Southern California Soaring Academy

It was AMAZING i’m so happy I did it. The pilot Cameron was incredible, he talked to me throughout the whole flight, pointing out landscape buildings as well as the mountain range. Is both an art and science to being a pilot to a fixed wing glider and I gained a lot of new information that I would’ve never known. I’m impressed with their work that they do with the wounded warrior group as well. This is a group of people that love what they do and love sharing that passion with everyone. I highly recommend a hat, sunscreen, a lot of water and snacks for afterwards and earplugs. It’s surprisingly windy in the cabin. The road is a little rough as it’s a dirt desert road that has had some washout so I don’t recommend bringing your low profile tired car on the trip.

I’m a pilot in England and have never done gliding outside of Europe. I was welcomed there very kindly, Julie and her team are incredibly kind and supportive. Very much a team and family atmosphere. Facilities are epic, aircraft are modern and well maintained. The price of flying was very affordable too. Cameron, my instructor, was so helpful and understanding. Loved soaring in the mountains, very different terrain to England! Definitely will be back again. Thank you so much.

Wonderful experience Great team, felt like at home. Even got to fly the same glider I use at home. Great sensations. 8000ft in almost no time. Great scenery and wonderful pilot. He has great knowledge of the surroundings. would definitely do it again and highly recommend. Thanks you to the wonderful team. JM

Being able to use the wind to navigate the plane gave me good intuition behind concepts taught in my aero classes. You feel the different air masses, the concept of climbing, the stall. Glider planes are also unique in that they are very responsive and easy to maneuver. George flew with me and was very friendly. People at this place are passionate about what they do and answered my never ending list of questions with patience and excitement :)

Awesome experience, Vitali was a great instructor. Everyone at soaring academy was a pleasure. Will definitely come back for another ride.

A fantastic experience for my son and I. The soaring school is well run and you get the staff was always friendly and helpful.

I fly gliders at Williams Soaring in Northern California and wanted to experience a new place to fly. Loved the experience. The staff was welcoming and gave me a complete overview of the site and showed me where to review the local flying rules and sites on their website. I stayed for 2 days. The local flying conditions are great, and was able so soar for hours. I plan to return next spring.

I went for a one time demo flight in a glider and it was an amazing experience. Then I went for another ride. And another one. Now I'm getting ready to take my glider pilot license. This flight school is amazing, everybody here is willing to work with and accommodate the students so that the flight experience is nothing short of unforgettable. I highly recommend that everyone should try at least a demo flight.

I got inspired to do a 20 minute ride through reading the If My Heart Had Wings visual novel on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/326480/If_My_Heart_Had_Wings/) I was a complete noob at flying in a small aircraft. All I had ridden before was commercial airplanes. My personal experience was really good the whole time (minus the weather being pretty damn hot even at 9AM but cant control that during July). All the staff there were very welcoming. Once my instructor was ready he gave me a quick rundown of how the glider worked. The directions made sense for a noob like me. I was afraid of motion sickness (I have that issue with boats and when in cars that swerve a lot) but my instructor made sure my flight was as smooth as possible right when we took off and until we landed. Gliding was fun, it's interesting to learn just how sensitive the controls are. I got to have a little fun turning the glider left and right, and pushing the nose up and down as we glided. Even for a 20 minute ride, it is pretty damn expensive (120 dollars) but for a one-time experience I thought it was fun and very secure and safe. Since we're in COVID-19 season as of this review, just keep in mind that almost none of the crew wear masks. It didn't bother me personally, but some might.

What a fun glider ride! My pilot's name was Casey and he was very skilled and professional. He provided a smooth and enjoyable ride for my birthday. I enjoyed a 45 min glider ride and had the time of my life! The So. CA Soaring Academy runs an excellent business and I would highly recommend booking yourself a fun soaring experience!

This is an updated review the staff did a really great job working with my son's limit time while he was home from USAFA on his summer break. Following So Cal Soaring Academy's direction he was able to complete the requirements and obtain this pilots license. I was so comfortable with the level of instruction that agreed to be his 1st passenger and it was great!! I was amazed at how proficient and comfortable he was. Thank you for a priceless experience.

