[Michael95U]

Slapnut:

Thanks for the post. Below are answers to your questions, though the best thing to do is to give me a call.

Michael Siegel
Owner
Career Pilot School, LLC

Originally Posted by slapnut

Has anyone trained at Career Pilot School? What was your experience like? What did you like about it? What did you dislike about it? Did you get a good education? Did you feel like it was just a "pilot mill"? Were your needs and expectations met? Exceeded?

I have many specific questions below I would also like to get answers to. Sorry to ask so many questions in a first post, but I've done quite a bit of research into different flight schools both FBO and Academies alike. The offering at "CareerPilotSchool" caught my attention due to the fact it appears to be a straight-forward approach and not a bunch of marketing fluff that I've grown accustomed to hearing and reading in recent months. I’ve been looking for straight answers and it is quite interesting that many so called “experts” seem to disagree on the correct training path to become an airline pilot.

Setting that dilemma aside, I thought I would field some very specific questions about CareerPilotSchool. I don’t believe my specific questions here were covered in the website materials to my satisfaction. All forum posters are welcome to chime in on these, but I see that it is a bit of refreshing air that the owner "Mike" has been fielding many of the questions himself.

Thank you in advance for your thoughtful answers to my questions!

--Slapnut—


What's the daily routine like at the school?

We typically fly between the hours of 800am and 600pm. As Adam said, we are pretty laid back and flexible. If you need work on a certain area vs. what the syllabus says, we are going to work on your problem area. We use syllabi to give us the proper direction, but we allow the students progress to dictate each day.

Is there a ground school, or are you pretty much on your own in that department? What are the school's classrooms like if available?

There is a lot of self study, though we do ALOT of ground school. Some students require more than others and that is never a problem. I try to hire educators, not trainers. Educators understand that the best place to learn the specifics is on the ground, not in a noisy airplane. Expect at least 1 hour ground for each flight.

Is there anything that I should be doing to prepare for the Career Pilot Program before arrival to the school?

I would recommend getting your medical/student pilot certificate. If you are going the UVSC/Financing route, start that process as soon as you can.

What about the school's credentials? How about the schools financial stability?

School's credentials? Well, we have been going through the 141 process for the last few months, though it seems that the FAA is stagnant at the moment. My other company, Siegel Aviation (from which Career Pilot School stemmed) is a certified 135 Charter company. As for financial stability, I like to think we are very stable. I try to run the business frugally from my standpoint, though I take care of my instructors (ie good pay) and the equipment and facility is kept top-notch. I am not in this to make my millions and go live on some desert island. I am in this to change the industry. There needs to be more focus on education and less on running people through the motions so they can have a piece of paper that says "I R Pilot."

How many of aircraft are used in the school's flight instruction program? What is the availability of the aircraft?

We currently have a Cessna 152, Piper Warrior, Piper Archer, Piper Arrow, and Piper Twin Comanche. In the next few months, we will be adding additional Warriors, 152's, and Twim Comanches. We also have a sim that is in the process of being upgraded to this: http://flyelite.com/hardware.php?product_id=129

What is your school's reputation on regulations and safety policies? Any accidents or incidents?

We are extremely safely conscious. We stick to the regulations and make sure our students do that as well. If something is broken, we fix it. Some things get deferred until the next inspection, but only if it is a minor issue (like a landing light on an aircraft we do not use for night flight). Otherwise, the airplane is pulled right into one of three independent maintenance facilities and fixed right away.

We have never had any accidents or incidents.

Are progressive flight-checks given?

Throughout your training, there will be progressive flight checks given by myself. They typically occur near the end of each training program prior to the checkride.

What's the instructor-to-student ratio? Who schedules lessons, and how is it done?

Each instructor has no more than two students at one time. Each instructor also specializes in one area. Adam specializes in instrument flight, so therefore he is currently teaching two instrument students. I just lost two very good instructors to airline/corporate jobs, so I am filling in on the Private Pilot side. I typically do ALL of the flight instructor training.

As for scheduling, the schedule is made out online so the student may view it at any time. Scheduling is left up to the student and instructor, though I do have a hand in it for the most part.

What are the insurance requirements of the school, and how do its liability and collision policies work? Will you be responsible for a deductible, and how much is that deductible in the event of a loss? What is your coverage as a student?

Students are responsible for the deductible. We can set up a renter's insurance program for you at additional cost. The most expensive deductible we have is $10,000 for a gear up landing in the Arrow or Twin Comanche.

What happens when weather or maintenance problems cancel a lesson? Who's responsible for rescheduling lessons and reporting maintenance problems?

When weather cancels a lesson, expect to either work on our simulator or have a nice ground lesson with the instructor. If mtx affects a lesson and there is no replacement aircraft, then expect the same. Mtx problems are reported directly to myself and the instructors. Instructors have the authority to get the airplane into the shop and fixed ASAP.