FIS Academy -- Need Help with the math

[Tiger815]

I was looking at the information regarding the CFI-A course on FSI Academy's website and was perplexed by the times.

Per the information on the web, the program cost includes:

66 hours Ground School
10 hours Dual Arrow
14 hours Dual Warrior
I hour Dual Zlin
24 hours flight briefing (presumeably done as pre/post each flight hour)
1 hour spatial disorientation training

That totals 119 hours training for the course. If you divide that by the 10 week duration of the course, it comes to an avearage of only 11.9 hours training per WEEK.

Even allowing for a fair amount of dead time and weather delays, 10 weeks to complete only the CFI-A seems strange, given that ATP (among others) advertises (and apparently routinely provides) multiple CFI ratings in about 1/2 the time?.

Can someone familiar with FSI Academy outline the course progression and what else is going on during the 10 weeks?

Also do they really require $300 worth of uniforms for someone that just wants to get the CFI at a well respected school and has no intention of trying to work for FSI afterward?

[ananoman]

You will spend the first 4 weeks in ground school. You will cover all areas of the PTS, and will complete 2 presentations to the class on various maneuvers/required knowledge areas. It might be something like night flying, or turns around a point. (I got lucky and was assigned 'Principles of the Airfoil' for one of mine. Try to cover that in 15 minutes!) The presentations are videotaped and evaluated by several groundschool instructors using the same criteria used during the hiring interviews. You will also complete the writtens. The guy who is now in charge of the groundschools is very knowledgeable and he will probably be the one to teach you aerodynamics.

After the groundschool, you will start the flying. It is possible to do 5 lessons a week. Some of the 'flight lessons' do not contain any flying, but are briefs. Before each flight lesson you will brief your instructor on a flight maneuver and will conduct the lesson acting as the CFI, teaching the maneuvers during the flight. For the brief lessons, you will present one brief on the board and discuss several others. The same goes for the spin lesson. You will brief the spin pilot on the required knowledge areas and then demonstrate this in the aircraft.

After the lesson you will go home and spend 2-4 hours on the briefs for the next day. It is alot of work. Some would just 'borrow' briefs from others. This should be discouraged. Make your own! I used the Gleim CFI Flight Maneuvers and Test Prep book extensively when I did the course, but I also read all the FAA material as well. The Gleim is useful, because it at least gives a starting point on which to base a brief. It is easier to change something you don't like than to start from scratch, and I modified most all of the content I found in their book.

It will take about another 4 weeks to complete the flying after the groundschool is completed. You could probably get done faster than 10 weeks, but 9 would be realistic. This would allow for some weather delays and the checkride. This is a 141 program so you will not have to take a FAA checkride with the FSDO. Typically you will fly with a senior instructor (I used to use the Program Manager) half way through the flight lessons. This gives a good second perspective of where you are at. At the end of the course, you will take a mock stagecheck, given by a checkairman. This is based on the PTS, but the check pilot has more leeway, the goal is to get an overall view and ensure you will pass the checkride. If you pass the mock, then you will take the actual Checkride for the license. This is also given by a FSI checkairman.

You will be required to wear uniforms during training. I would recommend getting at least 3 shirts and one pair of pants. You can probably do this for less than $300. Figure about $12 for the wings, nametag is free (I think), and $30 each for the grey pants and white pilot shirts. I'm not sure how much the epulets are. I would recommend buying white Van Heusen pilot shirts from Sporty's or someplace. They are better quality than the ones FSI gets from a local uniform supplier, and you may be able to use them later. If you are tall, make sure you get the long shirts.

FlightSafety is more like going to a university than ATP or an FBO. The course is expensive, but I think that it is worth it. Many students have noticable holes in their knowledge that can go unnoticed in a quick course. Most all of the CFI students that I had while at FSI were very intelligent and motivated. They all had problems in one or more areas. They may not have understood certain maneuvers. They may have been lacking in detailed systems knowledge, or it may have been certain aspects of aerodynamics or the FAR's. Some may have complained about the cost, but I think they were all satisfied that they got their money's worth by the end of the course.

One of my students now works at a busy FBO in Indiana and works with several CFI's from some of the 'Big Schools'. He has told me that of the CFI's he works with, he feels that he has the most complete knowledge base and is the one the others go to for answers. The 'Chief Pilot' of the flight school is actually a 135 pilot for the FBO and my former student is the one who actually runs their flight training. I have another student working in Michigan at a state university, and one who works at the aero club at an Air Force base. None even interviewed at FSI due to the waiting list, and all found good jobs.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

[PhilosopherPilot]

What he said....

Except I would interview, at least then you could do the First Officer program, and the list is short too.

Grayson

[ananoman]

Yes, the First Officer Program is not talked about much, but is a great opportunity if you want to go corporate.

I would also not be so quick to discount working at FSI. Just like most places it has its ups and downs, but you will get alot of multi-time, and the benifits are much better than your average FBO. You will actually get medical benifits, vacation, holidays, and sick days in addition to $14 an hour.

[CLR4ILS]

Tiger,
you won't find a finer CFI program. I learned a great deal going through FSA's program. They are VERY thorough in their training.

Good luck...ILS

[neen]

From what I can gather, the First Officer program is pretty much the same as Simuflite's Right Seat program, except you get paid at FSI...is this right? Anybody with any info please feel free to pm me, I'm still trying to figure out exactly which school to go to that would give me the best advantage in going coroprate. I have already worked for the airlines as a FA and I KNOW for a fact that I want to go corporate....it's just it seems every school out there is geared to get you ready for the airlines. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[ananoman]

The FO program that FSI offers is a great opportunity if you want to go corporate. There were two routes to the program. When it was started there was a waiting list to instruct at the academy. If you interviewed to be an instructor and were accepted, you were placed on the 'waiting list' and were offered the opportunity to apply for the FO program. The other way to go to the FO program was to be hired as an instructor and finish your 800 hour contract, then go to one of the FSI centers. Since there is no waiting list at this time, people who are not chosen to be FSI instructors after the hiring process may be offered the chance to apply for the FO program.

If you go to one of the centers, you are paid $7hr during your initial training. Once this is complete after 2-4 weeks, depending on when you arrive at the sim center and how long the training last, you will get $14hr. You will probably end up with a SIC signoff after the training. It should be possible to work close to 40 hours a week, depending on where you go.

The deal is supposed to be that if you stay at the center for 1 yr, you will get a type rating if you are eligible (you must have a minimum of 1,000 hours total time). The 1 year is flexible depending on where you go. It is really up to the discretion of the Center Manager. If you go to one of the centers with less than 1,000 hours, you will not get a type rating. Some who have gone to the FO program with low time have instructed on the side and been able to build hours while others are kept busy enough that they really don't have time to fly much.

Several students with low time have been able to get jobs flying jets full time. Insurance seems to be the biggest problem. I know one guy who was picked up for over 100 hrs of contract flying in a Citation, but the company could not hire him full time due to insurance problems. It is a strange loophole where low time contract pilots can be used, but full timers may have to meet higher minimums. Either way, you will meet alot of people working at one of the centers, and it is a great opportunity to network.

[neen]

Thanks for the reply....in a way it is like CAE Simuflites Right Seat program. Now if I can just figure out which flight school to go to