AFIT is a very professional organization. I enjoyed my training with John, he was very informative and brought me up to speed on my G480 and gave me a great deal of confidence to fly in IMC. I would recommend their expertise to anyone who is interested in upgrading their level of flying.
I am very’ happy with the training. Eric is an incredible guy with an amazing background and he was able to constantly adapt the program to the changing conditions during the week.
With 38 years away from flying, I was looking to get a starting point for getting back, and to a get a sense of my abilities, the state of the aircraft and its equipment, and a feel for the current environment of general aviation (flying, airspace, ground operations, communications, etc). Eric covered a lot of information. It was intense, but incredibly worthwhile and the feedback/advice provided by Eric was clear and honest.
I just wanted to drop a note to thank you and your Phenom instructor Todd. As you probably remember, I was referred to you by Don Berman and on my way home from his Aviation Ground School Seminar in Reno, Nevada, I shot you an email. Before I hit the freeway I had a reply from you and less than 2 months later from our initial conversation I have had my instrument training and have passed my check ride…and that included a five week break because of bad weather and DPE scheduling issues!
The long and short of it… I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. Todd was able to note my weaknesses and focus my attention to make them stronger. His “real life” approach to teaching was invaluable to me.
I will definitely be using the AFIT/Todd combination when it comes time for my Commercial Ticket.
Thanks again to both of you!
I just wanted to write to you to sum up the 14-day PPL course I took in Boulder. John was a great instructor and a total professional. He knows his stuff! He spent a lot of time teaching me how to “be one with the airplane, kimosabi”, and it was certainly helpful – I passed my check ride on the first try!
As you know, I flew out from California to do this course, so finishing on time was very important to me. We hit a patch of bad weather, and I was worried that I’d be headed home without my license. But John kept us on track! As soon as we had a good day, he pushed me to knock requirements out, one after the other, and I ended up completing right on time. Keeping my goals in his mind and helping me get to them was very much appreciated!
Another great thing about learning from John was that he put things into larger perspective. For example, we practiced an instrument-only approach, just so I could see how it worked. This was great to see, and I’ll be back when I’ve racked up enough time for an IFR rating :)
Thanks to you as well, for dealing with the scheduling twists and helping me to get this done! My experience with AFIT was professional from start to finish, I’m thrilled to be a new private pilot, and I’m looking forward to flying in California in the days to come!
Tony, I had a great time doing my flight training. It worked out really well. I felt like John really likes what he does and he knew what areas to focus on to get through the testing.
The examiner said I knew everything exactly like he hoped and better. He also said it was about essentially a perfect score, which is always good to hear.
I want to thank you for all AFIT did to help me get my private pilot license, purchase a plane and get a high performance endorsement. I was amazed when you helped me look at ads for planes and advised me as I made an offer on the most promising one.
I was also impressed with the flight instruction I received from AFIT. John did an excellent job building my skill and confidence while I learned to fly in very busy airspace. It has been gratifying to build piloting skills so quickly. John saw my training through to the point where I passed my check ride and got transition into the Cirrus SR-22 I purchased.It was a pleasure to work with AFIT and I look forward to getting my instrument rating with AFIT in the future.
John is an incredibly capable, patient, and insightful instrument instructor. He picked up on my strengths and weaknesses almost immediately, and tailored my course to ensure I was up to speed in every area. The training was intense, but it never felt overwhelming. After a week of training, though, I still had doubts in my ability to ever fly IFR because I kept making mistakes on our practice approaches. “When the pressure is on”, he explained, “the only option is to execute an approach perfectly” and that it will all come together for me. He was right. I’ve never flown as precisely or been so ahead of the airplane as I was on my checkride. I now feel more confident than ever in my abilities as a pilot, whether IFR or VFR, and appreciate the flexibility an instrument rating affords. I’m looking forward to staying IFR current, but if I don’t, I’ll be looking to John for recurrent training or an IPC. Thanks John!
Todd was critical to me passing my instrument rating. Having had lessons from other instructors, Todd was able to put all the pieces together and fill in the gaps over three days of intensive training. More importantly I felt confident in taking my check ride. At the end of the check ride the Examiner said he had no doubts about passing me and I am confident that I can fly safely in real IMC. Thank you Todd and AFIT.
Just wanted to say thanks for the opportunity to work with Cholena to complete my Training
You and your team are a first class operation, and best in class in the flight Training business! There are a lot of bad apples in flight training; AFIT is a stellar example of how to be in the Flight Training business.
Your value proposition provided a unique combination of efficient quality training that achieves proven results, while also doing so with the highest level of integrity. Thank you.
