Riverside Flight Center

Our Admissions Officer will create a detailed report outlining all you need to know to get started as a Professional Pilot.  You'll receive ground training, flight training, and simulator training on your path to becoming a pilot.  Materials, books, and training aids are also issued to you so that you can study at home.

Riverside Flight Center is certified in the United States by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a Pilot School with Examining Authority.  Examining Authority is a distinct privilege awarded to Flight Schools that consistently demonstrate excellence in training.  Nationally, less than 5% of flight schools hold Examining Authority.  Riverside Flight Center is the only Flight School with Examining Authority that offers fixed-fee training in the State of Oklahoma.  Riverside Flight Center is also the largest international flight training provider in the region.  Only 3 Flight Schools with Examining Authority exist in the state.  Our instructors are federally certificated to teach new pilots and must pass rigorous flight and ground tests to ensure they are safe and effective.  Our training staff maintain their proficiency by being checked and receive additional training every 6 months.  Our leadership team collectively share over 150 years as professional aviators.

Based on your unique needs, our Admissions Officer creates a Training Agreement using our Guaranteed Course structure.  We design a course based on a fixed-fee to help your training costs remain predictable.  Many schools charge by the hour and create a price based on minimum certification requirements.  The FAA requires a minimum of 35 hours of training towards Private Pilot (PPL) certification at a certificated flight school.  The national average of hours at PPL certification is 65-70 hours.  If a school quoted you 35 hours to complete and you finish at 70, your training cost has doubled.  Riverside Flight Center designs our tuition based on average course completion, making your training costs predictable and transparent.

Riverside Flight Center was incorporated in 2000 and has trained thousands of pilots from over 85 countries since.  The FAA granted Examining Authority to RFC in 2011 and we have held this distinct privilege ever since.  In addition to certifying US pilots, RFC has worked with certifying agencies in over 85 countries in support of our international graduates.

Becoming a pilot is an interest many people have.  Riverside Flight Center has worked with young pilots and older pilots from all over the world with a variety of educational backgrounds and skills.  Our course is designed to prepare students for the exciting career as a Professional Pilot. To enroll as a full-time student, students must be 18 years of age or older.  As a part-time student, enrollment as young as 16 is possible.  All students who enroll must meet certain medical requirements established by the FAA, be able to read, speak, write, and understand English, and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.

At Riverside Flight Center, our students reach academic and training goals on a daily basis.  We are proud to have the privilege to work with each student who decides to train at Riverside Flight Center, and post accomplishments of all students on our social media sites.  Accomplishments may range from completion of an FAA written examination, the first solo flight, passing a flight check, receiving a license, or getting a job as an airline pilot.  Our community of graduates regularly update the team at RFC with their professional achievements, and we encourage all our students, past and present, to share their experience with others.

Ask questions!  You are a unique person, just like everyone else in the world.  Each training provider is also unique.  You'll want to make sure you choose a good fit based on your unique needs.  Training for a career in aviation can be challenging and expensive, but it doesn't have to be.  Students and sponsors who ask questions and talk with more than one training provider will have information to make an informed decision on where to train.There have been many students who were ripped off, lied to, or manipulated by training at other schools.  Riverside Flight Center's goal is to be transparent, honest, and most importantly safe.  Never send a school lots of money up front!  You may be asked to pay some fees to get started, but be sure to ask what you get for your money.  Your money belongs to you, and you should get something for what you pay.  We have heard of some schools requiring $5,000 or more before the student's first flight.  This is a warning sign!  We have helped several students who lost as much as $20,000 at other schools without even getting into an airplane for flight.  Ask questions!  Be sure you know what your money is going towards and be sure you can get a refund if needed.

There are many flight schools in the US, but not all are created equal.  Be sure to ask other schools about their training success rates, what happens when certification requires more than minimum hours (remember the minimum for a Private license is 35 hours at a Part 141 school, but the average for PPL certification is between 60-70 hours!), and any accidents or FAA investigations the school has had.  RFC works closely with each student to ensure training is:  continuing as expected, on-budget, well within the rules and requirements established by the FAA, and safe.

Write down where you want to be in 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years, and ask who you're planning on training with how they can help you.  Ask about the cost of training, success rates, accidents and FAA certification.  Be sure to talk to several schools before deciding where you want to start.  Your training and certification experience should be fun, exciting, and rewarding, but it is up to you to make that happen.  Be sure you have good motivation, study habits, and attendance and timeliness.