Mach 1 Aviation

Mach 1 is a truly amazing and professional flying school. I have flown all over with many different instructors from Florida to NY to here in California. Jason the owner and his instructors have an extremely high level of competence but they also make the experience fun. In addition, I love flying out of Van Nuys it’s a lot safer statistically than Santa Monica.
The aircraft is really nice at Mach 1. They are the only pros around teaching in the Cirrus. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.

Stopped by more or less at RANDOM I was driving around Van Nuys airport looking for a flight school. I am in what might be called the early stage of selecting a flight school to begin obtaining my pilots’ license.
Anyways — back to my visit with Dave at Mach 1 Aviation? I walked up without an appointment and found him staffing a counter on the 2^nd floor. I thought my visit might be 5 – 10 minutes tops to gain some idea of the basics for getting a license through them. I ended up chatting with Dave for perhaps an hour? He was a wealth of information + he walked me out to an aircraft to get a look inside. I found it to be mildly exciting and very helpful in beginning to define what I want to do in planning the process of obtaining my pilots’ license. Dave explained quite a bit and seemed more then competent. He commented how he began flying at 14 (15?). My oldest daughter is 14 so I want her to maybe start her lessons somewhat soon — within a year more or less? Myself I want to get going sooner.
Anyways — the facility there was rather nice looking — and it seemed appealing. I suspect the alternative CFI schools I’ll find elsewhere are mostly beneath Mach 1 on the food chain. One of my friends who flies remarked the Cirrus training here sounded superior due to their predicted higher standards as a factory authorized flight training provider for their Cirrus aircraft. I have an oddball sense of logic in formulating where and how I’ll go about this + my pilot friends are nudging me a certain way for superior quality in training but in slower aircraft?
So I bestow 4 stars on Mach 1 with Dave only because I have not paid for a flight or lessons with them and Dave yet? However I was impressed very FAVORABLY with Dave, the CFI. I am going to check out a few other flight schools and sit down to dinner with my flying friends to formulate a bit of a plan for how I’ll want to go about this. At the moment I think Mach 1 is expected to hold the high ground in this matter! If I end up flying with Mach 1 and Dave I predict I’ll update this review to 5 stars… something for down the road, eh?

I could not have had a better experience. The instructors are enthusiastic, knowledgable and incredibly talented. The aircrafts are immaculate and all fairly new, and the office manager/​flight dispatcher Sarah was extremely helpful.
I miss going there.

When it was time to upgrade to glass cockpits and luxury aircraft, Mach 1 Aviation was my obvious choice. The cool thing about this operation is that it’s a boutique family run business located inside one of the most prestigious FBO chains in the country and on Van Nuys Aiport which is one of the most busiest GA airports in the country.
This combination gives you the best of both worlds, personalized customer service (they truly care about you) and world class FBO treatment along with awesome ramp personell.
I got my private pilot’s license at Mach 1 in 2009 and I loved every second of the journey… yes, the Cirrus SR-​20 is an expensive aircraft to train in, but you get what you pay for, luxury, reliability, safety and most important, a lot of fun. After all, this is a luxury business, you might as well go all out if you really want to train in a cool airplane.
Over time, they’ve expanded and catered to a clientele that is looking for more affordable solutions, by providing a line of single engine Cessnas that range from under $ 100 to the mid buck fifty. Pretty good price for the latter since it comes with a glass cockpit. Good instructors, good service, good establishment… and the best part of all… once you get your license, if you wanna show up at 3AM and fly one of their airplanes… you can, because the FBO is open all around the clock.
Just make sure you have an account on file and you’re good to go!
Ruben Garay
Private Pilot

I got my PPL ticket at Fly Mach 1 Aviation. This is the best flight school in the LA/​Ventura area. Before Fly Mach 1 I cycled through at least seven flight instructors as a student. I started at a different school at Van Nuys in a Cessna 172. My initial instructor quit. Then I bounced around a few of the school’s newbie CFIs. I moved to a Cirrus school which no longer exists and was left high and dry just post solo. I felt that school was just cashing in on my instruction hours they went belly up. I found Fly Mach 1 owner Jason Price. He salvaged a bad situation and helped me get my private pilot license. I’m sure Fly Mach 1 Aviation would recognize this review. I’d be happy to speak in detail with anyone who is considering Fly Mach 1 Aviation. They can get you in touch with me via email. You couldn’t ask for a better school, aircraft, facility and staff. I have the picture, adventures and lifelong memories to prove it. Fly safe!