Thanks again for your organization and help setting everything up Tony. Bill was an “Excellent Instructor”and had a great time getting to know him and learn from him! This was a very nice experience and am glad to be finished with my instrument rating as planned.Thanks again.
I had an awesome refresher course in the Cirrus and had a great time as well. Bill is a great guy and great instructor. He taught me several things that became very useful.
Let’s keep in touch.
Just a short note thanking AFIT for all the help in obtaining my instrument rating. I passed my check ride with ease.
Just wanted to let you know that I had a Great experience with Bill during my training. He was very patient and knowledgeable. It was great having him here and on my schedule. I would not have been able to complete my IFR training without this flexibility. With the challenges of Chicago weather and busy airspace, it all came together nicely. I’ve had the chance to do some easy IFR since and fly our Bonanza with confidence thanks to Bill.
I just wanted to write and express what a tremendous experience my accelerated instrument training has been with AFIT. Ralph was one of the best flight instructors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. His extensive, real world, knowledge, and his ability to breakdown concepts has taught me far more than just what was required for my instrument checkride. Being a fairly new pilot, I was a bit hesitant in doing the instrument training in the accelerated format, however I am extremely happy that I went through with it. The program’s structure and focus, combined with quality/professional instruction from a dedicated CFII like Ralph was just what I needed to get my instrument rating and obtain a wealth of knowledge beyond just the requirements of the PTS. I would highly recommend this training to anyone seeking their instrument rating. I truly feel confident departing into IMC conditions due to the training I received.
Please feel free to have any potential students contact me if they would like to discuss my experiences with AFIT.
Thank you once again and please pass on my gratitude to Ralph.
Just wanted to let you know how satisfied I am with the Accelerated Flight & Instrument Training program I received from AFIT and John in Boulder Colorado, The idea of getting away from my hometown to prevent distractions was the right choice. Boulder in the Spring this year proved to be challenging from a wind/weather standpoint but in the end I know I am a better pilot for it! John, was very committed to teaching and instructing me to get the job done. I was also appreciative of him taking a personal interest in my overall piloting skills and helping me work on some deficiencies that needed attention. At the end of the session I not only walked away with my IFR ticket but felt like I knew my plane better than I ever had and gained confidence in precision flying skills that I did not have when I arrived. I would not hesitate to recommend AFIT and John to any future potential client you have that inquires!
All the best.
Thank you for Hal. He is a great instructor. You were right on when you said I would be happy. I passed my check ride on Monday as you know. Hal is so patient and professional, and has become a good friend. His unrelenting confidence in me was so reassuring. The thought of being Taught by an instructor with Hal’s experience and safety was everything. From day one of flying we were in the system and clouds. After all my concerns when talking to you on AFIT’s training, I really see the benefits of actually flying in the system Vs. Simulation. Some of the situations we were put into with ATC you just can’t simulate. I can’t say enough about Hal and his Love for IFR training and his positive attitude every day. He made the difference in my abilities as an Instrument pilot. My flight examiner said he did a good Job. Please use me as a reference any time and I would love to talk or answer any Questions for someone considering AFIT.
Thanks again,
I want to thank you for all your help with obtaining my instrument rating. Ron was a delight to train with and you were always there to answer any questions. I needed to have my rating in 5 days and was barely vfr proficient when Ron arrived. We trained hard for 5 days and I had my rating by the end of the 6th day. More importantly, Ron rekindled my interest in flying. He took me to Class Bravo airports, into snow and icing conditions and helped me experience other real life scenarios. We’ve become great friends and I look forward to earning my commercial and multi-engine license with his help. Thank you again Tony for telling me that simulators are not capable of teaching real life flying. You not only helped me earn a rating, but prepared me for years of flying.
Please feel free to pass on my name and number to anyone who has any questions.
AFIT, wow what an experience.
I decided to take on a 10 day IFR course in my Cirrus SR-22 and never expected it to be so easy, accommodating, and fulfilling. The experience began the second My instructor Ron stepped off his flight from Florida at LAX. He was accommodating confident and organized. Never through the 10 days did I feel rushed, or feel the repetitive nature of this training to take its toll on Ron, his relaxed nature made flying for so many hours with a hood on calming and very instructional. If you are thinking of this course and have the time to put in, your results will unquestionably be the same as mine. I passed almost without one negative comment from the FAA Examiner that performed my check ride. I had plenty of time to continue managing the demands of my company and never missed a beat in the training. Ron not only was a wonderful instructor but became a friend. Thank you AFIT for the time and the confidence to get my IFR ticket in a short 10 days of fun.
