Flight School at Redlands Municipal Airport (KREI)
1745 Sessums Drive, Unit 160, Redlands, CA 92374 951-468-9700
NextGen Flying Academy’s Redlands campus operates at Redlands Municipal Airport (ICAO: KREI), a non-towered general aviation field on the eastern edge of the Inland Empire. We run FAA Part 61 training here. Redlands is our specialty location for high-altitude endorsement and mountain flying training because of where the airport sits: 30 minutes from Big Bear at 6,752 feet MSL and the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest.
If you want to train at a quieter field with direct mountain access, Redlands is the campus to start at.
Book a Discovery Flight from Redlands | See Training Programs
About Redlands Municipal Airport
Redlands Municipal is a non-towered field at 1,571 feet MSL, with a single 4,500-foot runway (08/26). Traffic uses CTAF (122.7 MHz) for self-announcement. This is the airport experience most general aviation pilots will encounter throughout their careers: pilots managing their own traffic separation by radio and visual scan.
Field facts that matter for training:
- Non-towered: students develop strong radio discipline and traffic-pattern awareness without a controller as backup
- 4,500-foot runway: sufficient for all single-engine training operations in our Cessna and Piper fleet
- GPS/RNAV approaches: instrument training is full-featured at KREI
- Direct access to mountain airspace: Big Bear (KL35) is a 25-minute flight, Apple Valley (KAPV) is 20 minutes
- Diverse terrain: students transition from valley flying to mountain flying within a single training flight, which is rare in general aviation
What makes Redlands different
A non-towered field changes how you learn to fly, and the difference matters.
At a towered field, ATC tells you when to enter the pattern, what runway to use, and when you’re cleared to land. At a non-towered field, you make those decisions. You announce your position, you scan for traffic, you make your own go/no-go calls.
The FAA expects every Private Pilot Certificate holder to operate competently at both towered and non-towered fields. Students who train primarily at towered airports often struggle their first time at a CTAF field. Redlands students don’t.
The high-altitude specialty
This is what we’re known for at Redlands, and it’s the reason students from other California flight schools come here for the endorsement.
Why high-altitude training matters in California
California has terrain. The San Bernardino Mountains reach 11,503 feet at Mount San Gorgonio, less than 30 miles from KREI. Big Bear City Airport (KL35) sits at 6,752 feet MSL, high enough that on a hot summer afternoon, density altitude can exceed 10,000 feet. Pilots who haven’t trained for these conditions get themselves into serious trouble. Pilots who have don’t.
What we train
- Density altitude operations: performance math, real takeoff and landing rolls at high-elevation fields, when to abort
- Mountain weather: rotors, mountain wave, valley winds, sudden cloud development, the practical reading of mountain weather products
- Canyon and ridge crossing techniques: 45-degree angle approaches, escape routes, never trusting a downdraft
- High-elevation airport operations: pattern altitudes, lean for takeoff procedures, performance-limited departures
- Pilot physiology at altitude: supplemental oxygen requirements, hypoxia recognition
Where we fly it
The training happens in the airplane, at real high-altitude airports, under real conditions. Big Bear City (KL35), Apple Valley (KAPV), and other density-altitude fields in the San Bernardino range. This isn’t a simulator exercise. It’s the actual airspace.
Who needs it
- Pilots flying west of the Rockies: California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana. Mountain operations are part of the job.
- Career-track pilots: airline interview panels know high-altitude/mountain time when they see it. It demonstrates judgment and exposure.
- Aircraft owners: anyone planning to fly the Sierra Nevadas or the Rockies should have this endorsement before they go.
- FAR 61.31(g) requirement: required for pilots flying pressurized aircraft with service ceilings above 25,000 feet.
Learn more about the High Altitude Endorsement program →
Programs available at Redlands
Redlands runs Part 61 training only. The programs we offer here:
- Private Pilot Certificate (Part 61)
- Instrument Rating (Part 61)
- Commercial Pilot Certificate (Part 61)
- CFI / CFII
- High Altitude Endorsement: our specialty
- High Performance & Complex Endorsements: by scheduling
Programs not offered at Redlands:
- Multi-Engine Rating (available at Riverside)
- MEI (available at Riverside)
- Part 141 structured training (available at Riverside)
- ATP checkride prep (available at Riverside)
Students who start at Redlands and need multi-engine or Part 141 can transition to Riverside for those phases.
Fleet emphasis at Redlands
Redlands training emphasizes Cessna 172 and Piper Warrior for primary and cross-country, with access to the broader fleet through coordination with Riverside as your training stage requires. Specific tail availability rotates with maintenance and demand.
Who trains at Redlands
- Mountain and high-altitude students: flying in from elsewhere in California for the endorsement
- Inland Empire locals: Redlands, Yucaipa, Highland, Loma Linda, Beaumont, Banning
- Working adults with shorter commutes from the eastern Inland Empire who prefer a quieter field
- Students who specifically want non-towered training first: typically because they intend to base out of a rural or uncontrolled field after certification
Getting to Redlands Municipal
- From San Bernardino: 15 minutes via the 210 or 10
- From Riverside: 30 to 40 minutes via the 60 / 215 / 10
- From Palm Springs: 45 to 60 minutes via the 10
- From Orange County: 75 to 90 minutes via the 91 / 60 / 10
Discovery flights from Redlands
A discovery flight from KREI gives you a different experience than from Riverside. You’ll see the San Bernardino Mountains up close, fly toward Big Bear Lake, and get a feel for the mountain flying that defines this campus.
Book a Discovery Flight from Redlands
Next steps
- Schedule a discovery flight
- Call us at 951-468-9700
- Stop by: 1745 Sessums Drive, Unit 160, Redlands, CA 92374
If high-altitude flying is why you’re here, ask for the endorsement program specifically when you call. We’ll match you with a CFI who teaches it.
