Desert West Aviation

Desert West Aviation is an excellent flight school. I’ve been going there on and off for the past 2 years. The staff is very friendly and fun to work with. I’m looking forward to continued business with them!

I interviewed several flight schools in Coachella Valley before choosing Desert West Aviation. Owner, David Shapiro said «you will have the most fun at my school». So far, he’s correct. I am about half way thru Private Pilot training, and I am really enjoying the experience. The people are all friendly and eager to help. Student pilots are treated like family. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. Ted Johnson is a skilled Flight Instructor who’s teaching style is positive and complimentary. Bottom line, David and his team are successfully making ‘learning how to fly’, seriously FUN!

Love flying with Desert West Aviation. They made learning how to fly an unforgettable experience for me. The instructors were great and hands on with everything. They made themselves available after hours and worked around my busy schedule. I would highly recommend giving Desert West Aviation a try. You won’t regret it.

The only place to learn to fly, learn correctly, and learn fast. Great value too. Just hanging out in the office you’ll learn something new about flying. They have at least two Cessena 172 and one other smaller plane. I have flown both of the 172s and they are very reliable planes. The instructors are friendly and each has a different style. The owner takes a personal interest in each student and helps to match the student’s personality and learning style to the right instructor. I got my private pilots license in 50 hours with this school over 5 years ago and am now starting my IFR training. I highly recommend this school to anyone wanting to learn to fly.

If you want a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from professional pilots who are as good as they come, then this is the place for you. My wife surprised me last summer with an introductory flight (approx. 1 – 2 hours), and I’ve been hooked ever since. After meeting David & Ted for the first time I knew this was the flight school I wanted to obtain my pilots license from. The experiences in the air are what make or break a pilot. Ted is a first class flight instructor with extended knowledge in drills, and extra precautionary tactics while in flight. Ted has taught me that it’s about being prepared, understanding the mechanics, and having confidence. I wouldn’t fly with anyone else. My experiences at Desert West Aviation far outweigh the cost of attaining a pilots license. A special thank you to Dave, Ted, & the crew for providing this once in a lifetime opportunity! Chris R.

This is a small school run by fun people who are easy to do business with.
However, they don’t deliver good value. They charge a high price per hour for airplanes and instruction, for which we should expect better equipment and more professionalism.
I flew nearly 100 hours with this school and didn’t get my license before giving up on them. Many schools claim that good students can do it in 50 hours, 60 – 80 seems average, and not finishing by 100 hours is rare; a good student should finish in half the time for a third the price.
If you live near Palm Springs and want to learn how to fly, you owe it to yourself to shop around for other schools. Although this may be the only flight school in the valley, there are many others to choose from on the west side of the Banning pass, especially in Riverside.

These guys are amazing. Excellent instruction by a dedicated crew. They really invest in the student’s success. My dream of finally becoming a licensed pilot was made possible here.