Learn to Fly in Southern California
NextGen Flying Academy trains pilots at two Inland Empire airports: Riverside Municipal (KRAL) and Redlands Municipal (KREI). Whether you’re chasing an airline career or your first solo, we run the same FAA-approved curriculum, the same instructor standards, and the same maintenance discipline at both fields. The view changes. The training doesn’t.
Book a Discovery Flight | Explore Training Programs
Why train in the Inland Empire
Southern California averages more than 280 VFR days per year, which means your training calendar doesn’t get held hostage by weather. You progress when you book, not when the clouds break. Our two airports sit under a section of airspace dense with practice areas, towered fields, Class B transitions, and mountainous terrain rising past 11,000 feet within 60 nautical miles. That’s a curriculum you can’t replicate in flatter parts of the country.
We operate under FAA Part 61 at both Riverside and Redlands. Part 141 structured training is available at our Riverside location for students who need the accelerated syllabus, GI Bill eligibility, or a faster path to the commercial certificate.
Training programs at a glance
We take students from zero hours to airline transport pilot.
- Private Pilot Certificate: your first license, 40 hours minimum, typically 3 to 6 months
- Instrument Rating: fly in the clouds, navigate by instruments alone
- Commercial Pilot Certificate: the credential that lets you get paid to fly
- Multi-Engine Rating: twin training in a Beechcraft Duchess
- CFI / CFII / MEI: teach others, build hours toward the airlines
- Airline Transport Pilot: the certificate every Part 121 captain holds
- High Altitude Endorsement: California-specific mountain operations training
See the full program list with prerequisites and starting prices on the training programs page.
What students actually train in
Aircraft types we use on the flight line: Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Piper Warrior, Piper Cherokee Arrow (PA-28R), Beechcraft Duchess (BE-76), plus a Redbird simulator for instrument procedures and multi-engine emergency profiles. Specific tail availability rotates with maintenance and demand. We schedule what you need based on your stage of training.
Two airports, one academy
Riverside Municipal (KRAL)
6951 Flight Road, Suite 106, Riverside, CA 92504 951-590-3572 Towered Class D field, 5,401-foot runway, full Part 141 syllabus available, complete fleet on site including multi-engine. Riverside details →
Redlands Municipal (KREI)
1745 Sessums Drive, Unit 160, Redlands, CA 92374 951-468-9700 Non-towered field, 4,500-foot runway, Part 61 training, gateway to the San Bernardino Mountains and the high-altitude endorsement track. Redlands details →
The Inland Empire advantage for career pilots
If you’re aiming at the airlines, two facts matter:
- You need 1,500 hours for an ATP (or 1,250 with a Part 141 commercial, 1,000 with a four-year aviation degree). Hours come from consistent flying. We let you fly six days a week if your schedule allows it.
- You need real exposure to varied operations. Our students fly Class B (Ontario, San Diego, LAX), Class C (March ARB), Class D (Riverside, Redlands, Chino), and uncontrolled mountain fields like Big Bear and Apple Valley. The 50-mile cross-country requirement is more than a checkbox here. It’s training.
Discovery flights
A discovery flight is the cheapest, fastest way to find out if flight training is for you. You’ll spend 30 to 60 minutes in the left seat with a CFI, fly toward a Southern California landmark of your choice (Catalina Island, the Hollywood Sign, Disneyland’s airspace boundary, Dana Point), and walk away knowing whether this is the career or the hobby you thought it would be.
Book a Discovery Flight from $199
Financing and ground school
Pilot training is a real investment. We work with Stratus Financial, Flight Training Finance, and Surv Credit for student loans, and we run ground school sessions on a rolling schedule so written-test prep doesn’t bottleneck your flying. Contact us for current pricing and financing terms.
Get started
Three ways to start the conversation.
- Book a discovery flight: fly first, decide second
- Call us: Riverside 951-590-3572, Redlands 951-468-9700
- Read the FAQ: costs, timelines, medical certificates, age limits, financing