Our Story; Our Standards

The proprietor of Barbers Point Flight School was born and raised on the Old Ewa Sugar Plantation just minutes away from Kalaeloa Airport and retired from the airlines. After having owned and operated a Flight School in Honolulu in 1992, and since flown commercially in aircraft like the BE-18, C-402, ATR-42, Shorts 330/360, B727, B737F, B757 and B767, launching Barbers Point Flight Schoo as a business in 2010 was just the obvious next step. Barbers Point Flight School started as the first private Flight School at John Rodgers Airfield since the airport was transferred back to the State of Hawaii by the US Navy in 1999.

Barbers Point Flight School experienced very slow growth, beginning with just one Cessna 172 Skyhawk in 2010 but turned the corner after about five years as the word got out about an operating Flight School on Oahu’s west side with a welcoming, local style atmosphere and lot’s of Aloha running through the walls.

Because of a virtual appreciation and understanding of aviation after over forty-five years, BPFS knows where the “danger zones” are and we remain obstinate and attentive to uncompromising Safety and Maintenance and Repair. Safety is our cornerstone and we take pride in our near perfect incident-accident report card since 2010. Safety, however, isn’t easy or cheap. We are in a highly regulated arena and BPFS only utilizes new/newer, modern aircraft with the latest technology. When it comes to maintaining the airworthiness of our fleet, a good inventory of parts and an excellent maintenance team is a crucial variable to our continued success. The BPFS’ approach to aircraft maintenance has always been to “remove and replace” rather than stitch or mend, in order to barely meet the minimum standard required to keep our aircraft flying. Even the smallest, most insignificant squawks are of the utmost concerns. Pilot and passenger Safety is paramount and BPFS will always steer a course above reproach.

Our FAA Certified Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics take maintenance seriously. We don’t cut corners and each aircraft gets 50 hour progressive oil changes, exceeding the required 100 hour oil change requirement for flight schools. Our powerplants do not go past manufacturer recommended TBO instead they are replaced at or before *TBO! Our mechanics have undergone weeks of additional training above and beyond what is necessary and achieved additional credentials by Flight Safety International, Tecnam Aeronautics, Continental Aerospace and Cessna. They are competent professionals who ensure that our aircraft are nearly always mission capable and are always returned to service quickly!

*TBO (Time Before Overhaul) is the engine manufacturers recommended time before replacement. However, aircraft engines may stay in service as long as they are maintained properly by qualified Airframe and Powerplant mechanics in accordance with the Federal Aviation Regulations. Engines operated at flight schools should not exceed 12 years of service and while many flight schools do not go past recommended times, some do.vAt BPFS, we replace our engines either at or before TBO and all of our engines are less than two years old. This business model costs a lot of money but we place Safety above all else. Welcome to Barbers Point Flight School!