The story of Coast Flight Training starts with the career path of its founder: Will Dryden. Mr. Dryden has a career as an instructor that includes high levels of distinction, including being a Master Certified Flight Instructor (500 masters of 97,000 registered flight instructors in America) and a Gold Seal Certified Flight Instructor (100% student pass rate for qualification period).
At the end of his first five years as a flight instructor and passing more than 100 students, Mr. Dryden noticed that only a handful of graduates continued to fly afterwards and exercise the rights of their certificate. This was a discouraging statistic. At the time, the industry primarily trained students to execute flight maneuvers with only a secondary focus on decision-making skills and the ability for the student to put to use all the knowledge and skills necessary to confidently navigate the modern and complex U.S. airspace structure and safely manage weather conditions. The end analysis was that the training standards of the flight instruction industry were mostly training students to pass a checkride and written exam, and were not necessarily preparing them to be pilots afterwards.
In his words, “My students did not fail the standards; the standards failed my students.”
After a hiatus from the training industry to pursue other professional flying opportunities, Mr. Dryden once again felt the need to get back to his passion: training pilots. At this same time, he was also introduced to the Cirrus aircraft. Cirrus already had an established reputation for innovative aircraft design that focused on the pilot and passengers and provided them with unrivaled comfort, performance and safety. What Mr. Dryden discovered was that Cirrus was equally innovative in their approach to training pilots to fly their aircraft. At that time, Cirrus was first starting to adopt Scenario Based Training into its transition and pilot training curriculum.
In the first two years of business, Mr. Dryden has been exclusively marketing Cirrus aircraft and training to the San Diego area and employing the Scenario Based Training techniques under his new company: Coast Flight Training and Management, Inc. Over that period, Coast Flight Training has become one of the most well-respected flight schools in the country by offering training to international and local business professionals.
Mr. Dryden has played baseball for San Diego State University and also received a Professional Pilot Bachelor of Science Degree from Utah Valley University. Will Dryden’s life is also enriched by his supportive family, including his wife, Kathy, and children, Aubrey and Liam.

Whether training for fun or for a career, Coast can help you find the best financing available today.
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If you are not a United States citizen, the proper Visa is required for any flight training. Coast can help you obtain the correct Visa and necessary clearances easily and quickly.
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Fly along California’s scenic coast from La Jolla to Newport Beach, over LAX and Santa Barbara, past California Condor nesting areas. From there you can follow the 101, fly over the Golden Gate Bridge, and then turn to the east and explore the beautiful backcountry of the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Coast utilizes the most advanced Cirrus based full motion flight simulator and cutting edge instructional programs to make you the best pilot possible.
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