CFI Academy Reviews

I recently received my CFI initial from CFIACADEMY, I would recommend this flight school if you are looking to get your CFI done faster then traditional flight schools, they have checkride dates set up for the third week of each class. I would recommend coming prepared with a good commercial pilot level of knowledge, if you show up rusty on your knowledge getting the CFI initial done anywhere in a short time frame is not possible. The main instructor & owner Prince is extremely knowledgeable and has 20+ years of experience as an instructor, he also has a very good relationship with the primary DPE. I would also recommend being very on top of your studying and performance while practicing teaching in the class, the more prepared you are, the sooner your checkride will happen, if you are not prepared and don’t put the time studying in you may not get the approval/endorsements for the checkride delaying your test date. It is not up to the school or anyone else to study for you, CFIACADEMY will provide you with the resources to be a great instructor and easily pass the checkride, however, expecting Prince and the Flight instructors solely to prepare you is not realistic. I would also ask the school about references for AIRBNBs in Lodi, that is the cheapest and most comfortable way To stay there, besides bringing your own RV.

As advertised I earned my CFI in three weeks. Come prepared and it will happen. Mr. Prince is a true aviator and his 30 years of teaching shows. If you want to learn and are willing to do the work they will get you your opportunity to prove you can teach the next generation of pilots.

CFI academy is best for CFI training pilots who have all the knowledge prior to coming into the school unless you do not mind adding a couple extra weeks to your projected time. I did come in with a wide knowledge basis due to recently receiving my CPL and studying prior to coming to the school. I spent 5 weeks at the school and was originally told I would be done with CFI/CFII in that time. I was done with neither in that projected time. The timelines they originally promise do not line up with reality, unfortunately. The day prior to my scheduled leaving they were able to squeeze me in for a checkride. I originally had this review at 5 stars (probably should’ve been 4) but I have now lowered it to 2 simply due to the lack of the school following their own contract and giving me a refund. It has now been several weeks outside of the listed period stated in the contract and I have not received a refund for my CFII training which I did not complete due to the extensive time CFI took outside of the timeline. Other than that negative I would suggest training at CFIA. Prince is a very knowledgeable CFI with over 20+ years experience teaching. Make sure you take all knowledge tests for the licenses/rating you would like to receive prior to coming to CFIA

My experience at CFI academy was great. The level of instruction provided is simply unmatched. The chief instructor, Prince, is highly knowledgeable and dedicated to his students. Yet, he can only do so much in preparing you for your checkride. The rest is up to you. I recently completed my CFI-initial checkride with CFI academy and I can assure any future students that you get what you put in to this experience. CFI-initial is difficult, and requires many long days and nights, but if you are dedicated and driven you will get there! The daily routine at CFI academy consists of class starting around 9:30 followed by an hour or two of group discussion, questions, and short lectures by Prince. After a lunch break, you can expect to present lesson plans and practice your teaching delivery. Class wraps up around 3-4, which at that point you will be expected to continue self study for the remainder of the evening. The one thing that stood at to me at CFI academy was the open discussion style of learning. Here, students are able and urged to discuss and work together answering questions and finding answers. Prince oversees the discussions and helps guide them in the right direction. He also asks critical questions that help to direct the conversation into more nuanced knowledge areas. Like I stated before you have to put in the work to get the results you desire. Prince will not send you for a checkride that he is not 100% confident in your ability to pass. Even if this means having you stay a bit longer. This should be a reassurance that when he endorses you, you can be confident in yourself to go in and get the job done. I would suggest that you have a week or two buffer worked into you plans here at CFI academy. Just like everywhere currently, there is a DPE shortage. Due to this checkride dates may be in your 4th or 5th week. At no fault of CFI academy, just the way the industry is. If you are able to plan accordingly with some cushion on those 3 weeks and you put in the work you will earn your desired certificate here at CFI academy.

I had a fantastic experience. Very knowledgeable instructors and Prince is literally a walking encyclopedia of aviation knowledge. Prince along with my other instructors Kyle, Tim and Swaraj had me prepared for the checkride and everything went well. Could not have asked for anything more. No stone was left unturned. Thank you.

CFI Academy was where I spent most of my summer. While there were a few challenges here and there, I was well prepared for the check ride when the day finally came. Their process works if you are willing to trust it. CFI is a hard thing to do, especially accelerated, come ready to put in the work. But also know that things happen, there’s a nation wide DPE shortage and they do their best. Overall CFI Academy helped me become the best instructor I can be, and I’m very happy about it!

It took a lot of heart to get my credentials. There were many obstacles along the way. Without people behind you, getting to your final destination, can be an arduous task. Especially when you’re climbing mountains. I have gained tremendous amounts of knowledge and skills, I have made new friendships that I believe will be lifelong, and I truly believe I have become a better version of myself having spent time at CFI Academy. The people here have heart and the knowledge to get you where you wanna be. Thanks again to everybody who help me get to a higher plane.

If you are interested in getting your CFI certificate and want to know if you'll get the best "bang for your buck", you've found the right place. CFI Academy provides a intensive yet relaxed approach to CFI initial training. You and your fellow applicants will be learning and teaching each other in a comfortable environment surrounded by very experienced Master CFI instructors. The structure of this program can be loose at times, but rest assured the instruction you recieve is that which you really cannot find anywhere else. This school has access to 2 great DPEs allowing for quick checkride availability. CFI Academy exceeded my expectations in every way. Whether you are a student pilot or you are going for your CFI certificates, you will find a fantastic home at CFI Academy, Lodi !

