Trade Winds Aviation

Trade Winds Aviation is a flight school and flying club at Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV) in San Jose, California. It is part of American Flight Schools, a group with five locations in Colorado and California and nearly 50 years of training pilots. The group's website now hosts the Trade Winds pages.

Reid-Hillview is a two-runway field with a practice area in the hills a few minutes away. Students follow the official Cessna training programme and set their own pace, mixing flight lessons with online training.

Services

• Flight training from the first certificate to a professional career: private pilot, instrument, commercial, CFI and specialty training
• Discovery flights for first-time flyers, with a flight instructor
• Club membership and aircraft rental for licensed pilots
• Ground school, proficiency talks and community events
• Training cost estimator on the website
• University degree programmes through American Flight Schools partners

Fleet

Trade Winds flies a fleet of Cessna aircraft. Many have autopilot, GPS maps and spare radios. Some aircraft in the group fleet have Garmin G1000 glass cockpits.

Recognition

The school describes itself as a nationally honoured flight school and shows AOPA flight training awards on its page.

Contact

Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV), San Jose, CA 95148, United States
Email: dispatch@tradewindsaviation.com

FAQ

Where does Trade Winds Aviation fly from?

Reid-Hillview Airport (KRHV) in San Jose, California.

Is Trade Winds Aviation still independent?

It is now one of the five locations of American Flight Schools, which also runs schools in Colorado and the Bay Area.

Can I rent an aircraft without training there?

Yes. Licensed pilots can join as members and rent from the Cessna fleet.

Details from americanflightschools.com, October 2026.