I wanted to relay my thanks for the incredible training provided by John and AFIT. I am a low time pilot (just passed 200 hours while with John) and being in my mid-40s don’t learn as quickly as I used to! So, leading into the start of my course I really couldn’t see how someone could turn a few random hours of instrument time (going back to my private training a couple of years ago) into an instrument rating in just 10 days. How wrong I was…
On meeting John on the first day, he immediately put me at ease. He’s a very likable chap and very quickly honed in on a communication and teaching approach that suited my learning style. We actually got going on that first day with the 250 mile / three airport requirement included in the PTS. This was a stroke of genius on John’s part because a) it helped us get to know each other b) got a potentially cumbersome requirement out of the way quickly and c) got me well grounded in what lay ahead, without the pressure of having to “perform” from the outset. While my mistakes were frequent and clear, by the end of the flight John has raised – not lowered – my confidence in my ability to pass the checkride.
Over the course of the following days John worked me hard! He was very flexible as to when we met each morning, accommodating weather issues into the training with ease. We also had some unanticipated plane availability issues and John got stuck in with a number of very persuasive calls to various folks to find a resolution. This included “educating” some folks on the FARs around 100 hour requirements with for-hire planes. John knows his stuff!!
As it turned out, we lost three full days to weather, which – I am told – is very unusual for this time of year in Denver. Even then, John signed me off at the end of the 8th day. Given my readiness (or lack thereof) going into the course, that is staggering to me! He threw in “academic” topics along the way, which was really helpful in getting through the oral exam, which I took on morning of the 9th day. I sailed through that and John was a big factor. Unfortunately, weather prevented me taking the checkride, which was postponed to the following morning. Again, John was there for me – he met me at 8am for a quick ride ahead of my checkride, which was very helpful. He didn’t need to do that – but did!
Thankfully my checkride went well and I was overjoyed to receive my instrument rating. I am completely exhausted but in a good way!!
John’s teaching style, communication skills and sheer experience were the biggest factors in my achieving what, for me, has been a goal for quite some time. I would also like to think I made a good friend (and more, actually – he introduced me to his pilot girlfriend and two other pilot friends over a very enjoyable dinner on Friday!).
If you have any customers in the Seattle area (which may happen because I’ll be telling folks about AFIT) please send John – I’d love to meet up with him and think back on what was a very enjoyable and ultimately successful 10 days. Together, John and AFIT exceeded my expectations.
I can’t say enough about John. He was professional, committed, accommodating, and prepared me thoroughly for the IFR check ride. He also taught me to land my Columbia properly as well as made me a better pilot in every aspect. He arranged through his contacts to fix any problem that came up with my plane. I now count John as a friend that I can call for advice and he can call me if he needs a favor. You have a winner in John.
Ron was a pleasure. I enjoyed getting to know him and having him as an instructor. He was willing to fly anytime, anywhere. We spent a lot of time working but also mixed in some trips to different places such as Orlando, The Keys, DC, etc. where we were able to get experience in different types of air space and heavier traffic flows as well as visiting a Fly In. He was well rehearsed with all of the systems in the plane and applied a fun and relaxed syllabus. I got my rating on the 10th day just like you promised. Please feel free to use me as a reference for future students.
I just wanted to get back to you and thank you for a wonderful instrument training session I had with John and to provide you with this recommendation.
As you may recall, I have a Bonanza A36TC and wanted to do an accelerated Instrument Rating in a complex, retractable gear aircraft so that the time would count toward getting insurance coverage on the Bonanza. Due to John’s impressive piloting history, we ended up with John listed on my insurance and an OK to do dual training in the A36TC. Doing your IR in a fast turbo Bonanza is not the easiest way to get an IR. But, if you are willing work hard and put a few extra hours in, it can be a very rewarding experience. Naturally, my goal was to be able to fly the A36TC with an IR, so it was much faster, if not easier, to do my training in the Bonanza. Nonetheless, John was very helpful in providing both transition training in the Bonanza at the same time as starting from the beginning for the IR. After successfully getting my IR, the insurance company offered me PIC insurance based on the 56 hours of dual with John.
John has lots of experience in turbo operations as well as high altitude flying. He was excellent in teaching both how to fly the airplane as well as the instrument procedures. I was very pleased with the experience and fully intend to use AFIT and John again in the near future to expand my piloting skills for both the commercial rating and multi-engine. It is a lot of work to do an accelerated IR, but I would trust AFIT for this task!! Thanks
I Passed the checkride in the Bonanza A36TC with no issues! John was great to work with. He accepted the challenge that all others shied away from. John took a new low hour pilot from a Cherokee and not only transitioned me into a high performance, complex turbo normalized Bonanza, but used the Bonanza for 100% of the IFR training as well. All in 13 days.
