Part 1: This is an in-depth review of my experience as a private pilot student at GQ aviation. If you are considering flying with GQ, please read this review in its entirety, as I have a lot to say, which cannot simply be reduced to a number of stars or a “would/would not recommend.” I began my flight training with GQ in May 2021. The first thing I can say is that both CFI’s I flew with are extraordinary in their instruction. I am a very diligent and self-motivated student, so I am generally able to learn new skills quickly, but I absolutely credit my speedy progress as a pilot to both instructors, whose intuitive, hands-on teaching was as good as any CFI you could ever meet. They were both genuinely committed to helping me reach my goals, and I have almost no complaints about the actual ground and flight instruction I received. That, however, is the extent of the positive side of this review.As far as critiques go, the first thing I should point out is that GQ advertises itself online as the “most affordable flight instruction in 100nm radius,” or something to that effect. I am unsure if their website still says that, but a simple calculation, which I stupidly didn’t do beforehand, demonstrates its falsehood. I paid $8000 upfront, (with a no-refund policy, by the way), for 43 hours of flight time and all necessary instruction included. The industry standard rate for instructors is $60 per hour. For your private license, you need 10 solo hours (no instructor), but let’s factor in 10 hours of ground training. Even if all 43 hours included an instructor, valued at $60/hr, the aircraft rental would come out to $126 per hour, which is NOT the most affordable rental rate in 100nm, and not even the cheapest rate among the airport’s 4 flight schools. And if you exceed the allotted 43 hours of training, you of course have to pay for the necessary extra hours.The next problem I have with GQ is the way in which the owner handles (or doesn’t handle) the scheduling of flight lessons. On multiple occasions, I would show up for a lesson at my scheduled time, only to wait 1-3 hours (5 hours on one occasion) for my lesson while my instructor was giving other lessons, mostly discovery flights. I felt as if my time was valued much lower than the one-off discovery flight student, despite the fact that I had already paid a substantial amount upfront for my training. As a committed private pilot student, I expected to be a higher priority than discovery flights. However, since I was locked in to the purchase with no hope of a refund, I accepted the situation and waited patiently each time. The owner/chief instructor is a busy guy with an airline job, so I worked around his schedule to the best of my ability.

Part 2. I can forgive the hassles around scheduling, and even the misleading website. But if there is one thing a flight school should be at least acceptable at, it is the condition and maintenance of their aircraft. After all, every time you step into that cockpit, you put your life on the line. What truly convinced me that I should look elsewhere for my future training was what happened on the day of my checkride. For those who don’t know, your checkride is the practical test at the end of your training, conducted by an FAA examiner, which determines whether or not you’ll get your pilot’s license. It is “the big day” for every hopeful pilot, and it can be quite nerve-racking, even when things go smoothly. First of all, my options for an examiner were limited by the fact that the Cessna 150 I trained in did not have a functioning VOR, so my instructor told me we had to find an examiner who was willing to conduct the exam sans-VOR. Second, there were avionics installed in the plane with no reflection whatsoever in the aircraft logbook, which, during the oral portion of my checkride, my examiner pointed out as a major problem. When the examiner and I went out to the 150, he also determined that the plane was unairworthy due to structural damage in the empennage. So, we had to discontinue the exam. In fairness, I will add that the damage has since been fixed. Nevertheless, It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I was already nervous about taking the exam, and my nerves were worsened as a result owner’s negligence of the plane’s condition, until the examiner outright said the exam could not be performed in the plane.When I first started taking lessons at GQ, I was naive about what constitutes a well-maintained airplane. But as time went on, I began to realize that the owner, probably in order to save money, skimped out on some aspects of airplane maintenance. For example, the red beacon light, required by law for night flight, was inoperative for an extended period of time, delaying my training progress, as I was unable to fly at night until he finally replaced it. Back to the checkride, the two most telling things my examiner said were: 1. This was not the first time he encountered this issue with GQ, 2. He would not pay more than $50 an hour to rent the airplane in its current condition. Once again, I paid at least $126 an hour.I really hate the fact that I feel obligated to write such a negative review, but what I would hate even more is if another student goes through the same embarrassment that I did in front of an FAA examiner when it could have been avoided. After that day, I immediately switched to a different flight school at the same airport, got checked out in their 150, and retook the exam the following week. When I talked to the GQ owner about the checkride, he took virtually no responsibility, saying that the maintenance records were out of his control, and that the examiner was intentionally looking for a reason to fail me, because, as he claimed, examiners “must fail” a certain number of students. He never apologized, either.I like the idea of GQ: a young, scrappy flight school trying to produce competent pilots while competing with the big, expensive schools like ATP. But there are many simple fixes that I really hope are taken into account, because as I said, the flight instruction itself was great, and I would love to see smaller schools like this one thrive. The simple fixes: 1. More honesty about pricing. 2. A streamlined system of scheduling so that no one’s time is wasted. 3. Better-maintained aircraft.

Kaden, my grandson and I had a fantastic sunny Sunday high in the sky. Our pilot and Certified flight Instructor, Dionis was fun and informative. He gave us the perfect sample of private plane knowlegement along with beautiful views of the countryside. A perfect and affordable outting for both those who have never been in a small aircraft or to broaden young minds dreams of flying.

I would highly recommend GQ Aviation. I don’t normally write reviews, but this business deserves 5/5 stars. If you are looking for something affordable and adventurous, GQ Aviation is the place to go. Caesar was friendly and accommodating as well. This was a fantastic experience!

