About

A family-owned and run operation, Springs Aviation provides flight instruction to the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Located at Meadow Lake Airport (KFLY) the school also operates the Rudy Welch General Aviation Terminal and FBO.

Our team of experienced and certified instructors remain committed to providing quality flight instruction in both airplanes and helicopters and our top-notch crew of mechanics keep our fleet in excellent condition.

The operation caters to everyone, whether you’re training for a career in aviation, picking up a new hobby or trying out something new for the day. Instruction and training are tailored to the specific needs of every student and our instructors remain dedicated to helping you achieve whatever your goals in aviation may be.

Our Fleet

Standard Training Aircraft

N99243 - "Numbers"

Cessna 172P

$168/h Wet

160 hp (carb)

VFR

A 1985 Cessna 172P, N99243, or “Numbers” is a VFR airplane equipped with a climb prop and 160 horsepower carbureted engine.

N54357 - "Pumpkin Spice"

Cessna 172P

$168/h Wet

160 hp (carb)

VFR/IFR

A 1981 Cessna 172P, Pumpkin Spice is a climb-prop’d 160hp Cessna similar to other primary aircraft in our fleet! Its relevantly-themed color, owners’ love of everything autumnal and sweet interior earned it the name “Pumpkin Spice”.

N7548G - "Brenda"

Cessna 172L

$168/h Wet

160 hp (carb)

VFR

With the rear seats removed for extra performance, N7548G has dual VORs and an ADF–for which there is a nearby approach! Though rated with fewer horsepower than its siblings in the fleet, this airplane has no problem with the high-density altitude of the Colorado Front Range. “Brenda” is a twin to “Becky.”

The checklists are currently linked to N2830Q, which is an identical checklist.

N2830Q - "Becky"

Cessna 172L

$168/h Wet

150 hp (carb)

VFR

With the rear seats removed for extra performance, N2830Q or “Becky” has dual VORs and an ADF–for which there is a nearby approach! Though rated with fewer horsepower than its siblings in the fleet, this airplane has no problem with the high-density altitude of the Colorado Front Range.

N9550L - "Grum Grum"

Grumman Traveler

$168/h Wet

160 hp (carb)

VFR/IFR

This low-wing addition to our fleet is a new hit! If you are eager to experience the flight profile and sight picture of a low-wing aircraft, check out this aircraft today.

A favorite for discovery flights, it gives you a beautiful view and experience to brag about to your family and friends.

N5155K - "'Murica"

Cessna 172N

$183/h Wet

180 hp (carb)

VFR/IFR

With freshly-upholstered seats, a 180 horsepower upgrade and red, white and blue colors, “‘Murica” makes for great VFR or IFR training with its G5 instrument upgrade.

N62740 - "Sweet Pea"

Cessna 172P

$183/h Wet

180 hp (carb)

VFR/IFR

A 1982 Cessna 172P, N62740, or “Sweet Pea” boasts a 180hp carbureted engine, a cruise prop and a Garmin GTN 650Xi and two G5s in place of attitude indicator and HSI.

Intermediate Training Aircraft

N9550G - "Gangsta"

Cessna 172R

$183/h Wet

180 hp (fi)

VFR/IFR

A 1998 180hp Cessna 172R, N9550G is fuel injected and IFR capable with dual VORs. “Gangsta” is a twin to “Foxy.”

The checklists are currently linked to N9895F, which is an identical checklist.

N9895F - "Foxy"

Cessna 172R

$183/h Wet

180 hp (fi)

VFR/IFR

A 1997 180 hp Cessna 172R, N9895F or “Foxy” is fuel injected and IFR certified with a Garmin GPS 175. Anyone up for some instrument flying?

N1025V - "Queen Vic"

172 XP

$195/h Wet

195 - 210 hp (fi)

VFR/IFR

With 195 continuous horsepower and 210 on climb-out, the 172 XP workhorse that is N1025V earns the name “Queen Vic” every day. With a fuel injected engine, a constant-speed prop, a Garmin 430 and an autopilot, this airplane is IFR certified and great for mountain flying!

Advanced Training Aircraft

N6026S - "Big Steve"

172SP

$198/h Wet

180 hp (fi)

IFR & TAA

This beautiful 172 is a G1000 equipped aircraft. Learn the intricacies of a glass panel especially if your goal is to fly professionally.

As you build time toward your commercial requirements, don’t forget that 26S is a technically advanced aircraft (PFD, MFD, and Dual-axis autopilot) so it qualifies for the 10 hours required in 61.129(a)(3)(ii).

N95FC - "Forest"

182 $210/h Wet

235 hp (carb)

VFR/IFR

This former USFS spotter plane has found a new home with Springs Aviation as our go-to cross-country machine. Fly IFR or VFR and practice your soft-field landings with the installed STOL kit.

N3360X - "Spot"

Mooney M20C

$215/h Wet

180 hp (carb)

Complex

This 180hp, retractable-gear 1966 Mooney M20C is available for dual-only complex training and endorsements. A faster airplane, it’s also great for dual-only cross-country and instrument training. Spot is currently not available for solo rental use, but pre-paying for 10 hours of complex training in this aircraft will be rewarded with a 5% discount.

N71GA - "Beta"

R22

$398/h Wet

145 hp

VFR

New addition to the fleet! This beautiful red Robinson R22 is now available for all rotorcraft training. This helicopter is equipped with a GNC 250 XL Garmin.

Military & First Responders:

We are proud to offer a 5% discount off of aircraft rental rates to all military personnel/first responders! To take advantage of these savings, please bring in a copy of your work ID.

The aircraft available for overnight excursions are N6026S, N1025V, N739CL and N95FC. We encourage you to take these aircraft overnight and on long trips to appreciate the freedom being a pilot has to offer you and your family!

Please note: There are rental restrictions on our C172 Aircraft. We will continue to restrict any overnight flights on our training fleet and will also be enforcing daily minimums for reservations exceeding five hours. If you rent one of our C172 aircraft for the day, you will be able to schedule it for up to five hours without a minimum flight time requirement. If you schedule for over five hours, we will charge for up to ½ of the time that it was scheduled for. (Example; if you book the plane for six hours and only fly two hours, we will charge for three hours of flight time at the hourly rate for the aircraft used). This policy does not include mountain flight training.

Simulator Training

Springs Aviation now offers a brand new simulator for on-the-ground pilot training. Our Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD) is FAA approved, so some instruction given in the simulator may be logged toward certificates and ratings at a fraction of the cost of renting an airplane. This provides pilots a highly valuable tool in obtaining their certificates more cost effectively.

The simulator also allows students an alternative when bad weather sets in—keep training toward a certificate even when it’s too rough to fly!

Hourly rate for dual training on the simulator is $65, plus the cost of the flight instructor. After a thorough checkout with Springs Aviation instructors, pilots may use the simulator without a CFI present at CFI discretion. The rate at that point will be $90/hour with the pilots are not with a Springs Aviation representative.

Connect your iPad to the simulator so ForeFlight can work in tandem with your training. PilotEdge Live ATC is available by individual subscription for practicing ATC communications. The simulator offers more than 40 aircraft configurations, including twins! You can practice your single or multi-engine flows for thousands of dollars less when earning your commercial certificates. It also provides great refresher training for the pilots who rarely fly twin engines after they earn their certificates.

The simulator is now available for scheduling!

Log Sim Time

Because our AATD is FAA-approved, you can log instruction toward various ratings and certificates. You can also re-up your instrument currency solo after a checkout—even on a snow day!