[USMCmech]

I will just copy and paste my post from an earlier thread.

Overall, I was very impressed by the whole place, and have no complaints. I now wish I hadn't paid so much, but that was my call.


Pros:

Well set up program.

Good instructors.

Great CFI ground school

Spin training (loved that)

Great maintence.

Large fleet



Cons:

Rigid program

Bad instructors

Cost

"Extra Features" like spatial disorientation traing and CRM class which cost a lot, yet don't add much to your education.

Vero Beach in the winter.



I saw some great instructors at FSA and saw some terrible ones. My CFI for comercial/instrument/ME was terrific. The CFI I had for the instructor course was awful. The ground schools were good, and the CFI ground school was great. However, many common myths, and OWTs were repeated several times.

All the CFIs went through "standardization" class where they were taught to instruct students to a certian standard. This is a good idea, except that once a CFI learned something in "standz" it was not up for debate. I argued with my instructor several times about something I knew to be incorect. I have had to "unlearn" many things I learned there. To be fair most of these are common throughout the country and are not unique to FSA.

Like all of the big schools, you are never really PIC. All solo flights must be aproved by a CFI for Wx and flight planning. This does protect the few idiots out there, but it also dosen't allow the student to make go/nogo decisions by themselves.

The checklists and procedures are well thought out. OTOH they cause students to spend a lot of time head in the cockpit.

I am now teaching at a small school, and I think I give my student's as good a learning experiance as I recived at FSA albeit without a lot of the extra support.

In conclusion I loved my time at FSA, and think it's one of the best schools in the country. Yet it is not without it's faults, and is very expensive.