Night Flight

Night Flight is one of those amazing places that starts out as a business and becomes a community. The teachers are amazingly supportive, positive and enthusiastic. Moreover, Night Flight has a tendency to attract students that share all of these qualities. It’s easy for a gym or a dance studio to become catty and competitive. that is not the case here. Everyone is happy and welcoming and has your back no matter what.
Every aerial studio is different. They do their classes differently, they have different ideas about safety, they have different philosophies on technique. It’s not appropriate to walk into an aerial studio and expect it to be like another aerial studio where you have trained. Night Flight is very safety conscious and organized and if you used to a different mentality, it makes sense that one might be surprised by Night Flight ’ s professionalism and standards. That said, the owners are very conscientious and dedicated to safety… More so than any other studio I have been to in the country. yet the atmosphere remains fun and nurturing. Go to the website, read the way the classes work, contact the owners with any questions. they will answer you.

Just finished the beginning aerial 7-​wk course and can’t say enough great things about Night Flight. Such a beautiful space! Petra and Kelsey are such great instructors. I really appreciate the time they took to make sure everyone was appropriately warmed up to prevent injury — it was clear they wanted to make sure everyone was conditioned to build up the strength and flexibility that is needed to prevent injury. The classes are well structured so that each week builds on the last. We had 12 people in our class it this was the perfect ratio to make sure everyone was able to get the attention they needed to continue to build their skills.
I haven’t had a chance yet to try the drop in classes, but they stressed to us that they fill up fast so to be sure and stop by earlier in the day to put our name on the list to make sure we were able to snag a spot. Can’t wait to sign-​up for classes again in the future. Would recommend to anyone looking to do something fun!

I absolutely adore Night Flight. I started aerial at another studio and outgrew it for a variety of reasons but really wanted to continue my aerial training. I was SOOO happy to find such a warm, clean and well organized studio with so many class options. The teachers are excellent and there is a HUGE community of lovely people I know call friends, all thanks to Night Flight.
I’ve been taking classes there for about 3 years and am seriously impressed by what a tightly run ship they have, considering how many classes are taught, and how many students go through there. In reference to the 2 bad reviews I see thus far, I really feel like they are unfair. Arica needed to pass the fitness test and come to open gym if she wanted to do moves that were beyond the scope of the class– case closed. Kathleen needs to recognize that stretching is HUGELY important before any workout, especially something as strenuous as aerial. Further, a beginner drop-​in class has the responsibility to ensure safety first, and you don’t expect to learn to do something fancy before you learn the basics. Climbing is elemental! I just took 9 months off to have a baby and pretty much the only thing I am doing is climbing and straddle ups to condition myself to get back in the air.
I did aerial at Night Flight until I was 4 months pregnant and found the Night Flight instructors to be very supportive, and now that I’m back, I have felt welcomed with open arms by everyone who I used to work out with, including teachers. I have had the honor of participating in a couple student showcases, and the teachers always take a ton of extra time (for free) to prepare us, all because they love aerial and they love their students.
The official Night Flight company shows are AMAZING and worth the money. In all my years of classes, I have never felt the shows were excessively advertised, like one of the negative reviews suggested.
I recommend Night Flight to everyone I know that is even considering aerial and wants a good workout in a comfortable gym with nice people. You should definitely sign up for a series class to learn the most, but the drop-​in classes are great too.

So, I had never been to a silks class before and my friend who has been doing silks for about a year down in Eugene wanted to go here and check it out. The first 30 min of the class was just stretching. Which is fine but a little excessive. When we finally got on the silks we had to share 1 silk for 3 to 4 students. The only moves I learned in this 90 min class were how to climb and how to execute a single foot wrap. Then the instructors, who were kinda snotty, used the last 10 min of the class to promote there upcoming show. After this not good experience my friend took me to her gym in Eugene and showed me that not all silks classes are a complete waste of 20 $ and 90 minutes of my time. Night Flight gets one star for having a clean gym.

I’m on an artistic sabbatical traveling across the US taking classes everywhere. I’ve had extremely positive experiences in Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City and Seattle. When it came to booking classes in Portland, it was extremely difficult to find a company that offered drop in classes. Even my local friends tried helping me, which is how I heard about Night Flight.
Four days ago I sent them an email using their ‘contact us’ feature on their website to inquire if I could drop in to a class that I was over qualified for. My knowledge of the aparatus was well beyond the requirement AND it was only day 2 of a six week series. I explained that I was from out of town and would only be in Portland this one day.
I never heard back.
Saturday, the evening before the class I emailed them directly, using a contact email published on their website and I still never received a response.
Since I had such little success finding classes in Portand, I decided to just drive to Night Flight 30 minutes prior to the class start time and hope for the best.
The studio is TINY and there appeared to be multiple classes going on at once, no registration clerk or area comfortable to wait, you just walk straight into the middle of a class.
The instructors didn’t greet me at all, just starred at me, making me uncomfortable when I walked in. Finally after showing myself around, looking for help a gentleman said he could «take a quick question» and when I stated my above inquiry, he scoffed, «no, that won’t be possible»
My entire experience with this place was terrible! They are disorganized and rude.

I love this place.
Everyone on staff there is amazing (I WUV YOU, ASHLEY!) and they take their time with new students, such as myself. It’s a great workout and a lot of fun to do. Until you re-​injure your rotator cuff. But even then, I got to do some great conditioning and watch what everyone else was doing — so when I decide to come back in for drop in classes vs series, I won’t be completely lost!
My next venture there will either be handstands series (hey, I was a gymnast for a long time… even though it was 30 years ago) or I’ll re-​take aerials 1. You should sign up with me!
If you have even the slightest interest in learning silks or trapeze, you should definitely come here. It is the best place in PDX to learn! So much fun and who knows — you might become a performer as well!

