Our Flight School
*Private *Instrument *Commercial
*Tailwheel-Endorsements *Aerobatics *Flight Reviews
Springfield Flying Service (SFS) was established at Columbia Airport in California's Gold Rush country in 1991. Since that time we have successfully trained hundreds of students, many of whom have pursued professional carreers in aviation.
Our instructors are professional pilots with Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) certificates, Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) ratings, and Multi-Engine Instructor ratings. We also specialize in beginner and advanced tailwheel instruction.
All of our flight training personnel, regardless of their specialties, share a commitment to a philosophy of teaching based on encouragement, not intimidation. Our aim is to motivate each student to achieve his/her personal aviation goals.
Our teaching philosophy: The success of our students has shown that ground lessons and home study, concurrent with in-air flight training, provides the most benefit to learning. These are the three ingredients essential to successful attainment of a private pilot certificate or additional ratings. We provide one-on-one instruction for all our students, and progress through our syllabus solely at the individual's pace.
Our aircraft: Three Cessna 172s; One Citabria 7KCAB and a Stearman PT-17. Click on the Planes & Rates page for photos and rates. If you have your own plane, SFS will be glad to instruct you for the type of flying you enjoy. Flight instruction in a non-SFS aircraft is $75/hour.
We utilize a state-of-the-art flight simulator in our instrument training program, allowing our students to become familiar with instrument procedures before transferring their knowledge to the cockpit.
Our track record: We have built a large aviation "family", many of whom received their Private Pilot Certificate, Instrument, Commercial and Flight Instructor ratings with us. Those ratings enabled them to qualify for employment with commercial airlines, charter, air taxi, cargo companies and others. Whether your aviation goals are personal or career oriented, we look forward to helping you achieve your dreams!