Yeah, i do hear what you're saying. I originally started on a 1978 Cessna 152. I went out there to preflight it, only to discover that the flaps weren't working. I upgraded to the 1983 Cessna 172, which has been fine, but today was told that the carb heat isn't working. Are either of these big deals? No. The flaps were caught in time, and repaired promptly. The carb heat... well... i flew at NOON today in 115 degree heat. Carb icing wasn't my main concern.
They have been around for a while, so yeah, they have a wide range of ages of aircraft. I'm flying on a budget, so naturally i'm going with the older of the bunch. They do have a 2003 Cessna 172SP, a DA-40 and a DA-42, so you've still got those options.
As far as my instructor goes, i couldn't be happier. He's got over 20yrs flight experience, is very friendly and helpful, and has been very forgiving of my ham-handed ways
He has only charged me once for 30 min of flight school, since i'm doing most of my ground work as self study. SWFC has also been extremely flexible with scheduling... i can pretty much take lessons whenever i want.
So, i guess it's a trade off. I CAN say that i'm very happy so far. I am, however, very new to this flying business, so don't really have much to compare it to. Nothing has fallen off of any of the planes yet, so that's good, right?
Oh, and as far as the Duchess goes (the old twin), i'll have to ask about that. I didn't think it was being used based on the condition of it. The spinners are missing. I dunno, i'll ask about it next time i'm there.