Cesar was an amazing instructor! Very personable and had a very calm demeanor. Got this as a present for my boyfriend- best gift I’ve ever given! Such a great experience. Will definitely be flying again.

So much fun and such a surreal experience. Loved every moment of it and Cesar, the instructor, was phenomenal. Very funny and easy going, made it super enjoyable. Can’t wait to go back, highly recommend 👍🏻

It was fun I fully would recommend it

Highly recommend, my instructor was Onur, he is highly competent, knowledgeable, a great teacher and also super friendly, one of the best fun activities I ve ever had!Thanks GQ Aviation, and Thanks Onur!

I agree with all the other comments; Cesar has a great demeanor and approach for teaching how to fly an airplane and have a good time at it. Calm, easy going, and clear in his instructions. Fun flight and a great accomplishment!

My aunties and I got more experience than expected. Cesar was very patient with us understanding how to work with the plane. Of course, you lifting the plane off the ground is awesome, but the best experience was the seconds of zero gravity. Cesar was controlling the plane at that time, while you enjoy the experience. It was awesome!!

It was a great experience learning flying with Pete. He was friendly and very professional. Would recommend visiting them for flying lessons for sure. I would visit them again for my second lesson. Thanks Pete and Ceasar.

Gorgeous experience!

Surprised my Boyfriend with this gift for Father’s Day! The pilot explained everything to us and made us feel comfortable and safe. He guided my Boyfriend toward the city and gave us a tour of Center City Philadelphia! Today was just perfect to get out there and fly. I would definitely recommend GQ Aviations to anyone who is looking to do something different and affordable. You won’t forget the views :)

Never really take the time out of my day to write reviews but for this one I had to. This experience was TERRIFIC!!! The Pilot, Cesar was personable and really explained everything throughout this great experience. I was comfortable throughout this experience. It was exciting and I even took some phenomenal photos along the way, not to mention I had a chance to actually fly the plane!! Thanks Cesar! Keep doing what youre doing

My flight was so fun! Cesar is a great pilot. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would definitely fly with him again! Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a good time.

Set up a 10 year anniversary gift for my husband and I. Pete and Cesar were absolutely understanding and made the whole process extremely easy. We were comfortable and considering that we were terrified of flying, the experience felt as if we have done it before! Would definitely do this again :)

Will Not recommend these place. I had 3 hours of waiting today and finally they said - their plane was Not working. What a waste of day!.I had 11 clock flight session, but they allowed to enter the ground 1 o clock (2 hour delay), and then they took another couple for the ride who were scheduled at 11.30 - which added my wait time for more one hour (2+1 = 3 hours!).I even requested to let me go first, but they did not hear me and asked me to reschedule if I cant wait. So I decided to wait and after one hour they said - plane is NOT working !!!!!!! . So either I was forced to reschedule or get refund. Its real upset time as I both wasted my time + I was not able to even fly.I gave 2 star as the guy who explained the details for flight was kind enough to let me take pictures around the plane.They also messed up - by asking people as who wants to go first Instead of looking at time scheduled for the people and allowing them turns based on their scheduled time ! Its like if you missed saying you want to go first - people coming after you and claiming would go earlier than you and you will be waiting in Cold !Would NOT RECOMMEND these place unless you have whole day for 1 hour flight session and guts to hear that You have to Reschedule because of their technical Issues!!

Definitely one for the books! It was the experience of a lifetime. Ceasar was an awesome instructor and had a positive attitude. Its great for beginners. I 1000% recommend this.

Took my daughter and husband to get a flight lesson and they had an amazing time. Cesar was amazing and funny. He made my daughter who was very nervous feel so comfortable!! Will definitely be doing this again!!

Purchased the philly tour as a gift. My boyfriend loved it. We both had an amazing experience and thorough flying lesson.

Cesar is great instructor. He Has very positive and entertaining outlook of flying. He was able to simply flying to a basic science for first time fliers. Great time and even better views.

Cesar is the man! Highly recommended

I did this with my sisters and Ceasar was really professional and knew how to handle things very well he taught us well and we had an excellent opportunity to fly and it was awesome specially zero gravity lol that was so cool! Thank You Cesar I would love to bring my father to this. It is an excellent gift.

He was great in every aspect. Really kind and very helpful. Had a great time and would come back again. 10/10.

I was super anxious but the pilot made the experience comfortable and very exciting! I was even granted the chance to fly it myself for half of the flight! I highly recommend!!

This was my first time flying one on and and I must say Cesar made me feel very safe! I Deffintley would recommend flying with him he is cool and has many funny stories to tell!!

Such a great experience! Cesar made it extremely memorable, will definitely recommend to everyone I know cause this should definitely be on the bucket list!

Great experience! Very knowledgeable instructor. This made for a great gift.

Great experience

Cesar is a great instructor! Will definitely be back for more lessons.

Great experience, very great lessons. And very affordable. I highly recommend!!!!

10/10 experience! It was so much fun and the instructor was friendly, and professional. Can’t wait to go again!

Great service, Ceaser is amazing and professional. Great personality

Thanks Cesar awesome time

I was in this place to take an air ride with my family and the experience was fantastic, I was able to pilot the plane and the pilot was very attentive and friendly.I am very pleased with the service and responsibility, I recommend everyone to visit them and live the experience