SoCal Pilot Center Flight School - Thermal, California

Greg Rotman

My 14 year old son wanted to take flying lessons and get his license. I called 5 schools between the desert and Malibu where we live. Not one flight school took us seriously EXCEPT So Cal Pilot Center. He has been a half dozen times since and both my wife and I have been beyond impressed with how professional and encouraging the instructor has been. Having been to 3 other flight schools as well in person I can tell you the professionalism, equipment and cleanliness of this school is in matched. This place is run with the upmost care. The staff is overly communicative. I have no reservations recommending them. They also allow us as parents to fly with our son when he goes up. Seriously if your trying to decide where to put your dollars it’s here.

Ray Ponsaran

If you want to learn to fly in Palm Springs area, this is the best flight school to do it. Kay is super nice and very knowledgeable instructor. I can't think of a better person to teach me how to fly. They have a very nice office/training center in Thermal, near La Quinta. Best flight ever in a state of the art Cessna 172 with the desert view. Unforgettable...

SoCal Pilot Center

If you want to learn to fly in Palm Springs, this is the place to be. As an official Cessna Pilot Center, this flight school offers the very latest Cessna airplanes with state of the art Glass Cockpit, unique in the Coachella Valley. Their great team of highly experienced flight instructors, provide you with an unseen personalized training program and get you towards your Private Certificate in no time. They've been a great partner to us, and offer high quality time building programs for our European students.

Matty V

I just completed my private pilot license here and I can't praise this school enough. The people running it are truly top notch, as is the organization of the school, the instruction received from the Flight instructors and the airplanes themselves. They feature newer Cessnas 172's with G1000's, unlike many schools. Do yourself the favor of learning here. You won't regret it.

Nick Williams

Wonderful experience using SoCal Pilot Center as a PSI testing location for FAA Knowledge Tests. They responded promptly to my inquiries about availability, and were able to work with PSI to get me signed up for two tests within the same week (Instrument and Commercial). The testing environment was clean and quiet, and the check-in/proctor process was efficient. The staff were great people and very friendly. While I only took the exams there (I live out of the area and was just visiting family nearby), I saw students working with instructors on very sophisticated simulators, and their hangared C172 looked like a great trainer.

King Schools

SoCal Pilot Center is owned and operated by Kay and Leen Vereeken—true aviation citizens of the world. They have brought their passion for aviation and helping people achieve their aviation goals to the Palm Springs area. As a Cessna Pilot Center they use the best aviation learning system available. Pilots who want to learn from the best, in a fun, rewarding environment in the Palm Springs area, couldn’t do better than SoCal Pilot Center. We are proud to know them.

--John and Martha King

Remy Weemhoff

Awesome flight school located in the Palm Springs area. Personal training tailored to your (pilots') needs. Loved flying the Cessna 172S while being there!

Glenn Crab

Best flight school near Palm Springs!! It was a very nice experience to fly with a Cessna in the region of California. One word: beautiful!!