I had been looking for a place to take my wife flying for a sunset cruise near the ocean. I was recommended this place from a friend who had recently booked a trip through them. He had nothing but positive things to say about Mach 1. So I ended up connecting with Jason who was both patient and accommodating with question after question. I ended up booking their Cirrus SR22.
On flight day Jason walked us through his pre-​flight checks and educated us on what to do if anything were to go wrong. I was relieved to know that the Cirrus had a parachute that could be deployed in case of emergency. It was also really neat to walk out to the tarmac and see all the other planes — including some much larger ones — just a few feet away. It was evident that Jason had a rich background in aviation as he would point out the names and models of various aircraft taking off in the distance. And he happily answered many of our random questions on the spot.
The condition of the facility and planes appeared first rate. The SR22 was spotless inside and out. And their other plane — the Cessna 172 — appeared to be in great shape. Though I did not get a chance to peak inside.
One thing I really appreciated about this flight — and the one thing my wife will never forget — is that he allowed her to take over the controls. Jason is a certified instructor and has been doing so for a decade. And it definitely showed in his interactions. Additionally, he was more than willing to take several passes over landmarks to ensure we could take some very memorable photos.
I have a heavy background in Customer Service (Disney) and can easily distinguish between those who do their job for money vs. those who do it for passion. Jason is definitely the latter. Professional, knowledgeable and personable. I highly recommend both him and Mach 1.

Decided to actually finish my private pilot training and was looking around for a school. I have about 65 hours in a Cessna but was thinking about finishing in a Cirrus. That is what attracted me to Mach 1. After talking with a couple friends who fly they talked me out of the Cirrus for now and convinced me to finish on the Cessna. My first lesson didn’t happen. The student from the day before left the master switch on and the battery was dead. Not the fault of the school. So I had a choice to go home or fly. So we went and got the keys to an SR20 and took a nice stroll though the skies over So Cal. The Cirrus was amazing but not really something that I am ready to convert to. I scheduled another flight with Jason and he might be one of the most knowledgeable CFIs I have ever flown with. He pointed out some really important bad habits that I have that only a real professional would know. We were up for almost 2 hours and it felt great. I was pretty rusty but it is like riding a bike. My first power off stall was great. I slammed the yoke in a little hard and we were diving at a 75 degree angle. Their planes are the newest fleet at KVNY. It was my first time flying with an all glass cockpit and it was so much nicer than I could have ever imagine. Everything is clean and well maintained. Tanks were full and ready so there wasn’t much time wasted. Looking forward to my next appointment tomorrow. Going to take one of the triplets who has never been in a plane before. I think I am more excited than him!

For Adrian’s birthday, I wanted to do something truly memorable. He mentioned he’d always wanted to fly a plane, so… flying lessons!
After a brief Google search, I found a few companies at the Van Nuys airport. Honestly, I chose this company because of its nice website (lame!). But, I’m happy I did.
I emailed and got a quick response. Ended up picking up the gift certificate and pamphlet from the person who ended up giving the lesson (Jason). Friendly, knowledgeable person. We scheduled the day of the lesson. I purchased a ½ hour Discovery flight for $ 99.
This is how I presented the gift. Feel free to use this method because it’s pretty freaking awesome:
Morning of his birthday, we got into the car and I had him open a gift bag with a card and blindfold. Drove the 20 minutes to the airport with him «in the dark» about the lesson. When we get there, I place the pamphlet in his lap and tell him to remove his blindfold. (My recommendation — keep the radio ON because you could hear the airplanes from inside the car.) He saw it and was thrilled… but he didn’t think he’d actually FLY the plan that day.
We get inside check in with the receptionist. End up waiting 30 minutes past the appointment time (if you get bored, there are TV monitors, free coffee, tea, and hot cocoa, popcorn, and Otis Spunkmeyer cookies!) until Jason seemed to be finished with his appointment. I was a bit annoyed at this point, until he turned to me and asked if I was going up in the plane. I had no idea I’d get to go up too! Of course I said yes!
We also marveled at the millions of dollars of jets all around us. We saw the cute Cirrus SR20 that we’d be flying that day. I brought my camera and took a picture of EVERYTHING — Adrian in front of the plane, next to it, in the pilot’s seat, with and without the headset, etc.
Jason, our pilot, gave us a quick safety debrief (in the case he become incapacitated) which scared both of us, but was purely informational. Be patient as the pilot clears with the tower your take-​off. But as soon as you get clearance, Jason clearly explains how to use the controls and will let you take-​off if you want! Adrian opted to do so, and took us smoothly into the air.
We from Van Nuys to Simi Valley and then north past Regan Library. It was so beautiful! For the most part, Adrian had control of the plan, with Jason there in case something happened. Depending on how adventurous you are, you can have as little or as much control of the plane you want. The pilot then did a fun 60 degree turn and pulled up hard on the plane, which felt like being on a roller coaster. We squealed with delight.
Adrian really enjoyed the gift and I am satisfied with the experience. It was well worth the money. Just a bit annoyed with the start time, but all in all, a great gift and experience. Jason was very professional, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about the planes and would recommend him to friends. We’ll probably go back to him for Adrian’s pilot training.