In the Pattern

I’ve had nothing but great experiences here. The staff, the planes, and the people they have surrounding the school… all great! I’ve trained at a few different airports, and this school really is amazing. Sherman is so great & runs a great program here.
With maintenance on site, they’re able to get planes the TLC they need, and in a timely manner. They’ve just added some new planes to the fleet, so they are growing everyday. They also have a wide variety of types of planes to choose from. I can’t say enough good things about this school.
The renting process was smooth from the start. All you need to do is schedule a checkout flight, and they’ll take you up and show you the area/make sure you’re proficient to fly. Then the world is at your finger tips, and they make it an easy process to get going and get your hours in, if you’re working towards licenses/ratings. There’s plenty of fellow aviators time building that you can meet & fly with. There’s an awesome staff that does well in training their students. They’re able to work hard to find you a DPE to get you a checkride, even though they’re hard to find these days- ITP makes it happen.
The prices are average for the area, and they don’t overcharge you for renting/instruction.
I completed my commercial license here, and I’m glad I found this school.
The airport is also very awesome. Easy to learn the airspace and the airport, and overall, it’s a great environment.
For quality planes and instructors, you should come here!

Great place, amazing people, Sherman Gardner hosted our Explorer Post 67 today to talk to our youths about Aviation and what they do at In the Pattern flight school. Highly recommend if you have the smallest incline towards aviation.

I was referred to ITP to finish up my PPL.  I already had all the prerequisites checked off over a course of many years, but could not seem to get the checkride scheduled with any other flight school or CFI due to being bounced around between CFIs and schools.  We all have heard what a great organization Sherman has built with ITP.  Well, from my first-hand experience, it is not all hype.  From the 1st time I walked thru the doors, I could see and feel the difference.  Everyone.. from line help, CFIs, Mgt, and A&Ps.. they are awesome, super respectful, and they all show true eagerness to help.  They do not treat you like a student.  You are treated like a valued client with old-school respect and service.  They even helped me love flying again.  My PPL checkride is done. I am looking forward to them helping me with my instrument rating .

In the fall of 2021, I decided that the time had come to fulfill a dream and goal I’d had my entire life…to become a pilot. I started googling schools in the area and came across this one which had great reviews. I liked a lot of what was said but I needed to check it out for myself. But first I went to two other prominent schools and did discovery flights with them.
They were fine but weren’t quite right for me. Then I drove out to Denton and visited In the Pattern (ITP). Almost immediately, I could tell it was what I had been hoping for. They’re not a straight-to-airline (Part 141) school so while they can still accommodate students who are looking to train to be airline pilots, they also have room for folks like me who have careers already and are looking to fly for fun.

There is a family-like experience there. That tone is set by the stellar owner, Sherman. He is driven to build community and connect people, and flying just happens to be his medium for it. So it is a fact that you will get to know wonderful people and build friendships in your time there. And that matters. So many times I would come back in from a tough lesson where I hadn’t flown as well as I wanted and someone in the clubhouse would cheer me up and encourage me. The other instructors take ownership and don’t just view you as someone else’s student. One time Sherman even came in and spent a few minutes on a whiteboard showing me things until it clicked for me.

My instructor Cy was awesome, and she was all-in. She poured her heart and soul into helping me cross the finish line. When I achieved various milestones she was almost as happy for me as I was for myself.

Pricing was very fair. They take care of their students and instructors and are never trying to nickel and dime us like so many other schools.

Their planes are GREAT! The Cessna 172 fleet (what I trained in) is dependable and safe. They have a phenomenal chief mechanic (IA) named Cody who I trust with my life. Cody doesn’t cut any corners and is a pilot himself so he’s constantly test flying the planes before he puts us in them.

And their scheduling system is top notch. It’s an online system called Flight Circle. I can’t even imagine having to coordinate an instructor and a plane without having an online system but so many other schools don’t have this down and it becomes a massive burden. Due to weather, plane maintenance, and life getting in the way, you will constantly need to make adjustments and reschedule and it’s just nice to have alternate planes and instructors that can easily be booked through the online scheduler.

Finally, I just want to note that In the Pattern won AOPA’s Best Flight School in America this year. Yes you heard that correctly. The best school in America and it’s in our area! And they absolutely deserve this recognition. Once you get into flying you’ll see why KDTO is a great airport to learn at. It’s a Class D with a tower so you get that experience of working with ATC, but it’s in the north part of DFW so it’s easy to get to all the practice areas quickly.

I am so blessed and grateful to have crossed ITP’s path. After 53 hours of flight instruction over 6 months I took my flight exam on April 2nd, 2022, and passed with flying colors. I am a Private Pilot thanks to my lifelong friends at ITP. I hope that if you’re sitting on the fence about pursuing this dream yourself you give them a call and stop by for a visit. You’ll see what I mean. Thanks to ITP for helping me achieve my dream.

This place is an amazing flight school. The instructors there are the best and most kind that I’ve ever met. They truly care about their students and have a remarkable way to customize your training in the best way so that you can succeed with flying colors. Not like any other flight school I’ve seen in the Dallas Metroplex. You can tell these people love their job and love watching their students succeed and be happy. They will always have a special place in my heart.