Regards,
Jamie Mendelson

14-Day Private Pilot Training

Tony,

My experience at AFIT was an unforgettable one. Working with Greg has been such an honor; he was very helpful in every way even when I had some questions when things got overwhelming. I learned a lot in such a short amount of time, and I would have never imagined that I would be able to do my first solo after one week and my first cross-country solo shortly after. This is the biggest milestone in my life and many more to come as I will continue flying in the future. I always knew that I wanted to be a pilot and it became surreal after my first solo. I had a lot of encouragement from Greg. This absolutely motivated me to keep pursuing my dream. I had an incredible time working with and learning from Greg.

I am looking forward to coming back and do some more flying. Thank you for everything.

Visesh Ramachandran

14-Day Private Pilot Training Course

Tony,

I had a fantastic time with Oleg and AFIT, and am very excited to have gone from no experience to a private pilot’s license in just 14 days. Oleg did a phenomenal job as a teacher, going the extra mile and customizing the program to my needs. Despite some challenges with local weather, we continued to make good progress throughout and I could see myself improving every day. Oleg is a very patient and knowledgeable teacher and kept things lively and fun; I had a great time with the program and will always look back on my time there fondly.

Thanks again for everything.

Best,

Arjun Jain
New York and London

14-Day Private Pilot Training Course

Hi Tony,

I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated your patience, guidance and advice since I started my PPL training with you and your team at Lincoln. As you know, I started this learning curve a little later in life than most, at the young age of 77.

My sincere thanks to the whole team at AFIT. From the outset with instructors to the conclusion they all worked diligently to get me to the finish line. The smile on my face on March 20 said it all.

For anyone considering obtaining their Private Pilot’s License, AFIT is the place to go. They are dedicated, committed, highly trained individuals who will work with you to help you achieve your goal.

Lastly, don’t think you will be able to complete the training elsewhere – you might be able to but it will probably take longer and cost more! Stick with it and with AFIT!

Thanks again Tony for making this happen. I hope our paths cross, I would like to shake your hand and personally say, “Well done on putting together a great program!”.

All the best,

Terry Colton

Coquitlam, British Columbia

My 14-Day Private Pilot Training Course

Tony,

Couldn’t ask for a better instructor to get me trained and prepared for my Private Pilot check ride. Made it through the 14 days and succeeded on my first attempt. Doing my first solo traffic pattern and cross country, the first night flight, seeing the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, and sharing the airport with Spielberg, Warner Brothers, and Jennifer Lopez (at least their airplanes all started with my instructor Abe and runway 16R. Can’t wait to get the Instrument and multi-engine ratings. Got to enjoy all there is to see in the world. You don’t get these views anywhere else unless you’re in the skies.

Thanks for everything.

Chuk Leung

Hong Kong

PPL Finish-Up Course

My PPL journey has been filled with ups and downs, punctuated by an AFIT exclamation right at the end.

Before the pandemic, I was working towards my certificate with a Part 61 CFI part-time — flying once or twice a week. Unfortunately, after clocking almost 90 hours, and being on the cusp of cross-country solos and checkride prep, unusually wet weather, haze from forest fires, work and COVID-19 all conspired to prevent me finishing up my PPL.

3 years later, I decided to try a Part 141 school, but that meant carrying over only 9 (or 10%) of my aeronautical experience. Never mind — the refresher would be good for proficiency, I thought. But, while I was fully committed to finishing up, the school I signed up with was — shall we say — somewhat partially committed. In 6 weeks with the school, I had only flown 12 times, with a student:instructor ratio of at least 6:1 and a student:aircraft ratio approaching 10:1, repeating lessons that I had done previously, and making absolutely no forward progress towards my cross-country solos and getting lined up for a checkride.

And that was when I speculatively reached out to AFIT and Tony, to see if there was a better option. I was pleasantly shocked when Tony personally reached out within a few hours. He empathised with my situation, and then set to work — trying out different scheduling permutations to see what would work given the various constraints and short timeframe that I had before having to return to my career.

Within a week, we had sorted out schedules so that I could work with Abe and Fady to finish up my PPL. Another week later, I had my checkride scheduled and am now a private pilot! At last!

I could not have done this without the excellent instruction from Abe and Fady, and the support from Alex, at Van Nuys. Working with Abe first, and then Fady, I was in good hands as I prepared for the oral and practical portions of the checkride. We went flying on consecutive days, right from the get-go. They identified my weaknesses within the first day or so, and I flew more hours in a week than in 6 weeks with the Part 141 school. All of this flying was time spent on flight tasks that were stretching me to become a better pilot, rather than simply checking off boxes on a rigid syllabus.

Right on day one, both Abe and Fady struck me as CFIs who truly have a passion for getting student pilots across the threshold to becoming certified pilots. Fady, in particular, truly lived up to his commitment to be “on the same team” as me, dishing out the right amount of encouragement, reminders, and even calling out when I was being too hard on myself. Fady even celebrated my birthday — a nice touch given that I had travelled away from home.

