Top Flight schools in San Carlos, United States

Flying for the first time was an incredible feeling. Thanks to Alexis for the amazing guidance throughout the journey. Hoping to join the flight school soon. Thanks to Fly Bay Area for giving me an opportunity to pursue my dream to be pilot one day.

Unforgettable memories!

Thank you, Fly Bay Air team, for making the sky accessible for everyone! We've had an amazing experience, starting from booking and communication, ending with a flight with an incredible pilot.
P.S. Smoothest landing I've ever had!

Great experience flying with our pilot Not. We saw lovely views of the SF Bay, SF downtown and Treasure Island and Angel Island in our almost 90-min 2-person tour. Not allowed me to pilot the plane multiple times for as long as 5-10 min at a stretch. Very glad to have flown with Fly Bay Area and would recommend them to anyone interested in doing a flight tour.

One of the coolest things I've ever done. The Views, instructor, every aspect was incredible. I had tears in my eyes for half the flight because it was so beautiful. Smoothest place ride I've ever been on

My birthday gift from my wife was an incredible 80+ minute flight over the Bay Area with Fly Bay Area, and it couldn't have been more perfect. Mohammad, our polite and skilled instructor, made our flight easy, safe, and informative with his excellent guidance. The well-timed journey over stunning vistas was simply outstanding, easily making this experience one of my most cherished memories. I highly recommend Fly Bay Area for anyone looking to explore the sky in the most amazing way!

San Carlos Flight Center is the best flight center I have ever seen! They have a very friendly and helpful environment that helps me as a student to feel support and confidence. I see people around me who are in love with aviation. They are not only members of the aviation community - they are a family. I very appreciate an opportunity to take flight classes at San Carlos Flight Center. Every class makes sense for me. Before doing anything in the air I receive appropriate knowledge at ground school. Comparing to my previous experience at another flight school, this center much better. Quality of their education is outstanding!

Don’t be fooled when they tell you there’s a waitlist because people are chomping at the bit to learn here. Rather it’s because the school has had a hard time keeping experienced CFIs. They keep leaving to work for the airlines ….and I can imagine for good reason.

I found the owner Dan to be difficult and unnecessarily combative. Also, if you’re an experienced student pilot I’d move onto somewhere else. SCFC and their syllabuses with their ‘necessary’ ground school time (@ $85/hr) make this school geared primarily towards high school aged students and their parents who will rationalize spending extra in the name of safety.

That being said; if you’re brand new and don’t mind paying extra $$$ to have someone tutor you with information (that at every other school considers self paced learning) this is the spot for you.

My husband and I had a great time flying with Fly Bay Area. We had add-on to fly to SF and it was totally worth it. The view was just spectacular from bird’s eye view. Our instructor was really friendly and encouraging. Kept telling us we are doing a good job. Definitely an amazing experience! Will recommend!

I trained for my private pilot license here, and it was an absolutely unforgettable experience! It was a real pleasure to work towards this goal with Gabe and his team. My primary instructor, Spencer, is a great instructor, a knowledgeable teacher, an excellent pilot, and an all-around superstar of a guy to fly with. He was very supportive and flexible, working around the clock with me to accommodate my tight timeline, since I was only in town for the summer. A real professional. I also had the opportunity to work with a few other instructors (David, Mike, Gabe), who all had their unique flavor but no lack of excellence in their craft. Thanks to the team, I was able to successfully obtain my license before I left! I would definitely recommend Fly Bay Area to anyone interested in learning how to fly in the Bay Area!

Booked a city lights tour at sunset. Best birthday gift ever!! Cesar was our pilot and was super nice, skilled, and friendly. He showed us many locations and pointed out attractions to us from above. Would definitely recommend this experience to all my friends! It's worth the price and more!

Ground School/Flights Lessons: Long overdue review. I’ve received instructions from different instructors/schools, and San Carlos Flight Center is a flight School of it’s own kind.

I took Herb’s Private Pilot Ground School course back in 2019 at the old location next to Hiller Aviation Museum, and it’s a course I recommend to anyone interested in flying. At the time it was $300, you can come back anytime within two years to complete the course (if you stop attending for any reason). One class a week (two days to pick from…Tuesday night?/Thursday morning?). 12 weeks at three (four?) hour sessions (OR you can pay an individual instructor 36 hours @ regular instructor rate of at least $80/hour)…you do the math…there aren’t that many flights schools anywhere that offer a Private, and or Instrument Ground School for a fix rate.

If you pass the weekly exams/final practice test, you can get your endorsement to take the knowledge/written exam. The course wasn’t easy, lots of reading and studying, but well worth the money.

I’ve met private students at an accelerated program where no one preps you for the written exam, and fraction of the ground class. I wish I would have taken the Instrument Ground School, and finished my private/instrument certificate through SCFC.

I visited this flight school several years back when I was in the process of renewing my Flight Instructor certificate. I met with a man named Dan Dyer. As a flight instructor with over 4000 hours of instruction / 1500 Turbine PIC and airline experience I've never been treated so poorly by anyone in the aviation Industry. He was rude, condescending, arrogant and in general very unpleasant.

He was upset that I stopped by unannounced after speaking with him on the phone...a real jerk!!

This Flight School has the very best Instructors! If you're interested in flying or you want to gift some loved one the incredible feeling of flight. This is it. Professional but friendly attitudes from all the staff. The owner Dan Dyer is incredibly passionate about flying while focusing on safety and comfortability which shows. My flight journey has started here and I couldn't be more impressed and excited.

Very friendly staff and instructors. I came in from out of state and had a very good experience trying to schedule some flight time with SCFC.

Obviously at no fault of the school, San Carlos ATC is incredibly rude, so be warned :)

Sue is one the best instructors I have ever been taught by. She has so much wisdom and experience in aviation, which becomes very apparent the moment you start a flight lesson with her. She was not an easier instructor, she had very high standards which I was very glad for.

Because she had such high standards, I knew that when she said she thought I was ready for something (such as my first solo or my first solo cross country), I knew I was really ready for it. I just completed my Private Pilots License, and the FAA examiner told me that if I ever want to go farther in aviation, I should highly consider staying with her as my instructor. The examiner also said that he thought she was one of the top instructors out there and he has always been impressed with the students she sends to him. Not only did I find Sue to be a perfect instructor but also a wonderful mentor that is always willing to help out in any way she can.

Dennis was courteous and very helpful. He guided my byfriend and I every step of the way and answered our newbie questions about air traffic control and the onboard instruments. Would go again for a different route (did the short peninsula route yesterday) and definitely would recommend to a friend.

I got my private pilot certificate with the SCFC 3 years ago. Have been flying with them ever since then once a week on average.

Top notch instruction, went through tailwheel and high performance endorsements, and now about to start instrument training.

Enjoy the high quality bi-weekly safety seminars.

Very well maintained fleet.

Not the cheapest around but well worth it.

Sue has a ton of great flying experience -- she's flown for airlines, competed in air races, and has been providing flight lessons for many years. She draws from these experiences to offer insights and examples to help her students learn.

She is genuinely interested in understanding each student's unique background, personality, and learning style and molds her lessons and teaching style around her student's individual differences. She knows we all learn a little differently and asks for feedback to continuously improve her methods of teaching.

Learning to fly with Sue has been a great experience -- I've learned a lot, always felt comfortable and safe, and her passion for flying is contagious!

I've been working with Sue for over a year - achieved my Private Pilot license and am now continuing with her to get my Instrument Rating and proficiency with G1000 (glass cockpit), larger/faster aircraft, and mountain flying.