Airwest Aviation Academy, Glendale

Airwest Aviation Academy can take total novices and turn them into certified helicopter pilots. The process starts with ground instruction—think training videos and classroom lessons—but quickly moves to hands-on learning, whether on a flight simulator or with an FAA-certified instructor in a training helicopter. During lessons, instructors demonstrate potential real-world situations in order to prepare students for how to handle them while flying on their own. After mastering these scenarios, students can transition to flying as private or commercial helicopter pilots, or they can even become certified flight instructors themselves.