Central Iowa Air ServiceFAA-certificated Part 141 pilot school in Ames, Iowa
Central Iowa Air Service is listed by the FAA as a certificated 14 CFR Part 141 pilot school at 2520 Airport Dr. in Ames, Iowa 50010, under air agency certificate CQVS964C with location designator CQVS. The certificate holder's legal name is Charles City Aeronautics Inc; the FAA record carries the trading names Central Iowa Air Service and North Iowa Air Service. The same certificate covers 2 FAA-listed locations, so this page describes the Ames site only; the 1 other location is listed below. The address falls in the Ames, IA metropolitan statistical area.
The nearest public-use airport in the FAA's NASR database (effective 6 August 2026) is Ames Municipal (KAMW), a non-towered field at 956 ft elevation, 3.2 miles from the school's listed address. The listed address is 3.2 miles from that field, close enough that the aircraft are most likely based there, but confirm the training airport before comparing hourly rates. The Census geocoder could not match the FAA street address to a rooftop, so this distance is measured from the 50010 ZIP-code centroid and is approximate. It is the only public-use airport within 10 miles of the address.
Within 100 miles the FAA lists at least five other Part 141 locations; the closest is Ajf Enterprises LLC in Des Moines, IA at 35 miles, followed by Charles City Aeronautics MCW in Mason City at 78 miles. Iowa has 12 FAA-listed Part 141 locations in this snapshot, ranking #18 of 51 states and territories, with the largest clusters in Cedar Rapids (2), Sioux City (2) and Ames (1).
The FAA record carries no agency phone, email or website for this location, so contact details have to come from the school directly. Certification under Part 141 means the FAA has approved the school's training course outlines, facilities and chief-instructor arrangements and inspects them; it is not a quality ranking, and it does not by itself mean the school is VA-approved for GI Bill funding or accredited for federal student aid.
FAA record: Central Iowa Air Service
- FAA designator
- CQVS
- Air agency certificate
- CQVS964C
- Locations on certificate
- 2 FAA-listed locations
- City / state
- Ames, Iowa
- Listed address
- 2520 Airport Dr., Ames, IA 50010Google MapsApple Mapsto the ZIP centroid
- Metro area
- Ames, IA
- Nearest public airport
- KAMW Ames Municipal, Ames
- Distance to airport
- 3.2 mi (5.1 km), from ZIP centroid
- Public airports in 10 mi
- 1
- Part 141 peers in 100 mi
- 5, nearest 35 mi
- Iowa total
- 12 FAA-listed locations (#18 of 51 states)
- FAA data updated
- 24 Aug 2026
Registry fields as reported by the FAA on 24 Aug 2026. Airport and peer distances computed from the geocoded address (ZIP-centroid approximation). Individuals named in the FAA record (liaison, accountable manager) are not published.
Central Iowa Air Service is the amber ring; the navy pins are the 5 nearest Part 141 locations. Position is the ZIP centroid, not the street address. The interactive chart adds KAMW as the amber circle.
Chart tiles: OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, data from OpenStreetMap. Boundaries: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary files (public domain). School positions: US Census geocoder; airfields: FAA NASR.
Other locations on certificate CQVS964C
| Location | City / state | Designator | Nearest airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles City Aeronautics MCW | Mason City, IA | 0154 | KMCW Mason City Municipal |
Nearest other Part 141 schools
| School | City / state | Distance | Designator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajf Enterprises LLC | Des Moines, IA | 35 mi | USFS |
| Charles City Aeronautics MCW | Mason City, IA | 78 mi | 0154 |
| Indian Hills Community College | Ottumwa, IA | 91 mi | BL9S |
| Atd Pilot Training, LLC | Cedar Rapids, IA | 97 mi | 0127 |
| Coe College | Cedar Rapids, IA | 99 mi | CCOS |
Straight-line distances between listed addresses. See all Iowa schools on the Iowa page or the national Part 141 directory.
What flight training costs in Iowa
State-level ranges from the Iowa flight school cost page; this school's own pricing is not in the FAA record. For the Part 141 versus Part 61 cost mechanics see Part 141 vs Part 61, and for the GI Bill's PPL gap see financing options.
Primary sources
- AV-Info Find a Facility: 14 CFR Part 141 Pilot Schools. Federal Aviation Administration, data updated 24 Aug 2026, captured 28 August 2026. https://www.faa.gov/av-info/facility-dashboard
- Part 141 pilot schools (regulatory overview). Federal Aviation Administration, accessed August 2026. https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airline_certification/pilotschools
- NASR 28-day subscription, airport data (APT_BASE), effective 6 August 2026. FAA Aeronautical Information Services, accessed August 2026. https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/flight_info/aeronav/aero_data/NASR_Subscription/
- Census Geocoder (batch, Public_AR_Current benchmark). US Census Bureau, run 28 August 2026. https://geocoding.geo.census.gov/geocoder/