Re: Where to go?

[jay828]

Hi everyone,

I am looking to start my training within a few months. I am interested in a Regional FO position or corporate position as soon as possible. As for money it is not the biggest issue. Length of training and quality training are my top priorities.

However, every school I look into and do a thread search has made me change my mind over and over. I looked at American Flyers...according to most posts "it's a rip off", Jet University "Same thing", Flight Safety Academy "Too Expensive, scam", Atp, on and on.

I just want my foot in the door with a regional airline but don't want to be stuck without a necessary certification (I read something about PTF) etc.

Can someone shed some light on the best way to go (besides FBO), I am 36 and married so take this into consideration.

Thank you

[falconvalley]

IMO, if you're talking about big schools, you're gonna pay some big money. Where you get your money's worth is a matter of opinion. I don't personally know all these schools, but I can tell you that ATP is a crap shoot. Some of ATP's locations are staffed only by the instructors and in some cases only have 1 or 2 people there. When people are getting hired to the regionals quickly, you might find the service to be horrible at some locations. If ATP is at the top of your list, take a real good look at the specific location and ask yourself some questions:

How long have the instructors been here and will it make a difference to me if they're new and don't plan on staying.

Is the level of service up to my standards? Watch how they deal with other customers and how they handle the phone. Do they seem to get back to you quick? If you want prompt advancement in training from the availability side, some of these things will be important.

Will the money I spend, be well spent? Compare all the schools and weigh the cost of each, compare what you get for what you spend. Be somewhat objective, because rip-offs can be subjective and opinions differ and experiences definitely differ. I would say a school would be a rip off if your instructor never said anything inflight or the school took your money and you didn't get enough or any flying out of it. But do look at where the money actually goes and why you're spending more at one school and less at another.

Here are my biggest pet peeves:

Not enough staff. Your students are spending 50-70 GRAND on your school. Get a DARN secretary and some help. One instructor cannot continue to be available from 8 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week and NOT be dangerous. Bad juju.

Airplanes that are obviously not well maintained. If the nose strut is showing corrosion, don't just service it after every flight. There's a reason it's leaking!!!

Instructors that cancel alot. Comeon now, either you're overworked or WAY underworked. Nuff said.

Companies that insist on being the only school at a very busy Class C airport and use fast food bags to plug the cowl. ???

Schools that have the newest, most sophisticated fleet and claim to be THE BEST. You're not. I keep getting FOs that come from your great school. They are awesome with the technology. They can definitely do the "tube" thing, but they can't fly a raw data ILS with all the engines. I understand, in an emergency, most of us get through it, but you need to be able to hands-off an ILS without the flight director under normal circumstances. If you can't, you either had a horrible instructor or missed the point of an ILS during instrument training. I would say instruction plays a pretty big role in this. It doesn't take technology to make us safe pilots. I learned to fly without glass and here I am, an ATP. Not saying glass is dumb, just saying "more standardization in training, plz!!!" We need aviators!

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. Sorry I couldn't help you with the other schools...

[Tld]

I will second everything that falconvalley said and add also; Make sure you visit each school you are planning to attend. You are going to be spending a lot of time and money there. Make sure it is somewhere you feel comfortable with. I am currently looking to tack on some ratings, and while shopping around, I have found that I know immediately whether a place is 'for me' (or not) just by walking in there. All schools have good and bad. So you just have to find one that is the closest fit to what you are looking for. And a lot of schools make big promises to get you an interview, but it's up to you to get the job. So make sure you get out of there with a solid education and good training. Remember first and foremost, you've got to fly the plane! (so find a school that will teach you, not just promise you hours and convenience.)

With having a family, also take into consideration whether the location of the school will be good for them. You are going to be there for a little while, it needs to work for them too, or it will only add more stress to your training. Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

[jay828]

Thank you so much guys!

I really value your opinion.

I think I have narrowed it down to 4 schools in Florida:

Jet University
American Flyers
ATP
RAA

I will visit each one and I guess make my decision from there. I think that I am an above average student so I should be able to get what I need from either of the schools. I always thought that sometimes when people have these "awful" experiences, they would have ha dthe same experience anywhere. So I am going into it positive and just take the good with the bad...trying to avoid as much of the bad (for me anyway).

Any other suggestions or comments form current or ex-students of these schools would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again