Hands on the stick
We favor stick-and-rudder fundamentals over glass-cockpit shortcuts. Feel the air. Read the wind. Fly the airplane — the way Kern County’s open country rewards pilots who still look outside.
Kern County · Bakersfield · Tehachapi · Central Valley
Learn to fly in the spirit of the Golden Age
Independent Part 61 flight instruction toward the private pilot certificate and instrument rating — taught with the craft, courtesy, and quiet confidence of the barnstormer era, under the wide skies of Kern County and California’s Central Valley.
Independent flight instructor operating under 14 CFR Part 61 — not an FAA-approved Part 141 pilot school. Flight instruction only; no charter, air taxi, or sightseeing rides for hire.
Why Old Wes
Not a factory program.
A flying tradition.
Vintage manners
Clear radio, tidy walkarounds, respect for the ramp. The Golden Age wasn’t only about airplanes — it was about how you carried yourself, from the Valley floor to the Tehachapi ridges.
Valley & mountain skies
Broad Central Valley airspace near Bakersfield, mountain approaches toward Tehachapi, and morning light that still looks like a travel poster. Room to learn properly.
Flight Instruction
From first lesson to golden ticket
One-on-one Part 61 instruction for aspiring pilots across Kern County and the Central Valley. Train in your own aircraft or one you rent from a local FBO or flying club. Instructor rates on inquiry.
Primary
Private Pilot
Part 61 · Certificate
Ground and flight instruction, with solo endorsements when you meet the 14 CFR 61.87 requirements, toward the Private Pilot Certificate. Built around real airmanship — not checkbox flying — with local pattern work and Valley cross-countries.
- Preflight & weather discipline
- Cross-country planning
- Practical-test preparation & 61.103/61.39 endorsements
FAA minimum: 40 flight hours (14 CFR 61.109). Most students need more — national averages are well above the minimum. Hours and timelines vary; no outcome is guaranteed.
Inquire →Advanced
Instrument Rating
Part 61 · IFR · Instrument instruction provided by an instructor holding the required CFII rating.
Master the gauges and procedures that turn weather from a wall into a craft. Precision approaches, holds, and IFR decision-making suited to Central Valley and mountain-transition flying.
- Partial-panel proficiency
- Approach plate fluency
- IMC judgment & CRM
FAA minimums include 50 hours cross-country PIC and 40 hours actual or simulated instrument time, 15 of them with an authorized instrument instructor (14 CFR 61.65). Actual totals vary by student.
Inquire →Instructor rates on inquiry. Aircraft rental, fuel, examiner (DPE) fees, knowledge-test fees, and materials are separate and paid to those providers unless stated otherwise in writing.
The Aerodrome
Where Kern County meets the sky
Old Wes Flying instructs across Kern County — the stretch of California’s Central Valley around Bakersfield, with Tehachapi’s ridgelines rising to the east. Broad horizons, workable winds, and the kind of golden light that once sold tickets to Rio and Honolulu.
Whether you’re driving in from Bakersfield, the mountain towns, or farther up the Valley, you’ll find a patient instructor, coffee on the bench, and instruction with a soul — radial dreams and Lycoming realities included.
- Region
- Kern County · Central Valley
- Serving
- Bakersfield · Tehachapi & nearby
- Character
- Quiet ramp · Classic feel
- Atmosphere
- Barnstormer hospitality
Instructors
Your instructor
Jake McHenry
Independent Flight Instructor · 14 CFR Part 61
Verify any instructor’s FAA certificate at the FAA Airmen Inquiry. Contact for intro lessons and instruction in Kern County. (918) 808-0596 · [email protected]
Get in touch — Jake will help you pick the right path.
About
Old Wes Flying
Old Wes Flying is an independent flight-instruction practice rooted in the romance and rigor of aviation’s Golden Age — late 1920s through the 1940s — when posters sold the dream and pilots earned it one careful hour at a time.
Jake McHenry instructs as an independent contractor under 14 CFR Part 61. Old Wes Flying is not an FAA-approved (Part 141) pilot school and does not hold an air carrier or operating certificate; it does not offer charter, air taxi, or sightseeing flights for hire.
From Kern County skies around Bakersfield and Tehachapi to the broader California Central Valley, we teach toward modern FAA certificates with classic values: stick-and-rudder skill, radio discipline, and a deep respect for the machine and the sky. Whether you’re chasing your first solo or your instrument ticket, you’ll find instruction that’s personal, polished, and proudly unhurried.
Introductory lessons welcome first-time student pilots: a genuine instructional lesson, with you at the controls, that can be logged as dual instruction. They are not sightseeing or passenger rides. Bring your questions — leave with a clearer sense of what it means to fly well.
Contact
Schedule an Intro Lesson
Serving Kern County, Bakersfield, Tehachapi, and the Central Valley. Reach Jake McHenry to schedule — or send a note below.