Austin Academy of Aviation

Quality of Aircraft	3		Quality of Instruction	4
Availability of Aircraft	2		Availability of Instruction	2
Cleanliness of Aircraft	4		Facility Amenities	4
Community Atmosphere	4		Friendliness of Staff	3
Professionalism of Staff	1		Value of Training	2
Overall Score: 2.9/5

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Employee(s) worked with: Virgil Kennedy

Reason for visit: Flight Training

I recommend this flight school: No

Pros Good training at Austin International airport Planes are in good condition for basic training

Cons Unreliable and unprofessional flight instructor Outdated information Most expensive flight school in Austin

My Review of Austin Academy of Aviation:
Expensive / Unreliable / Unprofessional
This is the most expensive flight school in Austin. Virgil Kennedy is the 74 year old owner and lead flight instructor. He is consistently unreliable due to his various medical issues, and cancels flights lessons at the last minute. Unreliability is compounded by the fact Virgil manages the daily schedule, phone calls, administration, all of which occurs during scheduled flight training. Very unprofessional.
He does not respect anyone elses time but his own.
Althought highly experienced, his best years are behind him and knowledge is sadly outdated. Don’t expect Virgil to teach intricacies of GPS navigation except to demonstrate the one single button he knows to push. Additionally don’t expect autopilot instruction since usage on one aircraft causes steep continuous left turns. Other instruments are defective and he claims they are too expensive to repair, so be aware of what you are getting into.

Berichi Aviation

Quality of Aircraft	5		Quality of Instruction	5
Availability of Aircraft	5		Availability of Instruction	5
Cleanliness of Aircraft	5		Facility Amenities	5
Community Atmosphere	5		Friendliness of Staff	5
Professionalism of Staff	5		Value of Training	5
Overall Score: 5/5

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Employee(s) worked with: Charlie & Dan

Reason for visit: Aircraft Rental

I recommend this flight school: Yes

Pros Incredibly well knowledged Instructors with inspiring attitude. Overall aircraft condition A+

Cons

My Review of Berichi Aviation:
I gave it a five star rating across the board because it was very clean facility the instructors Charlie and Dan are amicable very well studied in all points of the business, training and professionalism. Aircraft in perfect condition if not mint condition for a flight school/rental aspect.

Another reason out of many reasons why I rated it with 5 stars is due to the customer service, it was just great.

Berichi Aviation

Quality of Aircraft	5		Quality of Instruction	5
Availability of Aircraft	5		Availability of Instruction	5
Cleanliness of Aircraft	5		Facility Amenities	5
Community Atmosphere	5		Friendliness of Staff	5
Professionalism of Staff	5		Value of Training	5
Overall Score: 5/5

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Employee(s) worked with: Charlie Berichi

Reason for visit: Flight Training

I recommend this flight school: Yes

Pros Everything

Cons None

My Review of Berichi Aviation:
The owner and Flight instructor Charlie Berichi really helped me have a great first experience! He met me as soon as I parked my car and gave me a tour around the nice and neat facility. The people all smiled and waved when I walked by! There were complimentary fresh pasteries and drinks! (Which were my favorite, lol.) I had full access to the exclusive classroom and office area, and was able to look at many of the planes there, which were all polished and well kept so they worked perfectly! I was a little scared of riding my first time, as I have a tiny fear of heights I was trying to overcome and Captain Charlie was nothing but patient with me. He eased me through the whole process and recorded everything for me! He even edited it and sent me both versions so I could choose! In the end i had no issues of any kind, even with billing. It was truly an amazing first flying experience I’ll never forget! (:

Berichi Aviation

Quality of Aircraft	5		Quality of Instruction	5
Availability of Aircraft	5		Availability of Instruction	5
Cleanliness of Aircraft	5		Facility Amenities	5
Community Atmosphere	5		Friendliness of Staff	5
Professionalism of Staff	5		Value of Training	5
Overall Score: 5/5

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Employee(s) worked with: Charlie

Reason for visit: Flight Training

I recommend this flight school: Yes

Pros Great planes, clean, well maintained Friendly staff Nice facility

Cons None

My Review of Berichi Aviation:
I've been going to Berichi Aviation for about a month now and have no complaints. I found them when doing various Google searches for flight schools around KFXE. I have started my complex training in their Piper Arrow IV, and have also transitioned to their Piper Cherokee 140 which I used to fly to KSPG for two days and encountered no issues. The owner is very accommodating and really loves what he does.

Berichi Aviation

Quality of Aircraft	4		Quality of Instruction	5
Availability of Aircraft	5		Availability of Instruction	5
Cleanliness of Aircraft	5		Facility Amenities	4
Community Atmosphere	5		Friendliness of Staff	5
Professionalism of Staff	5		Value of Training	5
Overall Score: 4.8/5

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Employee(s) worked with: Dan Diamond, Charlie Berichi

Reason for visit: Flight Training

I recommend this flight school: Yes

Pros Promised and delivered an MEI in 6 days Great instruction Great availability Good Aircraft Very nice people Well organized

Cons

My Review of Berichi Aviation:
I started my experience with Berichi in their Extra 300L. The plane was new, clean, and mechanically perfect.

I recently decided to get a multi-engine instrument rating. I live in Orlando, but my research in training options pointed me right back to Berichi. I asked them if they would be willing to do an accelerated program so I could get it done in one week. They promised and delivered!

The facility was clean and comfortable.
Asst. Chief Flight Instructor Dan Diamond was knowledgeable, patient, pleasant, and very thorough. By by my last day of training, he was throwing everything at me at once. It was really exciting and did a lot to boost my confidence preparing me for the checkride the next day.

The checkride was no joke. It was far more difficult and intense than my previous two checkrides. Thanks to consistent training and aircraft availability, I was well prepared.

Owner Charlie Berichi runs a very nice operation. He sent some great photos of my check ride and delivered on his promise. 5 days of training, 15.5 hours of flight training, successful checkride on day 6!