John was always professional and delivered much more than what was expected. The IFR training with John, made me a better pilot in the Bonanza than I was in the Cherokee. Thanks
I just wanted to give you some feedback from my experience with John in Colorado last month. I wanted to thank you for a great instructor. He was a very knowledgeable and helpful instructor that made the whole process very easy on my part. Our flights together were enjoyable and he managed to combine the necessary elements to get me check ride ready with my needs for cross country hours very well. The aircraft rental he arranged in Erie was top notch. The plane was virtually brand new and their line staff and management couldn’t have been nicer in meeting my needs during the rental. I especially appreciated the reimbursement for lower fuel costs elsewhere from the daily wet rental rate. Although I’ve heard the 10 day programs can be very difficult in terms of the volume of information and doubts about completion, I found just the opposite to be true with my experience with AFIT and John. He was able to incorporate all the needed aspects into fun, daily flying time that accomplished all the goals I had set out for the week.
Again, Thank you for all your help setting up my program. I wish you the best with continued business. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with John and value the experience. As he may have related,
I passed my check ride on the first time with no major concerns and look forward to future development of my IFR skills. Thank you again,
I wanted to write and let you know what a pleasure it was for me to complete my IFR training in my Cirrus SR-22 with AFIT and especially my instructor Mark. After working around my hectic schedule, you were able to arrange for Mark to come down to Dallas. From almost the moment I picked up Mark at the Dallas Love airport to dropping him off for his flight back home, Mark wasted no time quizzing me in preparation for my check ride. The weather was absolute CAVU the entire time Mark was in the Dallas area and he obliged my desire to get into some true IMC by putting up with some long days to allow flights to south Louisiana where the weather could be found. We started our days early and Mark was always patient with my questions and helped me to develop a deep understanding of Instrument flying with his broad range of flying experiences. I have already recommended AFIT to a fellow pilot based at my airport and would not hesitate to do so again. Thanks Tony.
What an asset you have in Mark. He is a real stand up guy who is a great flight instructor. I enjoyed my time with Mark both professionally and personally and to boot found his instruction to be very comprehensive. Given the fact that I had to split my time into 2 sessions he was also very flexible to make sure we got everything covered and re-covered if necessary. Needless to say, he has my highest recommendation for your students who are fortunate enough to get him as an instructor.
I like the way your system works. Good business model. My Best
Just a quick note to thank you for sending Ron to be my flight instructor. What a GREAT guy and excellent instructor. Ron instilled confidence in me and my flying abilities. He is by far the BEST flight instructor I have ever met or worked with. Anyone who is thinking about getting their instrument rating and is concerned about finishing within the 10 days should not be concerned if Ron is in the seat next to them. They WILL succeed and exceed their expectations. I would unquestionably recommend Ron to anyone desiring to get an instrument rating. Please feel free to have any prospective students contact me directly if they would like further information on my experience with your organization.
I had a great time getting my IFR and training with Ed, he was great . I’m planning on a 2 day recurrent training program in January, to take on the California controllers. Thanks again.
I assume that by now you have heard from Ron that I passed the IFR check ride on Wednesday.
I am just writing to thank you so much for hooking me up with Ron to help me finish training for my instrument rating. Aside from being one of the nicest gentlemen I have ever met, he is an exceptionally well qualified instructor. We worked really hard and at times I was ready to bag the whole thing, not thinking that I was going to be able to perform to the FAA’s standards. Ron was always enthusiastic, upbeat and did his very best to keep me motivated during the long days of training. I had serious doubts at times that I would be able to be ready since we had to shorten the length of training due to the schedule of the examiner.
For me, as I am sure it is for any student, it was the fear of the unknown that kept me awake at night. Ron constantly encouraged me though and never once made me feel embarrassed when I made a mistake. It was great fun being with him and we did have many laughs while we worked so hard to accomplish our goal. All of my worry was for nothing though as every aspect of the oral and check ride went smoothly. Ron kept giving me the credit for succeeding, but I know that it would not have been possible without his dedication and skills as an instructor.
I have had training from numerous CFII’s along my journey for this rating and Ron is without question the best teacher in the business.
Please don’t hesitate to use me as a reference for anyone that is thinking of using AFIT to obtain their rating.
Thanks again!
Wanted to let you know that I attained my instrument/commercial. I also want to let you know that I enjoyed working with Ed, he is professional, patient and dedicated.
Thanks for everything.
