Aces High Aviation is a Part 61 flight school and aircraft rental operation based at Long Beach Airport ​/​ Daugherty Field (KLGB) in Long Beach, California, established in 2010. The school was co-founded by flight instructors Paul Raymond and Sam Raymond with the goal of providing affordable, high-quality training in Southern California's most challenging and professionally relevant airspace. Following Paul's passing in 2024, Sam continues to lead the operation. Aces High is Long Beach Airport's top-rated flight school by Yelp reviews and positions itself as the premier aircraft rental provider on the field.   Programs offered include Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, Multi-Engine Rating, CFI, CFII, MEI, tailwheel endorsement, and basic aerobatics. Accelerated training packages are available for all certificates and ratings, including an accelerated instrument simulator package designed to reduce time and cost through intensive Redbird MCX simulator sessions. A dedicated airline career pathway program covers the full progression from zero time through CFI time-building toward airline minimums, with graduates noted to have placed with regional carriers including SkyWest, Envoy, Horizon, and PSA. Foreign pilot certificate conversion — converting an ICAO-compliant foreign license to an FAA certificate — is a documented service, making the school accessible to internationally licensed pilots relocating to or training in the U.S. ROTC flight training scholarships are also supported.   A noteworthy environmental distinction: Aces High was the first flight school at Long Beach Airport to transition its entire eligible fleet to UL94 Unleaded Avgas capability using the STC approval, ahead of the broader industry shift away from leaded 100LL fuel.

Home Airport(s)

Long Beach Airport ​/​ Daugherty Field ICAO: KLGB | IATA: LGB | FAA LID: LGB   Located approximately three miles northeast of downtown Long Beach in Los Angeles County, California, near the Los Angeles–Orange County border. The airport covers 1,166 acres at an elevation of 60 ft MSL. Named for local aviator and pioneer flight school operator Earl Daugherty, who started what is recognized as the world's first flight school at this location in 1919. Owned and operated by the City of Long Beach. Full-time ATC tower: 0615–2345 local; Class D airspace during tower hours. ATIS on field. One of the strictest noise ordinances of any commercial airport in the United States limits commercial operations and caps airline service; touch-and-goes and low approaches are permitted only on weekdays 0700–1900 and weekends 0800–1500.   Runway 12​/​30 — 10,000 ft × 200 ft (primary; asphalt, grooved; ILS​/​LOC Runway 12 and 30; VOR approaches; RNAV​/​GPS; HIRL; airline and jet operations) Runway 08L​/​26R — 6,192 ft × 150 ft (secondary; asphalt; MIRL; general aviation and light jet traffic) Runway 08R​/​26L — 3,918 ft × 150 ft (tertiary; asphalt; light aircraft, touch-and-go training runway) Traffic pattern altitude: 1,000 ft MSL for light aircraft; 1,500 ft MSL for heavy aircraft. Seagulls in the vicinity are noted in NOTAMs. LAHSO clearances may be issued (RY30 H​/​S RY25R and other combinations). For flight training, KLGB is one of the most professionally demanding GA training environments in California. The airport sits inside the Los Angeles Basin airspace structure — one of the most complex, densely trafficked, and intensively managed airspace environments in the world. Students at KLGB navigate Class C and Class B transition requests around LAX (approximately 18 nm northwest), John Wayne​/​Orange County Airport (KSNA, approximately 12 nm southeast), and Torrance Airport (KTOA, approximately 8 nm west), learning to read and manage traffic density that directly mirrors the operational environment of professional aviation. The 10,000-foot primary runway gives training aircraft full-length options alongside Southwest and other commercial operations. Southern California's near-perpetual VMC with marine layer IFR intrusions, coastal convergence zones, and Santa Ana wind events gives students exposure to genuinely varied weather requiring real weather decision-making, not just clear-day pattern work.

Fleet and Facilities

Aces High Aviation maintains a fleet of eleven aircraft and one full-motion simulator, all wet-rate and fuel-reimbursed: Cessna 152 II (×8, standard VFR — $140​/​hr) — Two-seat primary trainers; multiple aircraft in fleet enabling high availability; used for initial dual instruction, solo practice, and primary hour building. Cessna 152 II (×2, IFR instrument trainer — N4631B, N152WA — $155​/​hr) — Cessna 152s equipped with dual Garmin G5 digital flight displays, Garmin GTN 650Xi touchscreen GPS, Garmin GNC 215 NAV​/​COMM, and Garmin GTX 345 ADS-B In​/​Out. This configuration enables instrument training at 152 operating costs — a significant cost savings compared to the conventional 172-based instrument training path. Cessna 172S (N2235V, G1000 — $200​/​hr) — Four-seat IFR trainer; Garmin G1000 WAAS with Safe Taxi, XM weather, XM music, air conditioning, leather interior, and front-seat airbags. TAA-qualified. Cessna 172S (N65537, steam gauge — $190​/​hr) — 2004 Cessna 172 with KLN 94B GPS, King MFD, KAP140 autopilot with altitude hold, and leather interior. The last year Cessna offered standard instrumentation; well-equipped analog cockpit. Diamond DA42 TwinStar (N742SA — $500​/​hr) — Four-seat twin-engine; Garmin G1000 glass cockpit; cruise speed in excess of 170 knots; FADEC engines; used for Multi-Engine Rating, MEI, and commercial multi-engine training. Dedicated accelerated multi-engine program available. Boeing PT-17 Stearman — Open-cockpit WWII biplane; used for tailwheel endorsement, aerobatic instruction, and demo​/​adventure flights. Stearman demo flights: $350 per 45 minutes. Redbird MCX AATD Full-Motion Simulator ($90​/​hr) — FAA-approved full-motion advanced aircraft training device; configurable as G1000 C172 or analog-panel C172; used for instrument training, commercial maneuvers, emergency procedures, and ATP preparation. Loggable toward Instrument Rating and Commercial certificate under Part 61.   Facilities are located at 3501 N. Lakewood Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90808, on the KLGB field. Online scheduling, pilot supplies, aircraft documents, and ground school resources are available on-site.

Hours of Operation

Open 24 hours, seven days a week per Yelp listing. The school's scheduling system allows bookings at any time, though touch-and-go training at KLGB is restricted to weekdays 0700–1900 and weekends 0800–1500 per airport noise ordinance. Tower hours are 0615–2345 local.

Additional Notes

Aces High Aviation's decision to pioneer UL94 Unleaded Avgas capability across its entire eligible Cessna fleet is a genuine environmental leadership move at KLGB, an airport with some of the most stringent noise and environmental ordinances in the country. The move positions the school ahead of the broader GA industry transition away from leaded 100LL — a transition that is increasingly mandated at California airports — and gives students real-world experience fueling and operating with unleaded avgas before it becomes a universal requirement.   The instrument-equipped Cessna 152 configuration is worth specific attention for cost-conscious students. Instrument rating training typically requires a four-seat IFR aircraft, but Aces High's 152 IFR trainers with G5 and GTN 650Xi achieve full IFR currency capability at meaningfully lower hourly cost than the standard C172-based instrument path. Combined with the Redbird MCX for simulator hours, the school offers a notably economical route to instrument rating without compromising avionics quality.   The LA Basin airspace context is ultimately the school's most significant competitive advantage. Students who earn certificates here learn in conditions that set a very high baseline for airspace awareness, ATC communication, and traffic management. A pilot who trained at KLGB and can confidently navigate the approach corridor into Long Beach while coordinating with SoCal Approach, avoiding LAX Class B intrusions, and sequencing around Torrance and Compton traffic is a pilot who will find most other U.S. airspace comparatively manageable.