Zenith Flight Academy

Earning your pilot certificate is one of the most rewarding things you can do. At Zenith Flight Academy, located at the Riverside Municipal Airport the best time is now! Zenith Flight Academy has a completely redesigning facility that will make learning safe, efficient, affordable and fun. Our instructors go through a rigorous interview process and exceed national standards for safety, knowledge and skill.

As a student you will find challenges, excitement, adventure, and reward during every flight hour. Earning a pilot’s certificate requires dedication to physical practice and a fair amount of studying. A pilot will learn about federal regulations, airplane systems, weather, airspace, radio communications, navigation, and medical factors relating to flight.

Our courses take students through the material in an organized and simple format. We stress a high level of knowledge and proficiency because we know that training safe pilots starts with a solid foundation.

How much will it cost me?

If you’re like many of our students, getting a good value is one of your top priorities. The answer to “how much” is hard to pin down because everyone spends a different amount of time mastering the material and everyone learns in a different way. Some people excel at studying and reading comprehension. If this is you, undoubtedly you will save money on ground sessions. Some students are “naturals” in the airplane, this type of person will spend less money on instructor time in the air.

The first thing we like to council people on is to be wary of schools that quote prices based on the FAA minimum requirements of 40hrs total flight time. While this may seem like a lot of flight time, only a small fraction of students are able to achieve this in real life. A more realistic number reflecting the national averages is 50-65 hours depending on the time you can put into flying every week. Most people spend somewhere between $5,000-$7,500 to earn their certificate. It is important to note that cost will vary considerably depending on the airplane you learn in, the time you set aside to study and fly every week and your natural aptitude. Click here for a list of current aircraft rental and instructor rates.

Keep in mind, that we are committed to helping you watch your money and deliver the best value throughout your training with us. Before you start flying at any school ask all the questions you can about cost so no surprises come up later. For those who qualify, we offer simple financing solutions so you can concentrate on flying and make it easy on your wallet.

What is a typical lesson like?

A typical lesson will include studying at home to prepare for topics to be covered with your instructor, and will continue at our school with some time on the ground (called ground sessions about 1 hour), usually followed by a flight (about 2 hours). Our flight and ground syllabus are designed to save you money and maximize your “stick time” when you do go fly. One of the biggest expenses people face in learning to fly is relearning things that were only partly covered or completed in a previous lesson. To avoid this expense and the frustration associated with this common occurrence our flights are scheduled for 2 hours. This assures that you have enough time to master each lesson’s material, spend more time flying, and less time waiting on the runway. We find that this method instills a depth of knowledge that helps our students pass their FAA exam, THE FIRST TIME.