Thank you very much for the wonderful experience I had working with you and Ralph… I thought before I would never get my instrument ticket because of the “sketchy”, off-on kind of training, but with your help, I almost came to tears when the examiner said to me, “congratulations, you’ve done a good job and earned your ticket”…One word on Ralph…he is a great asset to your company.. made me feel at ease. I was a little bit skeptical about training with someone whom I never met before, but his terrific skills, both in flying and personal, made it like a breeze…I regret when he left because I felt I said good bye to a dear friend and will miss him, but will stay in touch as friends and mentor…
Thank you again, Tony,…It was a pleasurable experience working with you…God bless…
Thanks for the congratulations. I had a great time with Ed. The flying was intense, but I really feel that I learned a lot from the experience. In addition to passing the rating I think that I am a much better pilot and better and more comfortable controlling my plane. Ed was very calm even when I was flying across the LOC course and kept the stress limited to only my own. We also had a great time talking about flying and a lot of other things over lunch and breaks. The program turned out to be a great adventure flying up to Minnesota and meeting with the FAA examiner although I know this is not part of the regular course. I filed IFR for my flight back to Milwaukee and was vector through Minneapolis Bravo airspace.
Thanks again.
I really enjoyed the time spent with Ron. He is a great teacher with a lot of patience for working with people new to the IFR world. We flew all over Texas through VMC and IMC weather. He took the time to explain everything that we were doing as well as to repeat information multiple times through out the 10 days. Ron was very flexible and worked around my schedule as it fit into a busy life. I would highly recommend AFIT to anyone interested in attaining their IFR certificate.
It was great working with Ralph, personally and professionally. Not only is he a great guy, he has a very good way of explaining things in an understandable manner. Take Care!
Joey is an excellent instructor for the following reasons: thoroughness, he has good communication abilities, good interpersonal skills, explains everything very well, excellent knowledge on the subject matter, very professional and timely.
Thank you again for a wonderful experience!
I want to commend you on your use of the extremely capable and ever-cheerful Ronald for part of your team, BUT, any future student should be given the following WARNING prior to starting their instrument training with Ron: “WARNING!! This guy will REFUSE to allow you to say you’re never gonna get it! He will NOT get annoyed with you and let you quit for the day, just because you blew the same approach six times in a row! He will continue to LAUGH every time you threaten him with physical harm, and you WILL NOT be able to persuade him to just keep the money and go on the next student!” By the time it all comes together and you start to wonder why you ever thought it was so difficult – about the eighth day for me – he will make some smart-aleck remark like “I knew you could do it all along”(!) In short, I appreciate the fact that he MADE ME do it [I had three other instrument instructors in the thirty years and 1100 hours since I got my private ticket], and would recommend Ron and AFIT to anyone – with the above warning, of course.
Your firm provides a very valuable service to the pilot community; we need more instrument rated flyers, but it’s all too easy to get discouraged in the early stages of shooting approaches and decide to “quit for now, and come back to it when I have more time, money, patience, etc…”i.e., QUIT. I tried those fly-an-hour-at-a-time-once-or-twice-a-week processes in some syllabus-oriented school’s high-time fixed-gear, fixed-prop trainer with no real success, because it was too easy to put it off. I’m convinced that your method whereby I flew my own new Bonanza off my own Class C airport – and jammed it all into ten days – has made me a much safer and more capable pilot than the old-fashioned way.
Thanks Tony.
Just wanted to follow up with the training I received from AFIT. Even though our weather wasn’t the best – ask Bill how cold he was – my training went off better than I could have hoped for. Bill had me completely prepared for the oral exam and check ride, so much that I was somewhat disappointed that the check ride was not harder. The experience with AFIT was great and I was extremely happy with the time I spent with Bill – not only did he prepare me for the instrument check ride but was very helpful in making me a better pilot by going above and beyond what was required. I plan on using AFIT and Bill for recurrent training so that I stay up to date with everything related to instrument flying and new equipment. Once again, thanks for everything.
You were right, Ed was great!!! Excellent teacher and excellent man! We had a good time together.
Thank you for everything.
We couldn’t have done it without Ed’s instruction and appreciate your help. We learned a lot of good things from Ed that will help us be better pilots.
All that counts is that the AFIT system works and we now have our instrument ratings which as you know is a license to learn more…much more! Thank you.
Good luck and God bless.
I truly appreciate the opportunity I had to work with you and Ed. Ed was a lot of fun and made the challenge of instrument training seem much more manageable. We flew all over the west in the course of training, even got into a little IMC along the way. Ed’s personality was very enjoyable in a training environment…and just hanging out in the down times. I would enthusiastically endorse your program and Ed for anyone ready to take the IFR transition step. Thank you.
