Flight Training at Lake Tahoe
One-on-one instruction at 5,900 ft in the Sierra Nevada. Earn your certificate, add a tailwheel endorsement or sharpen your mountain skills with a local mountain pilot.
Find Your Program
Every program is one-on-one and built around your experience, goals and schedule. Reach out and we’ll put together a plan and pricing for you.
Private Pilot
For new students starting from zero, or pilots who started training somewhere else and want to finish.
- Ground and flight training toward the Private Pilot checkride
- Pre-solo, solo and cross-country training
- Density altitude and mountain weather from day one
- Checkride preparation, oral and practical
Commercial Pilot
For certificated pilots working toward their Commercial certificate.
- Commercial maneuvers: chandelles, lazy eights, steep spirals, eights on pylons
- Power-off 180 accuracy landings
- Commercial-level aeronautical decision making
- Checkride preparation, oral and practical
Tailwheel Endorsement
For pilots who want to fly taildraggers and become better stick-and-rudder pilots in any airplane.
- Ground handling, taxiing and run-ups in a conventional-gear airplane
- Normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings
- Three-point and wheel landings, go-arounds
- The 180 is high-performance, so you can add that endorsement too
Flight Review
For pilots due for their flight review who want to come away sharper, not just current.
- Regulations and operating rules review
- Maneuvers and procedures tailored to how you fly
- Optional mountain or tailwheel focus
- In our aircraft or yours
Mountain Flying
For pilots who want to fly confidently in the Sierra and other mountain terrain, whether you fly here often or are planning a trip.
- Density altitude and aircraft performance planning
- Mountain weather, wind and turbulence
- Ridge and pass crossings, canyon turns
- High-elevation takeoffs and landings, terrain awareness and escape routes
Cross-Country Flying
Custom cross-country flights with an instructor to build your comfort with planning, weather forecasting and flying cross-country. Destinations are tailored to your goals, and our cross-country experience includes international flying as far as Alaska and northern Canada.
- Route, fuel and performance planning
- Weather forecasting and go/no-go decisions
- Airspace, unfamiliar airports and diversions
- A real trip, flown with an instructor beside you
The Sierra Weekend Immersive
Two days of mountain flying in the Sierra. Fly in or drive up Friday, and leave a better pilot on Sunday.
Ask About Dates →- Density altitude, mountain weather and terrain, on the ground and in the air
- Fly your own airplane or ours
- Built around your experience and goals
Learn Where the Mountains Teach
Training at a high-elevation mountain airport builds skills and judgment that carry over to every flight you make.
Real Mountain Conditions
Density altitude, mountain wind and changing weather are part of every lesson.
One-on-One
Your instructor, your airplane and your pace. No handoffs between instructors.
Local Knowledge
Two decades living in Tahoe, with deep knowledge of Sierra terrain and weather.
Mountain Trained
Mountain flying experience in the Sierra and the remote mountains of Alaska.
What You’ll Fly, Who You’ll Fly With
Two airplanes, each chosen for the training it does best.
Cessna 172
Private & Commercial training
The world’s most popular training airplane. Stable, predictable and a great platform for learning the fundamentals in mountain conditions.
Cessna 180
Tailwheel & high-performance endorsements
A classic high-performance taildragger built for the backcountry, with modern avionics. The same airplane that flies our scenic tours over Lake Tahoe.
Your Instructor
Keith Davis
Certified Flight Instructor · Instrument-Rated Commercial Pilot · Wilderness First Responder
Keith Davis is the owner and operator of North Tahoe Aviation and has lived in North Lake Tahoe for more than 20 years. That time gives him local knowledge of the Tahoe basin and the Sierra Nevada: its terrain, its weather patterns and the conditions that make mountain flying here a unique experience. He has more than a decade of local mountain flying experience, as well as ski flying in Alaska, where he has flown some of the most remote backcountry in North America.
Keith is also an experienced, AMGA-trained mountain guide. He has worked as a heli-ski and ski touring guide in Alaska and internationally, and as an avalanche safety instructor and guide in the Tahoe area. He is also a certified Wilderness First Responder. Years of reading terrain, watching weather and making conservative calls in the backcountry shape how he teaches: building confident, safe pilots who understand risk management in the mountain environment.
- Tahoe resident since 2004
- 10+ years local mountain flying
- Alaska flight training
- AMGA-trained mountain guide
- Wilderness First Responder
Flight Training FAQ
Don’t see your question? Call, text or email and we’ll get back to you.
Do I need my own airplane?
No. Private and Commercial students can train in our Cessna 172 or in their own airplane, and tailwheel students fly our Cessna 180. Flight reviews, mountain flying and cross-country training can be done in our aircraft or yours.
How much does training cost?
It depends on the program and your experience. Reach out and we’ll talk through your goals and send you a plan with pricing.
I started training somewhere else. Can I finish here?
Yes. Bring your logbook and we’ll review where you are and build a plan to get you to your checkride.
How long does a tailwheel endorsement take?
There’s no FAA minimum. The endorsement is given once you can fly the airplane safely and consistently, so the time depends on your experience and how often you fly.
What happens if the weather isn’t good?
Safety comes first. If conditions aren’t right, we reschedule.
Where is training based?
Truckee Tahoe Airport (KTRK), field elevation 5,900 ft, just north of Lake Tahoe.
I’m visiting from out of the area. Can I still train with you?
Absolutely. Fly in to KTRK or drive up, and we’ll plan your training around your visit. The Sierra Weekend Immersive is built for exactly this.
Plan Your Training
Training isn’t booked online. Every plan starts with a conversation.
- 1
Reach Out
Email, call or text and tell us what you’re looking for.
- 2
Quick Call
We’ll talk through your goals, experience and schedule.
- 3
Your Plan
You’ll get a training plan with a schedule and pricing breakdown.
or call/text (530) 426-5072