Went out for a glide with Stewart who was very nice and helpful. Everyone at this establishment was extremely friendly and knowledgable. We had a great time on our glide and it was a reasonable price for our time. Highly recommend this place if you want to take a stab at thermal gliding!! We will be back!

Not good for fly-ins: I've got permission to do an approach, but denied it when I got there. I'd rather spend my money in a friendlier and better organized place.

Great glider operation in a location with great conditions! They prioritize safety first and do a good job minimizing time on the ground, very responsive on radio and glad to debrief pilots who are students or licensed after flights for everyone's benefit. Come with a great attitude, respect the organization that runs the place, as well as the instructors and other pilots, and it's a great time for all. Instruction is thorough and informative, emergency training is emphasized and various emergency scenarios practiced (rope break, tow plane engine out...). Soaring is learning (and great fun!)

The experience flying the glider was thrilling, exiting, and fun. It was unlike any other adventure and is not like any other plane or aircraft experience. Through the session I was taught how to fly and given the chance to further my education of gliders and how to fly them. I recommend that you check this place out and try to fly.

I took an intro flight there a few years ago that was bought for me as a birthday present, what a great experience. Now I am taking lessons, and it's fantastic. Very well run, very friendly, very accommodating, with an obvious focus on safety.

I took my first sailplane ride with Southern California Soaring Academy. It was almost a two hour drive from Huntington Beach, but definitely worth the trip. Everyone there was really friendly and laid back. I went there for a 20 minute scenic ride, but they also offer lessons if you are completely hooked. The sailplane had two sets of controls so I could fly the plane for a bit on my first trip or hand the controls back to the instructor when I just wanted to enjoy the view.

If I could give them a negative 10, I would. They have some guy running around that has a "Little Man" complex. I know, as I've flown there for years without a problem, but once this new "field manager" came, everything... including where I parked my vehicle became a problem. They make the excuse that everything is in the name of safety. But a lot of the time, they don't turn on their own radios to hear you entering the pattern to land, overbook and make you wait for your scheduled aircraft, or have their own flight instructors that make numerous and unsafe mistakes, but that's all quite alright, to them... Don't walk from this place, RUN!

I was surprised to see the couple low ratings. My wife and I stopped by one Saturday to check the place out. We were greeted with smiles and were welcomed to walk around, hang out, and ask any questions we may have. We booked two rides for the following weekend. The rides were great. I ended up training for a commercial add-on. That took about a year to do with weather delays and my own schedule. Since passing my checkride (5 hour check ride, 3 hours oral - not a license mill), I have rented aircraft there and have participated in some charitable events they do. The aircraft available are pretty nice for rentals. Three ASK21's are the work horse training aircraft. They have a DG505 that I have flown - very nice. In this economy, running an FBO is not easy. I think they do a fine job. Seeing the mountains and the desert from a Glider is a unique experience. It is worth stopping by and checking it out.

I saw a glider flying over when hiking at Baden Powell peak and always wanted to fly gliders. It looked great and I had to do it. So I called & made reservations. People there are very helpful, friendly. I'm glad to know this is a non profit organization that supports wounded warriors & veterans for who can use mush support, I feel. My friend & I went for 40 minutes flight with Adrian? who volunteers for this academy. He is also a member of Air Force. I somehow learned & knew that gliders are one of safest planes although no guarantee. The first thing Adrian said to us was he has a family and he'd like to come home safely & have dinner with them. It was an assurance of him that the safety is the priority. He was not only a very experienced but professional pilot. He made sure if we're feeling well, not sick during the flight. When we told him we're fine and could handle more, he took us for ride of life, awesome, amazing maneuverings. We had so much fun, and time went so fast. When we finally landed (it was perfect & smooth), people on ground told that we're screaming lots? They heard us on the radio. This was the best ride & experience we've ever had by far. We now know how birds fly and catch the thermal air. Thanks Adrian and all friendly staff & volunteers. We'll be bcak.

I live in Santa Monica and learned to fly gliders at Southern California Soaring Academy. People there were super friendly and easy to communicate with. This is great place to spend a weekend in the desert.