Apart from passing my check ride, I also appreciated the emphasis on inculcating good safety habits, and being systematic about getting and staying ahead of the airplane. All of this put me in good stead to be well-prepared for my checkride and to be a competent and safe pilot for years to come.

I have no hesitation recommending AFIT to anyone who is prepared to put in the effort, is serious about getting a PPL, and needs to minimise the opportunity cost of taking time off from a non-flying professional career. Anyone identifying with this description should definitely reach out to AFIT for a consultation without delay. The team here truly works with you in a solution-focused manner, sometimes moving mountains to make it all work out.

Truly, my only regret on this meandering journey is not reaching out to AFIT earlier to straighten the twists and turns along my PPL adventure. I shudder to think of where I might be today if I had not written that e-mail and taken the call with Tony.

Thank you Tony, Abe, and Fady from the AFIT team! Truly, thank you for making my dream of the past 3-4 years a reality!

Jason Bay

Int’l AFIT alumni

Singapore

My 14-Day Private Pilot Training

I came all the way from Canada to do this program out in Lincoln, California. From even before I started everyone was super helpful and quick to respond to any questions and concerns I had. The AFIT PPL course was definitely one of the most involved and intense things I’ve done in my life. But it was 100% worth it. With little to no prior flight experience or knowledge, two weeks later I’m fully capable, knowledgeable and comfortable to fly safely and legally lol. I had the pleasure of being put with Tyler, a very friendly, smart and great instructor. He wouldn’t hesitate to take extra time out of his day to spend longer time to help me fly or help me understand something I couldn’t quite grasp. He really went above and beyond anything I would have expected from an instructor. He was able to explain complex subjects and instructions in a simple, easy to understand way and always had an answer to every question I had. By the time the check ride day came around I was definitely nervous, but I felt ready because of all the great training that I had.

I’m beyond happy I got put with Tyler but also every other instructor there was super kind and supportive. It was an amazing community that just seems like a big group of friends more than anything else. I still got a lot more positive things to say but looking at all I’ve written out so far I think it might be getting to long haha. The point is, if you’re thinking about getting your pilots license in a timely manner and looking at this place, don’t hesitate. It’s 100% worth it.

Thank you to Tyler and the whole Lincoln community for making this an amazing and unforgettable experience.

James McCann

Ontario, Canada

My 10-Day IFR Training Course

I am a private pilot from Germany and wanted to do my instrument rating in the US. I was naturally unsure what to expect but Tony and Ruben were extremely professional and guided me through the whole process from the registration, TSA approval, IACRA and all the other paperwork. On the ground at KLHM the whole process was extremely professional, well maintained airplanes and a pleasant environment for the students. We started flight training immediately and Ruben is a great instructor, He really made me hone my skills and put great emphasis on me “acting as PIC” which really helped me on the instrument check ride and also made me a better pilot. Ruben took great care to explain all the intricacies of the IFR world and we practiced countless approaches. By the time the check ride was scheduled I felt well prepared – in fact the last hours flying with Ruben were designed to be more challenging than the check ride itself. I was very happy that everything worked so well and that I received my instrument ticket after the check ride.

I am very grateful to Ruben and AFIT for their great work and would not hesitate to recommend them to any pilot looking at getting an IFR rating.

Leo Plank

Munich, Germany

10-Day IFR Training Course – Cessna T206H Turbo Stationair / G1000

Hi Ruben,

It was a pleasure meeting you earlier today. I must admit that I haven’t had good luck with applicants who did the 10 day path like Arturo. The fail rate, for me, has been much higher than ‘normal’. So, I was very, very pleasantly surprised at how well he did today.

It always comes down to the quality of instruction, and Arturo received excellent instruction. Nice job!!

Best Regards,

Pat Brown

Designated Pilot Examiner

Houston, Texas

10 Day Instrument Training Course

My dream to become a pilot became a reality at AFIT Flight School in Lincoln California. Prior to joining AFIT, I did a lot of research on flight schools – compared the costs and found their offer quite attractive. As an international student – the process and procedures are very well laid out on their website. All the staff have always been very helpful and understanding especially the main coordinator and Owner Tony, and my flight instructor Ben made me feel as part of the family. I have had a very good flying experience. They have the necessary knowledge , experience of patients with students learning pace.

I would highly recommend this as the best flight school for international students.

Thank you everyone at AFIT Flight School Lincoln California.

Visesh Ramachandran

Chennai, India

Hello Tony!

Jorge, my instructor, was extremely friendly, patient, cheerful and passionate about teaching and flying. I went into the 14-Day PPL prepared for intense training, but I had to adjust my definition of “intense” after going through this course. As someone who was and is still afraid of heights, I felt safe and understood by Jorge, and he helped push my limits and understanding.

Having done flight training 1-2 times a month previously and racking up a few hours before starting the course, it was very helpful to spend the 2 weeks fully focused on flying and I fully appreciate the planning and execution undertaken by Jorge,

I fully enjoyed myself and the journey, and now, I have a license to continue on learning. If you’ve got 2 weeks to spare, AFIT’s course is definitely the way to go!

Thank you again for everything Tony!

Regards,

Vincent Tan

Singapore