Local Flight School and Instructor Named Regional Winners by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has named Ridgeline Aviation as the 2021-22 Best Flight School in the Northwest Mountain Region and Summit Aviation's Jess Padden as the 2021-22 Best Flight Instructor in the Northwest Mountain Region.

The Flight Training Experience Survey and Awards are part of the You Can Fly program powered by AOPA and were created to highlight the best flight training the industry has to offer. “Finding the right balance between professional service and a personal touch can be a challenge for any business,” said Chris Moser, You Can Fly’s Senior Director of Flight Training Education. “This year’s results showed that these flight training providers are not only striking the balance, but they are knocking it out of the park. The terms ‘family’ and ‘high quality instruction’ were a big theme this year. You can’t ask for more than that!”

One of the survey responses said, “My flight school goes above and beyond when it comes to training students. The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable, diligent on safety, and provide support to students every step of the way. I get so excited to show up at Ridgeline and it's such a welcoming place to learn to fly!”

The awards were drawn from flight students and pilots who voluntarily reviewed their flight training experience this past summer through an AOPA online customer satisfaction survey. Survey participants include pilots of all experience levels, from new students to those earning advanced ratings or taking a flight review. The process yielded an evaluation of 749 different flight schools and 1,740 individual flight instructors. 

The national winners will be announced in February at the Migration Flight Training Conference in Lakeland, Fla.

Learn more: www.aopa.org/FTawards