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Advantage Aviation
Category: Education Specialty Schools Flight Instruction Flight Instruction
Palo Alto Airport1903 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 493-5987
About This Business:
New Sport and Private Pilot Ground School starting Wed March 14th! Intro flights, flight tours, gift certificates and flight lessons in tailwheel,… read more »
8 reviews for Advantage Aviation
8 reviews in English
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Review from Kuangwei H.
Santa Monica, CA
6/24/2009
I have been flying with Advantage for a year and a half now, and have to say this is absolutely the best flying club/school I have experienced. I have checked out all 5 flying clubs in PAO back in Jan 2008 when I was deciding on a club to join. Advantage was priced higher than Shoreline Flying Club but lower than West Valley Flying Club.
While Shoreline had no member dues, they had bare minimal facilities, no restrooms, no presentable "front desk girls" to hand you the keys, but the guys were nice. If you just wanted to take flying lessons the cheapest possible way this is the place to go. West Valley had the largest fleet selection, but have fuel surcharges and unbelievably tyrannical club rules on aircraft check outs rules.
For being less pricey than West Valley, Advantage actually have a MUCH more presentable facility, with hardwood floor, red-carpet atmosphere, professional service (treats members like real customers!), AND great flight instructors, weather briefing computers, and comfy leather couches/plasma TV in the lounge area, it makes you feel like a million bucks. I would take a date through here any time.
For impressing friends with the most incredible flying experience, there is no place better than here. They have 6 new late-model Cessna 172SP's (3 of which are Garmin 1000's), a few pre-1978 152/172's if you are on a budget, and several Cirruses and Bonanzas, etc. Whether you are a high roller wanting to travel fast, a romantic going on a date, or a student pilot training on a budget, there is a right plane for you here! -
Review from Owen D.
San Jose, CA
4/13/2008
I've returned to flying after about a 6 year hiatus and I've decided to join
up at Advantage. My previous experiences have included Squadron 2 (SJC, moved to RHV, avoid at all costs), West Valley (PAO, HWD, SQL, E16), and Tradewinds (RHV). I'll review each of them shortly as well.
I chose advantage because of a good selection of Technically advanced aircraft (glass cockpit) and high-performance/complex singles at a reasonable price. I'm mostly a cross-country IFR-oriented
pilot, so, having well equipped and well maintained aircraft with good
cruising speeds at reasonable rates is my most important criteria.
Advantage has that, and, a very professional staff and excellent
instructors.
Feel free to send me a message with any questions. To put it in
context, I have almost 900 hours and private, ASEL, instrument
airplane ratings with complex and HP endorsements as well as
about 150+ hours of actual instrument and 200+ hours of complex
time. Looking forward to getting my instrument skills back up to
proficiency and moving back up to the faster birds. -
Review from amez k.
San Jose, CA
3/30/2011
All the 5-star reviews speak for themselves but since I'm having such an exceptional time here, I'll add another 5-star review.
After checking out numerous clubs in 3 different airports, I started training at Advantage for my private pilot license and now am officially a pilot. In my opinion, there are two important things in choosing a flying club:
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1) Instructors - This is the person that will be by your side every step. You not only want to make sure he is competent, but that you get along with him.
My instructor was Laurent Lambert and I can say that he's very knowledgeable, has the right combination of push and pull in his instruction and has a flexible schedule that can accommodate training someone with a full-time job. He's also very easy-going as a person and I expect to keep our friendship in the future (and hopefully get further ratings with him).
I've also flown with Chuck Hellweg and Mark Erwin, both of whom were very professional, competent and fun to fly with.
2) Aircrafts - You don't want your training to be hampered by the unavailability of an aircraft. Advantage has a large number of aircrafts that are well-maintained. As you train, you will have to cancel some flights due to maintenance issues, but I've had very few such issues during my 10-month training. Discovering, diagnosing and (sometimes) fixing a variety failures is something you need to know as a pilot, anyway, so I learned something from every one of them.
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Aside from the above two, I consider anything else you get from the flying club as a bonus.
- Easy access to planes: Advantage has an online reservation system you can use to book planes and instructors. There's also an electronic keypad and an automated system to get into the club and access the keys to the planes 24/7 for all members. Oh, did I mention that the planes are parked right outside the club?
- Nice facilities: The lounge and the rooms are all clean and well maintained. I think the biggest benefit of this is that it prompts the members to hang out and talk at the lounge. This is the place where I got to hear all kinds of pilot stories and get tips from various instructors.
- Friendly staff: As a student pilot, I've had (and still have) all kinds of questions and blunders, but everyone who works here is super friendly like... all the freaking time. Awesome!
If you're looking for a place to get flight instructions and the Palo Alto airport is convenient for you, GO TO ADVANTAGE AVATION. Hell, even if the Palo Alto airport is out of your way, I would still recommend it. -
Review from Paul D.
Burlingame, CA
2/2/2011
A great fleet, an instructor for every possible goal (and temperament) and a facility that quite frankly leaves every other flying club in the dust; it's closer to a Flightcraft FBO than the typical clubhouse-like flying school. The recently installed electronic security and automated check-out/check-in system make Advantage a uniquely convenient, 24/7 resource. Not cheap, but this is Palo Alto, so what do you expect?
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Review from Jim T.
Portland, OR
10/6/2007 1 photo
I started my flight training at Advantage Aviation one year ago and finished my private pilot license last month. I looked at all the flight clubs at Palo Alto and this one was definitely the best choice. Convenient location, great facility and staff with a constantly growing fleet of new aircraft. I trained in an Piper Archer, Cesssna 172N and eventually 172SP w/G1000. Their collection of Cirrus and C182 aircraft provide an easy transition to high performance flying. They even have tailwheel now! Come check it out. If you are thinking of getting your license in the Peninsula or South Bay, this is the best choice hands down. Check all of them out and you will probably agree.
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Review from Paige N.
Mountain View, CA
Updated - 5/12/2009
This place is still tops, and Byron is truly the best AND extremely patient and informative. Will refer everyone here and to him if he is available!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/3/2009
I saw this little place before the current owner got his hands on it, and man, what a change!!… Read more »
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Review from Anawat C.
Saratoga, CA
3/16/2010
I'm doing my primary training with AA in 172SP-G1000. I am very happy that I find this place. It's a great place to learn to fly.
In addition to all late model singles, they even have a G58 Baron on the roster.
If KPAO is convenient for you, look no further. This is the best club there, probably in the bay area. -
Review from Joseph C.
San Francisco, CA
4/18/2008
Great FBO, great instructors and great airplanes! Went in for a refresher a few years back, to prep for an airline interview. Spent a pretty penny, but it was well worth it. Libor, my instructor, made sure I was ready. Flying an ERJ now for a west coast based airline, and couldn't have done it without these guys!