5 stars to CFI Academy who educated and guided me to achieve my goal of Certified Flight Instructor in 3 weeks time! The team performs all instruction and scheduling your check ride so you can give all your attention to studying and preparation. I can’t thank the team enough! Shout outs to (Prince, Swaraj, Kyle, and Fadi) for helping me achieve my goal!

I had the pleasure of attending CFI Academy in Lodi, and I can confidently say that it was a transformative experience for my aviation career. Thanks to their excellent training program, I am now a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) based in Santa Barbara. The training environment is both supportive and challenging, fostering a sense of camaraderie among students while pushing us to achieve our best. I highly recommend CFI Academy to anyone serious about pursuing a career as a flight instructor.

Great experience at CFI academy. Prince’s knowledge is second to none, as is the company’s ability to secure checkride dates in a challenging environment. Go here if you're ready to work hard and have what you thought you knew about aviation completely picked apart. Learned more in one month than i had in the past year at other schools.

I had an excellent experience at the CFI Academy in Lodi, CA. The knowledgeable and well-resourced instructors are dedicated to preparing students for their checkrides. The lead instructor brings a wealth of information and good humor to the training, having trained CFIs for decades. The academy's three-week CFI-initial program was exactly as advertised. It includes approximately 10 hours of flight time (I got a little more, at no extra charge), plus an aircraft rental for the checkride, and unlimited ground instruction time. There was no charge to slow down and stay at the academy longer if needed. I took 9 consecutive days off of the program to deal with some matters back at home, and it took me 29 days to complete the program. I will emphasize that those delays were due to my own choices—I was offered a checkride date which fell before the end of the third week, but for my own reasons, I chose not to take it. The program is ideal for students who are prepared, good at studying, and academically minded. The day-to-day typically involves a couple of hours of instructor-led lessons, an hour or two of student-driven lessons (practicing teaching the ACS topics), and several hours of assigned reading. The learning is at times student-driven, so the ideal student will know their weaknesses and be prepared to utilize the resources at their disposal to focus on filling their knowledge gaps. I will say, this program may not be for everyone. It is fast-paced, at times stressful, and there are high expectations. Expect to be doing a lot of public speaking (teaching ACS lessons in front of the class) to build confidence for the checkride. At the end of the day, I think you will get out of this program what you put into it. I dedicated myself to it, studying from the time I arrived in the morning up until I went to sleep at midnight; and repeated this process for the first week until I had exhausted all of the resources available to me. I was constantly asking for more homework, and diving as deep as I could, because I felt it would be a disservice to myself not to. I asked a lot of questions to ensure I had a thorough understanding of the material. If you show up unprepared, or don't engage in the learning, expect it to take longer than three weeks.

Great experience! Really helpful towards becoming a CFI. Very knowledgeable instructors and will help build confidence need to become a flight instructor.

Passed CFI checkride with CFI Academy. I couldn’t have done it without the level of instruction provided through this school. They have a great culture here where the students best interest are valued.

Really great experience with everyone. Prince is a well knowledgeable instructor and will get you where you need to be and ready for your checkride. Best experience in flight training I have had here at CFI academy

CFI Academy really did an amazing job at developing me as a new Instructor. I did some instructor training at my previous flight school and I’m so glad that I decided to move forward with CFI Academy. Prince, the instructor you’ll be mostly working with on the ground tells the class that he could easily have applicants ready in 1.5-2 weeks but he really wants to develop GOOD instructors who really have a deeper understanding of the knowledge we will teach future students. So that’s why he adds that extra week in there. All of the staff, including the other instructors and admin really know what they are doing. It’s definitely not their first time preparing CFI applicants. I personally had a great experience. Unfortunately I did have to wait a little longer for my checkride, and that wasn’t because of a lack of effort in scheduling. I’m sure as many aspiring CFIs should know, you can’t always just have a checkride ready right when you are ready. But I still got it done insanely faster than most places do. This is the place to go for getting your CFI.

Definitely one of the best flight schools out there! I’ve been to multiple flight schools in CA, and I can say this is one of my home flight schools if that makes any sense. They helped me get my CFI within 3 weeks which is crazy! Most DPE’s can be booked for months! Again the fact that I was able to get a check ride slot within 3 weeks is absolutely insane! And now let me talk about the chief flight instructor Mr Prince! Mr. Prince is by far one of the most knowledgeable & experienced instructors I have ever met. He really makes you critically think, and makes you think of the whys and how of things. It’s one thing to say yes or no, but to explain in great detail why that is, is what truly makes great instructors as well as having the ability to be patient with your student! With that said, the instructors here are very passionate about aviation, they love to help others, they are respectful, and they want you to learn/succeed. I truly loved the environment, I was able to get out of my comfort zone, grow as a person and as a pilot, make friends as well as meaningful connections. Thankful that I was able to do my CFI training at CFI Academy in Lodi, CA. With all that said, one big advice I would give is to new CFI candidates is to get the FOI and FIA Knowledge tests done before hand or before enrolling. This will allow you to have and spent more time teaching, creating lesson plans, making printed or hand written lesson plans, drilling the FOI fundamentals, and the list goes on. Time management is the key!!

Excellent training from prince, has a unfathomable amount of knowledge and takes the time to make sure you fully understand the process before your next step.