AeroGuard Flight Training Center - Phoenix, Arizona

C L.

Most of it? A lackluster experience worthy of 1/5 stars - But there is Alleyn from Admissions who deserves 5/5 stars. She’s an absolute assassin in a sea of mediocrity. While other departments in the school shrug shoulders and ghost you, she’s out there making things happen, even though it’s not her job. Five stars to her, no question. She’s the kind of person who restores your faith that somewhere, someone still gives a damn.

McKarthy

These reviews are teeth gritting to say the least. I considered attending but I am fortunate enough to see when it isn't a fluke issue at this flight school.
Edit:Response to AeroGuard Reply: These comments are more than spam. They are a clear representation of the current state and function of your academic program. Anyone with common sense is to steer clear of this school. Great attempt to cover. Lack of accountability.

Taleah W.

Only lasted here for two months and the only positive I have to say is I had a great instructor. Scheduling is horrible and is given the evening before so it makes it very hard to plan accordingly if you have other things to tend to. I was warned by other students to be careful around management as they are power and ego driven. They lost their ground instructors when I started so class either got pushed back multiple times or it was taught by one of their leads who was not great at teaching or explaining things, and rushed through just about every class. I unfortunately needed retrains on a lot of the material which eventually would have came back to bite me as I was told I was estimated to be $10k over the $120k that I was quoted and approved for to go to this school. The people who do stage checks also have a huge ego and talked badly about other workers at this school in front of me before my stage check which I thought was very unprofessional and not necessary. If you are considering this school please read and consider the reviews. This school is not for everyone especially if you are a slow learner. I have been told by multiple people who use to go here how bad it is And I now believe them. Please consider other school's this program isn’t for everyone and you can get better instruction for less $ elsewhere.

David C.

Aeroguard is a school you want to avoid at all costs. There are so many things wrong with the school that it's too long to list them all. Some of the major issues include the scheduling system, and that it gives you notice for a flight (if you even get a flight) the evening before, which makes it virtually impossible to have a work/social life. If you are extremely lucky to even get a flight scheduled, there is a 90% chance that the flight will not go ahead, whether it be due to too many students and not enough planes (one of the most common reason for cancellation), the planes are broken, the student before you has come back late or there is a scheduling error. Additionally, the simulators at aeroguard are such bad quality and dated, that the computers running the simulators still have floppy disc access, the AIRAC database has not been updated for almost a decade, meaning airports are not modelled, there are out of date instrument approaches which can’t be flown, students are not even allowed to be in the simulators by themselves to practise on their free time.

Management at Aeroguard is horrendous, the managers are driven by power and ego, the hierarchy between students and management is extremely steep that students are scared to approach their managers when they have an issue, that is if the managers are even in the office (which is an extremely rare occasion) and the managers do not reply to emails either. You can email a training manager 4-5 times in 2 days and they will not reply to a single email. Training managers and employees will sit in dispatch and say horrible things about students and the school in front of the students. Managers lie through their teeth to students, saying whatever they need to in order to have the student leave them alone, hence why so many students resent Aeroguard and the managers.

Aeroguard states 7 ratings in 10-14 months, 2-2.5yrs to the airlines, yet being there for over a year myself, I have yet to meet someone who has come remotely close to this timeline. There is not a single student at Aerogaurd who I have talked to (100+ students) that are happy with the product Aeroguard is providing them, but due to financial troubles with loans etc… they are unable to leave. Every student I talk to does not have a single positive thing to say about Aeroguard and the reviews reflect it. The management at Aeroguard has 0 trust in students. Students are not allowed to dry fly in the aircraft, they are not allowed to practise in the simulators on their own, they are not allowed to do touch and go or even practise landings on solo flights anymore.

A training environment should aim to teach how to mitigate and handle risk and threat, but aeroguard is approaching it with the mentality of trying to eliminate it all together and not even try to teach it, hence why when a student is faced with risk/threat, they don’t know how to handle it. It is a toxic training environment and if you take the time to read the reviews, you will see that a lot of people agree. Aeroguard will most likely respond to this email gaslighting it trying to disprove it or say “contact student services and reach out to us directly”, but despite that, if you continue to read all the reviews, each one focuses on the exact same points. If Aeroguard wants to provide a better service to the students, they need to understand that gaslighting reviews and telling people how they are wrong is not the way to go, and rather listen to the reviews and fix their company before they change their company name for a 3rd time.

Zach F.

I had intended to further my flight training with AeroGuard while studying at Arizona State University. I'm glad I left it behind before making deposits or beginning training. The school is a complete disgrace, so much so that Cathay Pacific cadet pilots cannot solo. I have overheard that CFIs have been forced to endorse student pilot solos long before said individuals are genuinely ready, causing damage to aircraft. Research has led me to believe this place is the epitome of pilot mill schools, where students are just a number, and the company wants their money. From my brief experience, the management was often aggressive or unapproachable, which speaks volumes to the negativity presented about their flight training and structure. Scheduling is also horrendous, unrealistic, last-minute, and rigid in the ability to change it. I highly recommend prospective students look elsewhere. It's places like these that degrade the safety of aviation, both on the general and commercial levels.

Aditya V.

Currently training here under Air India’s Cadet Programme. I must say, everything from the instructors to the aircraft to scheduling is well taken care of. It’s a pleasure to fly around the airspace / airport and to be a part of AeroGuard!

Elhim X. R.

I've done all of my training here. And although there is not such thing as a business that fits everyone's expectations, this place is everything I needed.
I'm glad I decided to be a part of it. They prioritize SAFETY like no other place.

Also, they don't mess around with pushing people to go fly... It is always left at Instructor-Student's discretion.

Finally, their aircraft maintenance program, according to DPE's that travel around the country, is the best and most reliable of any flights school they have flown with. And I am a witness of it.

George S.

AeroGuard for me has been a wonderful experience. I moved across the country with no flight experience to attend AeroGuard. I was fortunate enough to to have one instructor for half of my training until I was in the instructor courses. I was attending school six days a week and always had the resources I needed to get through the program. I eventually went on to become an instructor at AeroGuard where I was getting anywhere from 60-80 hours a month. This place has great instructor who care and focus on the students success at becoming a professional pilot. If you are looking for a school that offers a fast track to becoming a professional pilot and are willing to learn, stay motivated and hard working then this is the place for you.