Arapahoe Flight Club - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Matthew B.

Do you want to be part of a brotherhood of aviators? Less than one percent of the US population are pilots.
I have nothing but positive things to say about Arapahoe Flight Club. I had the best instructor that now flies for the airlines. From the very beginning of my journey of earning my wings to continuing to be a member of the Arapahoe Flight Club, I been on Cloud9. Now that I have my license, I fly my family all over Colorado to get that hundred dollar burger. I’ve flown to Telluride, Leadville, Centennial and Fort Collins among other places in Colorado. One of my favorite things to do is looping Pikes Peak with my daughter and watching the tourist faces as we fly over. Learning to fly in class Charlie airspace at Colorado Springs Airport (Kcos) is an excellent experience and prepares you for anything. We learn to fly at high altitudes in mountainous terrain and are trained to land safely anywhere at any airport with confidence. And always remember:
Keep the clean side up and the dirty side down and please,.. stay out of the trees!
- Bety, PP,SEL

Nicholas B.

I recently completed my Instrument Rating, and I have to say, the experience was absolutely incredible. From the start, I was thoroughly prepared, and the training was top-notch. My instructor really took the time to ensure I was ready for the challenges of instrument flying, and it paid off big time. During my check ride, my DPE even commented on how I “made it look easy,” which was such a great affirmation of all the hard work I put in.

The real highlight, however, was the mountain flying course with Bill Jones. The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking—landing at some of the most famous mountain airports was truly an experience I’ll never forget. One of the most valuable things I learned was the box canyon turn, and practicing it in such stunning surroundings made it all the more memorable. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a great experience, and I can’t wait to apply everything I’ve learned in my future flying adventures.

Cameron C.

I came to AFC with approximately 75 hours of “training” from another local flight school. After lots of frustration with their methods and nearly admitting defeat, I decided to give Arapahoe a chance to reaffirm my joy for aviation. I can say that after 1.5 months of training with them, in a completely new aircraft than what I trained in before, that I am now a private pilot after passing my checkride!

Arapahoe Flight Club is amazing from the top down. From the moment I walked in the door, everyone was professional and efficient. They make you feel like a real student pilot rather than looking at you as a way to simply build hours. I can’t stress enough how important that is for prospective pilots.

Thank you to everybody at Arapahoe Flight Club. Bill, Nick, Jack, Laura, Jake, Victoria, Christian and everyone else that has helped me clear this final hurdle, I sincerely thank you for all of your help, education and support. I will not go anywhere else for any other training.

Zachary B.

My girlfriend and I had a great experience on our discovery flights. We had an unique request and wow did they deliver! We asked to do two discovery flights, one in fixed wing and one in rotary wing, and then split the time on each. For me it felt like a big ask, but Arapahoe flight club was very accommodating. We did our first flight in one of their Cherokees with Christian and his instruction was very clear and easy to understand. Over all our fixed wing experience was excellent and was a very enjoyable. For our rotary wing experience we flew in their R44 with Jessica. Because I already had some hours in helicopters we did some more advanced maneuvers to challenge me and I found her instructions very pin pointed to make simple changes to correct my mistakes. And for my girlfriend she had simple instructions to allow her to grasp some basic concepts of helicopter controls and energy management. Over all I had a fantastic time and was very impressed with their aircraft, facilities, and employees.

Violetta L.

I started fixed wing training at Arapahoe with zero experience and everyone I’ve interacted with has been so helpful and encouraging! My instructor Victoria has been amazing and prepared me for the PPL, and is now my instrument instructor as well. I love the flexibility of scheduling here and highly recommend this club for anyone with any amount of experience!

Cody D.

Amazing discovery flight experience, Laura in the office and all of the CFI's I talked to were fantastic. Look forward to starting my private pilot license with them in the near future!

Nicholas H.

For those wanting to pursue aviation professionally or for passion, look no further than Arapahoe Flight Club. They are the best flight club/school in the Colorado Springs area for a few reasons.

In my experience Arapahoe is a true flight club that cares most about sharing and making peoples passions for aviation be possible. They give 100% to all their members and treat everyone with respect and equally. I was lucky enough to do my Instrument Rating with them and from start to finish and it was the best training anyone could get. The instructors are knowledgeable and passionate, they put their students success and needs above all else and the aircraft are well maintained. You can tell the maintenance team treats the aircraft as their own, they are very friendly open to help.

For those looking to pursue pilot training, build time, or fly for fun, I could not recommend Arapahoe more. Being located in COS, the experiences you get are invaluable. You get very comfortable with talking to ATC and often get to see some really cool and unique aircraft. For private pilots, there is an excellent practice area out east with lot of opportunities for ground reference maneuvers and engine out practice. As for instrument training, having your home airport with a variety of Approaches makes your training faster and more valuable. The rental rates and membership fees are very fair with no hidden costs.

There are a lot of wonderful things I can say along with other members, but definitely check out Arapahoe if you are curious about aviation and want to be part of an amazing, friendly, and fair community.

Tripp W.

I came to Arapahoe as a commercial helicopter pilot and fixed wing private pilot to complete my instrument and commercial airplane single engine land. I was planning to continue to CFI but opted to leave the club instead. Hands down the best CFI/IIs I’ve flown with across five aero clubs. The club’s front office is my concern. Safety conscious decision making is a key aspect of learning to fly, but Arapahoe administration makes prudent decision making near impossible by adding irrelevant pressures and precedents. If you cancel, you will be charged, regardless of your reason, and it’s a battle to get your money back. I truly believe it is an “if” not “when” scenario that you will see Arapahoe in the news for an avoidable aviation mishap with young renters pressured to fly past their personal limitations.