As you can imagine, the weather in Las Vegas is ideal for flying. It's in the middle of the desert and it's rare you'll have a day when you're not going to be able to fly. That's probably the biggest reasons people who want to become licensed pilots will head to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has been one of the biggest retirement areas for many years which contributes to the number of flight schools available. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't take up flying until they get into their retirement years. Hopefully you're not doing that. Start now.

If you're planning on becoming a professional airline pilot, Las Vegas offers a lot of opportunities for work during the night hours when you're least likely to be flying. Restaurants, casinos, and night clubs are everywhere. Flying all day and working to pay for it at night is fairly common.

For 9 months out of the year, you'll find ideal weather conditions for flying lessons, with mild temperatures and very little rain.

The average temperature in January in Las Vegas is a high of 58 and a low of 34. That's the coldest it's going to get. Of course, even the high temperature is going to still provide you with the potential for icing issues, so don't think you're avoiding that.

Of course the high temperatures can become unbearable in July and August. The average high temperature in July is 103°. That's the average! The record high happened on July 19th of 2005 when the temperature reached 117°. Temperatures in this range are going to cause issues with density altitude, so make sure you're learning how that effects your flight plan.

When it comes to rainfall, you're going to have VERY little. The highest amount of rain comes in July with an average of just over ½". That's not much, but as you can imagine, in July, this is going to most likely come in the form of thunderstorms.

All told, you won't find much better weather than Las Vegas for completely your flight training as quickly as possible with the least number of interuptions.

Most of the the flight training going on in Las Vegas happens at North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT).  The airport sits at 2205' is 3 miles northwest of Las Vegas.  This is where most of the general aviation traffic flies into Las Vegas.  Commercial airlines are using McClarren airport (KLAS) which sits just 8 miles to the south.

Over 400 aircraft, on average, are flying in and out of KVGT each day. There are three different runways with the smallest being 12L/30R at 4000'.  Runway 12R/30L is a little longer at 5000'.  The longest runway on the field is 7/25 at 5004'.  That's plenty of runway space to accomodate all the airport traffic.

All three runways have a four light PAPI on each end with runway 12L having an ILS/DME system available.  This is a very well equiped airport that will serve you well during your flight training.

There are a large number of flight schools at North Las Vegas Airport.  I'm going to cover just a few here.  I strongly encourage you check these schools out and ask others for recommendations.  The AOPA message board as well as the Purple Board for Pilots is a great place to get feedback from other pilots.

This is one of the favorites for flight training as well as aircraft rentals.  They definately have built a reputation for quality service.  As of this writing, Monarch Sky had 10 different aircraft available for rent, one helicopter and a couple of high quality simulators. They're both Part 61 and Part 141 rated, so you can take your pick as to what you want to do.

The most affordable aircraft is their 172M which rents (as of June 2009) for $104 per hour wet (that means the gas is included in the price).  The other end of the spectrum is a Cirrus G3 Turbo which rents for $310 per hour.  If you're looking for some training in a twin engine, they have a Diamond DA42 Twin Star which rents for $285 an hour.

Monarch offers training at all levels including Instrument Ratings, Certified Flight Instructor and even ATP.  If you're looking for some specific training, they have a great mountrain traning program as well as traning with the Garmin G1000 in both a simulator and a Cessna 182, Diamond DA40 and a DA42.

Monarch Sky is open daily from 8am to 5pm and closed on most holidays.  If you're looking for more information give them a call at 702-631-0386 or visit them online at www.MonarchSky.com.

Elite Aviation overs flight training at all levels including Private Pilot, Instrument, Commercial and even ATP.  They're also an authorised Cirrus Flight Traning Center but this doesn't limit them to just Cirrus aircraft. 

In edition to their 3 Cirrus aircraft, they have numerous Cessna 172's (including a retractible gear aircraft) and a Diamond DA20. 

If you're already a licensed pilot and want to transition to the Cirrus line of aircraft, Elite Aviation offers a 10 hour course that will give you both ground and air training to qualify you to fly this very advanced aircraft.  As of June 2009, this cost just under $3000.

Elite Aviation is open every day from 9am to 5pm and can be reached by phone at 702-835-1224 or visit them online at www.iflyelite.com.

There are many other Las Vegas Flight Schools available.  If there is one you would like to recommend, please leave a comment below and I will do my best to give them a spotlight on here.  I'm not endorsing the above schools in particular, but rather, giving you a bit of a head start in your search for the right Las Vegas Flight Training center for you.