ABOUT AERODYNAMIC AVIATION

unparalleLed flight training empowered by 60 years of passionate instructors

Small white airplane flying over a landscape of rolling hills and farmland.

Between our rich history inspiring students to learn good old-fashioned stick and rudder flying to our continued dedication to offering a wide variety of modern and vintage planes, our team is ready to make your flight aspirations a reality.

AeroDynamic Aviation®, formerly Amelia Reid Aviation, offers complete flight training courses including Sport and Private Pilot, Instrument, Commercial, Multi-Engine, ATP, CFI, Tailwheel, Aerobatics, mountain flying, and provides ground school for all ratings.

No matter if you’ve never set foot in a tailwheel plane or are a seasoned pilot looking for a quick checkout, our ultimate goal remains the same — to offer safe, reliable and fun flight training in the Bay Area that develops the skills necessary for confident and knowledgeable pilots. We can’t wait to go flying with you soon!

Small private airplane flying over a city at sunset with hills in the background and a golden sky.

Meet the OWNERS

We consider ourselves a family of aviators. Our desire is to create a fun, exciting and professional atmosphere devoted to making competent new pilots. Our team of staff and instructors is vital to this. Whether you have a simple question about your first flight or more complex question about training, we are here to help. Feel free to stop by, email or call with any questions you have and our knowledgeable team will do their best to make you love aviation as much as they do.

“In the little airplanes, you’re one-on-one. You’re inspiring students to want to fly and showing them how to be safe, how to be knowledgeable, how to love aviation.”
Woman in black T-shirt and denim shorts standing next to a small pink and black aerobatic airplane in a parking lot, smiling at the camera.
A man in a light gray t-shirt standing in front of a small airplane, holding a piece of paper in his right hand and resting his left arm on the airplane's wing, smiling at the camera.
Small white and black fixed-wing aircraft with a high wing and landing gear extended.


  • Owner, Aerodynamic Aviation

    Jen is the Chief Instructor, so chances are you will fly with her at some point. In her spare time she flies in aerobatic competitions, writes documents for AeroDynamic, articles for aviation magazines, and flies with the staff of instructors. She's worked for the airlines in supervisor positions, pilot hiring department, and served 4 years as a first officer for Mesa Air on the CRJ. She moved on to flying corporate (King Air, Citation) and realized she loved teaching people how to fly.


  • Owner, Aerodynamic Aviation

    Josh is the CEO and fleet manager for Aerodynamic Aviation. In addition to company management, thanks to years of business college, he is also a pilot and IA mechanic. He learned to fly at Aerodynamic and was caught by the aviation bug. You’ll often catch him hopping out of his Cessna Super 170 with barefeet with a grin on his face. He’s happy to share his love of flying and knowledge, so track him down in the hangar and ask him how airplanes work.

A woman standing in front of a small airplane with a smiling expression. She is wearing a black vest and jeans. The airplane is white with black and red stripes on the wings and a wooden propeller. The background features a clear sky and some industrial buildings.
“I am the only one who does it. I think the others are too scared...”
— Amelia Reid

THE ORIGIN OF REID-HILLVIEW

we dedicate our flight school’s legacy to this woman trailblazer

Before renaming our school in 2014, our founder, Amelia Reid, started what was then called Amelia Reid Aviation in 1960. Her passion for flying sparked in 1939 after a flight in a Taylor J-2 Cub with Evelyn Sharp, Nebraska’s first female pilot and soon took her first flying lessons.

In 1939, Amelia’s father-in-law and four other pilots had opened Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV). Amelia earned her Commercial Pilot Certificate and instructor rating in 1960, and the Amelia Reid Aviation FBO was founded at RHV soon thereafter.

Over the course of 60 years, she logged over 55,000 flight hours, some of which included air show performances. She was known for her Cessna 150 Acrobat low-level routine called “Butterfly” for its graceful, slow maneuvering. Her FAA-issued Air Show waiver read, “1) Maneuver Limitation—Solo-no Limitations; 2) Altitude Limitations—Level I Surface”. Even at the age of 76, Amelia continued to fly in air shows, including one in Santa Rosa.

Amelia instructed over 4,000 students in the art of stick and rudder flying and aerobatics. Among her students are legendary air show pilot Sean Tucker, and aviation writer Rod Machado. She was a dedicated mentor to her students and peers—instructing six days a week, bookkeeping at her FBO, maintaining warm relationships and guidance, and upholding the standards and practices at Reid-Hillview Airport.

A yellow single-engine aircraft flying in the sky.

OUR locations

Sunrise over a hilly landscape with grassy terrain and scattered trees, with a person standing on the hilltop.
Small white single-engine airplane flying above a forested area with clouds in the background.

San Jose

Reid Hillview Airport (KRHV) is located in San Jose, California, at the south end of beautiful San Francisco Bay. Where better to do your flight training? Gorgeous scenery, nearby locations for practice areas, many airports large and small, and great weather.

Coastal landscape with cliffs, ocean, and mountains in the distance during cloudy weather.
Two jellyfish floating in the water with a blue background, showcasing their translucent bodies and long tentacles.

Monterey

Our newest office is located in Monterey, California, just south of the San Francisco Bay area. The weather is good, the airport is not busy for Class C airspace, and the local scenery is world class. Our office hours are 9 am to 5 pm seven days per week.

Our Airports