Review Insights · App Store
Sporty's Pilot Training
Sporty's Pilot Shop · 11,008 ratings · ★ 4.9
4.9
★★★★★
11,008 ratings
🎯 Build a better version
Top complaints - extracted from 17 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"pilot"
5 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Hate the new update..... The update is awful and the new layout is not user friendly. Also I paid over a hundred dollars for the Pilot Workshops real world VFR and it doesn't work anymore after the update. Horrible update and I wish I could undo it. Now I feel like…" - frewdyby
2
"course"
5 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Hate the new update..... The update is awful and the new layout is not user friendly. Also I paid over a hundred dollars for the Pilot Workshops real world VFR and it doesn't work anymore after the update. Horrible update and I wish I could undo it. Now I feel like…" - frewdyby
3
"courses"
5 negative reviews mention this · 29% of all complaints
★★★★★ "poor software. the ability to refresh and access “Life Time” paid for courses is very problematic….King Schools is better in this ability…. just saying." - Unhappy Instructor
4
"test"
4 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.. I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete th…" - P-tee
5
"questions"
4 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.. I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete th…" - P-tee
6
"videos"
4 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.. I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete th…" - P-tee
7
"disappointed"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not reliable. I’ve used this app for quite some time and recently deleted it from all my devices, dialogs hang, it crashes a lot. I’ve switched to just using the WEB interface. Very disappointed but Sporty’s can never duplicate my issues." - Woody242
8
"access"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Access. The Apple Watch you access different areas even though I bought the whole thing it will say successfully restored purchases, but still won’t give me access" - josephs45
9
"poor"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "poor software. the ability to refresh and access “Life Time” paid for courses is very problematic….King Schools is better in this ability…. just saying." - Unhappy Instructor
10
"better"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "poor software. the ability to refresh and access “Life Time” paid for courses is very problematic….King Schools is better in this ability…. just saying." - Unhappy Instructor
11
"tests"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.. I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete th…" - P-tee
12
"training"
3 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.. I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete th…" - P-tee
📋 All 17 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Not reliable
I’ve used this app for quite some time and recently deleted it from all my devices, dialogs hang, it crashes a lot. I’ve switched to just using the WEB interface. Very disappointed but Sporty’s can never duplicate my issues.
Hate the new update....
The update is awful and the new layout is not user friendly. Also I paid over a hundred dollars for the Pilot Workshops real world VFR and it doesn't work anymore after the update. Horrible update and I wish I could undo it. Now I feel like I was scammed into buying a course that doesn't work anymore. I will probably use Kings Schools from now on.....
Access
The Apple Watch you access different areas even though I bought the whole thing it will say successfully restored purchases, but still won’t give me access
poor software
the ability to refresh and access “Life Time” paid for courses is very problematic….King Schools is better in this ability…. just saying.
LITERALLY EVERYTHING COSTS MONEY
I downloaded the app because I wanted to get my pilot license BUT as I started the instrument rating course as my first step, it tried to charge me. Don’t buy, just go get actual pilot training.
App fails to connect, support has no clues.
The app loads and installs fine, but when I try to log in I get an error, and the support team is not at all helpful.
Deleting the app.
Deleting the app.
Mediocre At Best
There are much better and cheaper sources around, the only good thing with Sporty’s flight training programs are they have some of the best practice tests around. Other than that, videos are dry and vague, and the rest of the app is charging you for free resources.
I do like Sporty’s the Company for Aviation Products, but outside of that, these courses are good if you’ve learned the information elsewhere and just want to go get class done so you can take your checkride.
I mostly used this on PC, I gave it a two star review but they didn’t post it to their website so I chose to review here.
The App “Private Pilot Test Prep” on the App Store here is 100x better in every way.
I do like Sporty’s the Company for Aviation Products, but outside of that, these courses are good if you’ve learned the information elsewhere and just want to go get class done so you can take your checkride.
I mostly used this on PC, I gave it a two star review but they didn’t post it to their website so I chose to review here.
The App “Private Pilot Test Prep” on the App Store here is 100x better in every way.
Poor Customer Support
Support is impolite and talks over you if you try and bring up any issues.
Terrible
Terrible product. Test bank is missing a ton of the questions in the exam.
Not sure why all the good reviews
I bought the private pilot course based on all the good reviews. Although I enjoyed watching the videos (I watched all of them), they don’t even come
Close in preparing you for the test questions. I feel I am basically going through the questions and learning as I go. Which is difficult because there are not good explainations when you get them wrong. Just a general description and reference to a chapter in a book. Not a page number. So it makes cross referencing time consuming and difficult. There has to be a better course out there.
Close in preparing you for the test questions. I feel I am basically going through the questions and learning as I go. Which is difficult because there are not good explainations when you get them wrong. Just a general description and reference to a chapter in a book. Not a page number. So it makes cross referencing time consuming and difficult. There has to be a better course out there.
Disappointed
App and website not in sync. Incorrect questions wouldn’t load, smart study questions stuck
The App Interferes with Laptop Login
Since I open the course in my app, I can no longer launch the course on my laptop. I am trying to do some studying tonight with my laptop, but it keeps spinning for 2 hour now and still not able to access any content. It stuck at the launching page. This is very frustrating now that I close my app, restart my laptop, reboot my internet and yet still not able to access the content on my laptop.
Won’t even open
App immediately crashes on run
Glitchy - curriculum didn’t prepare me for the test.
I have found several glitches throughout the app including frozen loading screens. One of my study sessions froze resulting in a 73 because I couldn’t finish answering the questions and was forced to grade the session. Now I can’t delete that session that glitched because although the feature to delete is there…it doesn’t work.
There are a few question in the library very poorly worded.
I accidentally did the sport pilot course first and lost many hours of work toward my PPL. Switching courses in the app is super confusing. The only reason I knew I did was because my CFI caught the mistake when he checked on my progress.
My much bigger problem is the teaching method. I spent hours watching videos and taking quizzes that did not prepare me at all for the endorsement tests at the end. Ultimately I had to practice sessions that I failed over and over until by sheer volume of failure I began getting questions right. I am a professional with a degree and advanced training in other fields and have never seen a process as convoluted as this. All of this would be fine if this service was free. It is not. This is an expensive course that does not teach you what you need to be a successful pilot and successful student. I’m not sure how this course is so highly rated. I will pass my test but it will not be because this course was so dynamite. It will be because I put in many many hours on my own getting ready for my test. Disappointed. Very.
There are a few question in the library very poorly worded.
I accidentally did the sport pilot course first and lost many hours of work toward my PPL. Switching courses in the app is super confusing. The only reason I knew I did was because my CFI caught the mistake when he checked on my progress.
My much bigger problem is the teaching method. I spent hours watching videos and taking quizzes that did not prepare me at all for the endorsement tests at the end. Ultimately I had to practice sessions that I failed over and over until by sheer volume of failure I began getting questions right. I am a professional with a degree and advanced training in other fields and have never seen a process as convoluted as this. All of this would be fine if this service was free. It is not. This is an expensive course that does not teach you what you need to be a successful pilot and successful student. I’m not sure how this course is so highly rated. I will pass my test but it will not be because this course was so dynamite. It will be because I put in many many hours on my own getting ready for my test. Disappointed. Very.
Great info poor interface
The information is great. When i try to go back none of the videos populate forcing me to back out of my courses and re-enter my classes every time.
Good content - horrible app
Super glitchy app.
Not allowing for Certification
Took all classes took all tests and scored 80% and higher and it states that I have to take all courses and have score above 80% which I do.
Sentiment summary
98%
Positive (4-5★)
1%
Neutral (3★)
1%
Negative (1-2★)