Sling Pilot Academy
Posted by Good_Distribution886@reddit | flying | View on Reddit | 17 comments
I'd like to know if anyone has experience with Sling's Pilot Academy in Southern California. I want to enroll in a accerelated program, but have heard mixed reviews. Some of those reviews say they have bad instructors or poor management. I flew with Sling back in 2022, but I know things have changed a lot after their expansion. If you have flown down there, please let me know how it was for you. Also, if you recommend any flight schools down in that area, I am open to suggestions. Thanks!
Evening_Penalty6078@reddit
Don’t fall for their aggressive marketing tactics, that place is a shitshow and has no business in the aviation industry. They don’t even hire their students to be instructors anymore like they promise. Not to mention the operation is sketchy to say the least. Two engine failures in one day within an hour of eachother not long ago, but they are good at covering things up.
I can’t say that ATP is the answer, but can’t be worse than sling, plus they have a lot of additional partnerships that can help you out. Sling banks on one relationship with SkyWest.
mcole1987@reddit
it would seem to me highly likely that ATP could be and is worse than sling. Starting from the fact that the cost is 20% higher and you're flying a 30yr old 172...
Evening_Penalty6078@reddit
Not anymore, cost is about the same. I’d agree the planes are newer with better avionics, but ATPs planes haven’t been falling out of the sky lately. It’s an experimental aircraft with an unapproved fuel. I recommend you read the NTSB report from 135TW.
In addition, their management and leadership has been a shitshow as of lately. Not the same school it was a year or two ago. They bring in a bunch of underqualified people with no aviation knowledge to manage the place and they all play the favorites game.
Afraid-Departure4609@reddit
Preachhhhh
Inevitable_Jelly_606@reddit
Sling used to be bad and is just getting worse. They are essentially a startup that rode the wave of the "pilot hiring shortage" and the resulting hoard of people willing to borrow 100k to pay for training. Now, people are reading posts like this and figuring out they can receive better instruction, pay less, and earn all their certs faster through a mom/pop or individual CFI, and Sling's business is drying up. Sling's management knows this, and is trying to wring a few more dollars out of the dying business by cutting their CFI's hours, and increasing costs to students. The Sling hangar, which was once a bustling hive of activity and learning, is now a dusty, sad place with a few confused students and embittered CFI's who are all looking for other places to work. If this post convinces even one person to make a different choice it'll be worth the time it took to write and I'll be glad I helped them save money!
Kind_Butterscotch254@reddit
Which location? San Diego seemed active while I toured
Good_Distribution886@reddit (OP)
Did you attend Sling?
Naive-Midnight8785@reddit
Personal experience, terrible place.
Good_Distribution886@reddit (OP)
Can you elaborate?
ProofWeekly1500@reddit
Sling Academy is a marketing powerhouse, but don't buy the hype. Their IFR program is a bit of a joke—you’re stuck in LSA-class aircraft that aren't allowed in IFR conditions, so you end up with zero actual instrument time. The culture is hit-or-miss, too. I’ve seen instructor leave students alone during sims sessions to grab lunch, and there was even an incident where a CFI refused to take a student because he could not offer him cross country hours. A lot of the instructors are just low-time pilots building hours, so you really need to be your own advocate. Proceed with caution.
Ok_Concentrate_511@reddit
Shop around and do your research. You don’t need an “accelerated program” to get done quickly. You need a flight school with good instructor and airplane availability. Your local mom and pop flight school can very likely get you finished as quickly and much cheaper.
mcole1987@reddit
i respectfully disagree on this
Distinct-Wealth5914@reddit
Ex Sling Club Student here. I regret all the time and money I spent in this place. Freaking fake promises. Go ask the CFI's yourself. The good ones left already all what is left is a bunch a dumb of morons who have never worked in their life. Planes smells like ass. Fat dude in reception is an ass. School is over 80k and you cant print paper 😆 fucking joke.
Waste_Difficulty6308@reddit
I’m at the location in San Diego and like it so far. Yeah it’s not perfect and the previous reviews definitely have some merit. With that being said every flight school has their pros and cons and I think sling definitely has some real benefits. Shoot me a DM and I can answer some questions and give u some details!
RaiseTheDed@reddit
I'm just curious, why accelerated?
Find my other posts:
College Aviation Programs
Unsecured Flight Training Loans
ON ATP FLIGHT SCHOOL
You can find an up to date version of this comment here.
I have compiled a list of posts discussing ATP flight school. I have tried to include both good and bad, but there is a vast majority of "bad." These are all recent posts from the last couple years. There's many more, but I'm not going to go on. You can see current search results for "ATP" here (if this link works)
Please note: I'm not trying to paint ATP as one way or other. I've just compiled posts here. Plenty of people have successfully completed ATP, but plenty didn't either. I have my opinions on the company, but my goal is transparency with what we've seen on this subreddit. ATP's marketing budget is quite large, and this post is attempting to shine light on what they don't say so that you can make the best, informed decision for you.
As you're reading through these, I want you to ask yourself these questions: - is the quality of training up to my standards? - is speed really the best thing? (Please consider the current hiring climate) - is the price worth it for me? - is taking out a loan worth it? - if I take out a loan, can I realistically pay it off? (Refer to the Unsecured Loans for Flight Training post) - what sacrifices must I take to go to ATP? Are they worth it?
My Experience with ATP Flight School. Read This If Considering! (2022). This one is the most in depth, longest write-up that has been posted.
ATP Flight School Write-Up (pros and cons) (2024). Another fair write-up.
Experience with ATP (slight TLDR) (2024)
Another ATP Flight School Writeup (2025)
Why ATP Flight School Might Not Be Your Best Bet: An Alumnus Perspective (2025)
Various Posts
These post tend to skew towards the bad side. Some of these are examples of failing out of the program. Some are representative of the company as a whole.
A Positive ATP Review (2025).
Did anyone have a good experience attending ATP? (2023)
ATP FLIGHT SCHOOL SCAM (2024)
ATP Flight School Lawsuit is Official (2024)
I may have ruined my life at only 24 (an ATP story) (2023)
I literally don't know what to do, ATP strikes again. (2024)
Leaving ATP Need Advice (2023)
ATP is trying to screw me over financially (2024)
It's time for me to jump on the DON'T GO TO ATP train (2023)
ATP FLIGHT SCHOOL (discussing their loans) (2024)
Note that reviews tend to be skewed to either terrible experience, or exceptional experience. This is a known fallacy with reviews, the middle ground tends to be the people who don't write reviews, so you don't hear about it.
We generally recommend you go to a small local flight school and pay as you go, as debt can be devastating.
I've met people where ATP worked out well for them, some/many are members of this subreddit. Again, I really want you to know what you're getting into before you sign the dotted line.
TxAggieMike@reddit
Another mention that an accelerated program isn’t required.
Regarding ATP, read our FAQ as well as posts curated by u/raisetheded to determine if that is the place for you.
rFlyingTower@reddit
This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:
I'd like to know if anyone has experience with Sling's Pilot Academy in Southern California. I want to enroll in a accerelated program, but have heard mixed reviews. Some of those reviews say they have bad instructors or poor management. I flew with Sling back in 2022, but I know things have changed a lot after their expansion. If you have flown down there, please let me know how it was for you. Also, if you recommend any flight schools down in that area, I am open to suggestions. Thanks!
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