Student Success Stories
Matt received his commercial pilot certificate at RFC in 2009 and is currently an airline pilot in the United States. His greatest passions in life are his faith, his wife and children, and aviation. When he’s not flying you can probably find him on a local mountain bike trail.
Riverside Flight Center gave me a strong foundation for my flight training more than many flight schools would ever do. They took care of my learning, cared about my progress and support me in every step of my aviation career, ever since my very first ground school all the way up to getting accepted in an airline. Couldn’t be more grateful to Yuri, Landon and all the instructors for teaching me, and giving me such a high quality training with very high standards that definitely helped me to achieve my goal of being an airline pilot.
It gives me an immense pleasure in telling you that I have joined Qatar Airways as a Second Officer on the A330. Only because getting trained at RFC this dream has come true. All the instructors have really helped me in achieving my goal. I am really thankful to each one there.
I can honestly say that I would not be an airline pilot today if it were not for the financing options, flexibility, and incredible people of Riverside Flight Center. RFC prepared me for the intensity of airline training while simultaneously working with my demanding schedule.
I feel so extremely blessed that I found this wonderful flight school. I know there are many choices in flight schools, not only is their training program incredible, but so many of my fellow pilots finished their flight programs with tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt… With Riverside Flight Center‘s program, it was very economical and I was able to finish my ratings and licenses at a fraction of the cost of many of my coworkers who are still trying to pay off loans.
Thank you everybody! You guys are a great team, and I am very grateful for all of the help and encouragement that you gave me and continued support.
I started flight training at Riverside Flight Center in 2020. I am now a Certified Flight Instructor back home, and a Commercial Multi-engine pilot. I would not be where I am today without the assistance and guidance of the instructors and staff at RFC. I had an amazing experience, and the instructor cadre was excellent. The one on one instruction, and the 141 flight training syllabus made my journey seamless. I would highly recommend RFC to anyone looking to get their start in this amazing industry!
I went on to get my first job with a European airline flying as a First Officer on the Boeing 737 and within two years of joining my airline I was upgraded to Captain. The training and knowledge that I received at RFC without doubt helped me to both get my first flight deck position as well as my early opportunity of being upgraded to Captain.
My time at RFC allowed me to make lifelong friends as well as contacts in the industry, has left me with unforgettable and great memories, helped me to become a highly-trained, competent, confident and professional pilot and very importantly gave me the best chance of chasing my dream of becoming an airline pilot. Make the wise choice the first time around, choose the school and people you can trust in every regard, come to Riverside Flight Center.”
Pilot training is difficult. As it should be! I wanted to point this out because a common complaint among reviewers of flight schools is that the school is too hard, or the standards are too high. In my position now, a First Officer at a large regional airline flying the Embraer 175, I can say that RFC adequately prepared me to attend airline training after getting my certificates, and teaching at the school for 2 years. Your training does not stop when you are a certified commercial pilot, it is only the beginning.
Another very common complaint among all flight school’s reviews is that they say, “I finished with more hours than advertised because they wanted more money out of me”. I can say with utmost certainty that the RFC does NOT milk students for hours. Coming from someone that was on the inside of operations, we had standards and timelines built for our students that ensured that they got through the program in the most economical, most safe, and least amount of time. If they finished with excess hours it was THEIR doing by not meeting the standards of airmanship that is set by the FAA.
I learned so much from my time instructing. How to communicate effectively, how to motivate, how to use teamwork and cooperation to achieve a common goal, how to make important and timely decisions with a high regard for safety, and so much more! I am so proud of all I have done, and the chance to share my love of flying with everyone I have worked with has been amazing.
I am a proud graduate of the school, and instructor thereafter. If you are looking for a flight school that will keep you safe, and challenge you to become the best pilot you can be, look no further!
I am a First Officer at Aeromexico Airlines, currently flying the Embraer 170/190. Riverside Flight Center gave me the opportunity to learn with the highest standards and be prepared with the basis of what was needed to start my professional life as an airline pilot. Just the best training I could ever had experienced.
I am currently flying the Boeing 777 for Cathay Pacific Airways as Senior First Officer. My experience at Riverside Flight Center was always very professional. They went to great lengths in helping me convert to the UK license and I also made some great friends who I still keep in touch with nearly 10 years later! I think I finished at riverside in 2010 and joined Cathay Pacific in 2011!