 Re: Plans Change
"I have met several pilots from the bigger schools and am less than impressed with their skill and knowledge."
What do you expect when you went from PPL to CFIMEI in 90 days and were taught by a guy who was a PPL 4 months ago? It can be done but it doesn't promote a very high standard, I think. Some guys will turn out better than others, some guys can "handle it", but I think it lowers the bar unacceptably for the average guy.
I'm not against accelerated training and doing a rating or two fast. It's just when you do them all at once and hop right into being an active CFI, without any "outside the academy real life experience", that the situation becomes less than ideal.
Flight training is a combination of you, your CFI, and an airplane. Look for quality in those things, and you'll be fine no matter where you go.
If you ask me, the BEST training situation is a large flying club, working with a retired military/airline pilot CFI doing it for fun. You don't find those just anywhere, but they might be worth seeking out.
Lastly, all of the above is based on a person who does well outside a structured enviornment. Some people excel best in the most highly structured of training. Told where to go, when. Told what to study, when. And presented with a high academic training experience. I think all flight training is somewhat structured, it's just set up that way. But if you need classroom type ground schools, need to wear a uniform, and want to be standardized to the t, then some of the academies might be a better choice. It's gonna cost you, though.
And, yes, airline flying is highly standardized, blah, blah. But you can learn to be a pilot without all that and conform to it quite easily later on. It's not the big thing the academy websites want you to believe.
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