I’ve been attending classes at Night Flight for nearly a year and it just keeps getting better. I’ve taken a couple classes at another studio and Night Flight is preferable in almost every way. The studio is bright, climate controlled, and the instructors are top notch. I appreciate that the vast majority of classes are in a series, as it’s let me progress safely and quickly. I started off so weak but have gotten so much stronger and flexible than I anticipated, and I now love aerial.

There’s a reason that all of the reviews on here have 5 stars: The experience at Night Flight is entirely positive.
Everyone else has said it all already: amazing instructors, clean space, comfortable temperature, ridiculously good workout, safe, lovely fellow students…
The only thing I can add: If you are new to aerial arts and perhaps a little nervous to take a class: you’ll be amazed on day one at how AWESOME you are, and the things that you can do. Feeling awesome has value outside of the studio, too. It will add a little pizzazz to your step. A surprise benefit that goes beyond the physical discipline!

I’ve been going to Night Flight for 4 weeks now for couple of their 7 week series classes. I am attending the silks 1 class with Ariel and Stephanie, also the intro to contortion stretching with Jacki. Their instructors are so knowledgable and attentive. I really appreciate their structure to their classes. The order in which they warm us up, condition and add on new skills has a wonderful flow. The two studios are always a good temperature. Though there is no parking lot there is ample street parking.
If you ever have questions in regards to classes or other topics related to the studio Stephanie and Gemma are great about returning calls and emails.
Oh also if you get hungry before or after class there is a great restaurant Biwa in the same building.

I’ve been taking classes at Night Flight for almost a year now, and the change in myself and my body over that time has been dramatic. Growing up, I was one of the least athletic, least flexible people you’ve ever met. My confidence in my physical abilities was just about nil. I tried different sports and dance, but never stuck with any of them for long and just got more and more discouraged. Night Flight completely turned that around for me. I fell in love my first day in the air, taking two classes a week from the get-​go and progressing to three as soon as I could manage it. And man, has it paid off – for the first time in my life, I have rockin’ biceps, delts, and abs! (Glutes, too, as my appreciative husband has repeatedly pointed out to me.)
Aerial is hard work, especially coming from a nonexistent fitness level like I did, but it is so fun and exhilarating that I never realize how hard I’m pushing my body until I feel my sore muscles the next day. Every day I’m challenged, and every day I come away feeling proud and accomplished.
By far, however, the best thing about Night Flight is the teachers. I’ve been to other aerial studios, and while I have great respect for all of them, the level of experience and professionalism at Night Flight simply can’t be matched. My teachers are some of the most inspiring women I’ve met, and they are extremely skilled at working at your level, constantly challenging you and constantly encouraging you. You’d think that gorgeous, talented, strong amazons like these would be intimidating, but it’s quite the opposite: they’re some of the sweetest, funniest, most easy-​going people you can ever hope to find. That goes for the vast majority of my classmates, as well. I’ve made many friends in class, and we are always laughing, shouting encouragement, and applauding each other’s successes.
A few more quick points, which have already been pointed out by others: clean, beautiful studio (and they are expanding soon!), and they use the space well. Equipment is well cared for. Big emphasis on safety. Competitive rates for what they’re offering.

I have been taking beginning aerial 1 and 2 at Night Flight for a few months now and I absolutely love it.
I’ve taken aerial classes at other studios before where I felt that my safety may be in peril; at Night Flight, however, I am very confident because all of the instructors are skilled and vigilant and constantly have your safety in mind. You are not expected to perform beyond your skill level but are challenged to push yourself with careful guidance.
I would completely recommend this studio to anyone interested in aerial. My only wish is that there would be more drop-​in classes offered!

This place is wonderful. I started taking classes here almost 4 months ago and I love it. I have never been super athletic, and this was very accessible. Classes are really targeted to the the specific group of students’ needs, and also to the individual’s needs. After 4 months I am still sore after every single class, and although I still have a ton to learn, each class I can do at least one thing better than I could before. This is hard work, for sure, but so rewarding and fun. My instructors and fellow students are so supportive. I am hooked.

I started taking aerial silks classes from Night Flight a few years ago. Gemma, one of the owners, was my teacher from the beginning level (though I know they have grown since then, and have several other teachers now). Gemma is an excellent teacher~ everything you want in an instructor: supportive, inspiring, and pushes you to your limits. I also took a few classes from Petra and John, and Stephanie who are all terrific. I recommend Night Flight whole heartedly as a full body workout and great confidence builder. Can’t wait to move back to Portland so I can pick up where I left off.

I have been going to Night Flight for almost a year now, and I just LOVE it! I live in Vancouver and have no troubles making the trip across the river two nights a week for class. I’ve tried so many other different exercise classes, but this is the first time where I never want to miss a class! I was a super wimp when I started and am amazed at the progress I’ve made. The teachers are great and it’s SO much fun!

I came in for a drop in class with a few adventures friends, having no idea what was in store for me. I was nervous, a bit scared, and excited. The teachers were awesome and had a sense of humor, which helped shake off the sense of nervousness a bit.
Also, I knew this would be hard but wow, just a few of the aerial moves we learned amounted to one hell of a wonderful work out! If I don’t end up taking one of the 7-​week classes, I’m sure all be back eventually for another drop in class.
Hard ass work out with super sexy moves = an amazing was to spend your Saturday afternoon. By the way, did I mention the teachers were wonderful?!