Boise, ID 83705
M-F: 8:00am - 9:00pm
Boise's Flight School,
Right at the Airport.
Train with a Gold Seal instructor at Boise Airport (BOI). Flexible Part 61 scheduling built around your life, with in-house maintained aircraft ready when you are.
- 30 Checkride Passes in 2024
- 19 First Solos Last Year
- 2 Gold Seal Instructor
Schedule A Discovery Flight
Get in the cockpit and take the controls on your very first flight. No experience needed.
Enroll In The Right Course
From Private Pilot to CFI, we'll match you with the training path that fits your goals and schedule.
Obtain Your Pilot’s License
Train one-on-one with a Certified Flight Instructor at a real commercial airport with an active control tower.
Practice With Our Rental Fleet
Already licensed? Rent an aircraft and keep flying for fun or work toward your next certification.
Explore Our School With a Discovery Flight at the Controls
Certified Flight Instructors
Your Discovery Flight isn't just a sightseeing ride. You'll be paired with a Certified Flight Instructor which means your very first time in the cockpit, you're learning from someone who has a documented track record of actually getting students across the finish line. Most flight schools can't say that.
Right at Boise Airport (BOI)
You won't be training at a quiet rural strip with nothing around it. Carmel Aviation is located directly at Boise Airport, a fully operational commercial airport with an active control tower. From your first flight, you're operating in real airspace alongside real traffic. That's a better training environment, and it's a genuine differentiator. Students who learn to fly in controlled airspace are better prepared for everything that comes after. Plus, the views over the Treasure Valley and the Owyhees don't hurt.
In-House Maintained Aircraft
Every aircraft you fly at Carmel is maintained in-house by Ernie, our owner and a licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic with an Inspection Authorization certificate. That means no outsourced maintenance, no waiting on a third-party shop, and no cutting corners to get a plane back in the air faster than it should be. When you strap in for your Discovery Flight, the plane has been inspected and signed off by someone who is personally invested in this school running safely. That's not something most flight schools can offer.
Your Schedule, Your Pace
Carmel operates under Part 61, which means your training is built around your life, not the other way around. Work shifts, family commitments, travel — none of those have to derail your progress. A Discovery Flight is the perfect low-pressure way to start. No multi-week commitment, no enrollment paperwork before you've even been in the air. You show up, you fly, and you decide what comes next. If you're ready to keep going, we'll build a training schedule around whatever you've got to work with.
Meet the Instructors Who Will Get You There
Carmel Aviation is staffed by pilots who chose to teach because they love this. One of our instructors has earned a Gold Seal rating from the FAA, a designation awarded only when a CFI signs off 10 or more students with 80% first-attempt checkride pass rates. Beyond the credentials, our team includes career changers, former military, and instructors who started as students right here at Carmel.
Key Features:
- 1 Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor: Kyle
- In-house A&P and IA certified maintenance by owner Ernie
- Instructors who came up through Carmel's own program
- Diverse backgrounds, one shared goal: your success
Gold Seal CFI on Staff
30 Checkride Passes in 2024.
Aircraft Rentals
Available at Boise Airport
Licensed pilots can rent from our maintained fleet of Cessna and Piper aircraft by the hour. All aircraft are based at Boise Airport (BOI) and available daily.
CESSNA 172S SKYHAWK
N101GV
CESSNA 172G SKYHAWK
N3781L
PIPER ARROW II
N2865R
CESSNA 172N SKYHAWK
N733TQ
CESSNA 172N SKYHAWK
N739UK
Redbird LD Simulator
All the Pilot Courses You Need, From First Flight to New Career
Private Pilot’s License
The foundation of everything. Train one-on-one with a Certified Flight Instructor and earn the certificate that lets you fly anywhere in the US. Most students complete training in flexible, self-paced sessions built around their schedule.
Explore This CourseInstrument Rating
Fly in conditions most pilots can't. An instrument rating makes you a more capable, confident pilot and opens up flying opportunities you don't have with a private certificate alone.
Explore This CourseCommercial Pilot’s License
Turn your passion into a paycheck. 190+ hours of training opens the door to charter, cargo, corporate, aerial survey, and pipeline to the airlines.
Explore This CourseCertified Flight Instructor
The most flexible aviation career there is. Carmel actively hires from its own CFI graduates. You could be teaching here before you know it.
Explore This Course
What Carmel Aviation
Students Are Saying
made my pilots Journey fun! “I started at Carmel in January of 2022 and have so far obtained Private Pilot, up to CFI through them and will be starting as one of their instructors. I've never had a bad experience with a single person at Carmel. The owners (the Sams), the instructors, front desk ladies, and maintenance have all been great and made my journey to a pilot amazing and fun.”
Carlie Gonzalez Google best flight school I’ve ever attended "This has been the best flight school I’ve ever attended, with patient instructors, well maintained aircraft, and awesome scheduling flexibility. They’ve helped me complete a lifelong goal! Cant wait to continue onto instrument."
Robert Hosterman Google can't imagine going anywhere else “I got my PPL through Carmel! Very friendly owners and reception staff. Instructors are even-keeled and knowledgeable. Planes are expertly maintained. Renter-friendly and student-friendly establishment. I can't imagine going anywhere else for any of my flying/learning needs!."
Riley Hayes Google
The Latest from Carmel Aviation
What Is a Gold Seal Flight Instructor? Carmel Aviation's Kyle Just Earned His
Carmel Aviation's Kyle earned his Gold Seal Flight Instructor rating from the FAA in September 2025. Here is what the designation means and why it matters when you are choosing a flight school in Boise.
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Carmel Aviation 2024: 30 Checkrides, 19 First Solos, and One Student Who Became an Instructor
A look back at Carmel Aviation's 2024 milestones including 30 checkride passes, 19 first solos, 15 new private pilots, and the story of Dominic, who walked in as a student and walked back out as one of our instructors.
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Rent a Piper Arrow in Boise: What You Need to Know
Carmel Aviation now rents the Piper Arrow II (N2865R) to qualified outside pilots at Boise Airport. Here is everything you need to know about rates, requirements, and how to get checked out.
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