Tour of FlightSafety

[WakeMan]

Well I had a tour of FlightSafety Academy a few weeks ago and overall was impressed with the school and staff that worked there, who all acted very professional.

There were a few things that concerned me:-

Firstly and mainly, they have approx 90 aircraft, for the couple of days I was there, more than half of them were sitting on the ground. Also when I flew over a week later, they were all still sitting there.

Now this could be an advantage to me as that I could get a plane when ever I liked. But I am concernd that if this school isnt getting enough business to fill its planes, how long will it survive. I visited other schools who were A LOT smaller than FSA and they had more students on their books.

To say this is such a big school that has so many students, why dont many people talk about it, e.g. this forum is always dead, all the other big aviation forums dont really talk about it either.

Secondly, but only a minor problem is that I found the accomodation they put me in quite shobby, and also the grounds were a little in need of care, i.e. swimming pool and volleyball courts, the volleyball court was just a pile of sand with a torn net thrown on it.

Even with the above problems, FSA is still at the top of my list. But im just wondering if other people have noticed the same problems as me.

[launchpad]

Originally Posted by WakeMan

Well I had a tour of FlightSafety Academy a few weeks ago and overall was impressed with the school and staff that worked there, who all acted very professional.

There were a few things that concerned me:-

Firstly and mainly, they have approx 90 aircraft, for the couple of days I was there, more than half of them were sitting on the ground. Also when I flew over a week later, they were all still sitting there.

Now this could be an advantage to me as that I could get a plane when ever I liked. But I am concernd that if this school isnt getting enough business to fill its planes, how long will it survive. I visited other schools who were A LOT smaller than FSA and they had more students on their books.

To say this is such a big school that has so many students, why dont many people talk about it, e.g. this forum is always dead, all the other big aviation forums dont really talk about it either.

Secondly, but only a minor problem is that I found the accomodation they put me in quite shobby, and also the grounds were a little in need of care, i.e. swimming pool and volleyball courts, the volleyball court was just a pile of sand with a torn net thrown on it.

Even with the above problems, FSA is still at the top of my list. But im just wondering if other people have noticed the same problems as me.

The school will be open for a long time....even if they close, they're not going to do it overnight like some other places.

Just remember you're going there to learn, not to be at a country club. If you need a nice pool with a great volleyball court, there are many condos in the area you can rent or buy.

What you will get from them is good training. That's all they offer, and all they've ever offered. The airplanes are very very well maintained (much better than at least 60% of the schools out there). It's better for you that the school only has that many students. It means that your instructor may not be as overloaded as some other schools and will be able to spend more time with you. Less airplanes flying is bad for the school, but great for you if you want to knock out two lessons in one day, or do a dual lesson in the morning and a solo in the afternoon. It also means that if you have to ground an airplane for a mechanical reason, you'll be able to just hop into another one without disrupting your day too much.


I would say that you shouldn't spend time worrying about their business....they'll be there for the year it'll take you to finish training. As for the accomodations, if it bothers you that much, there are a lot of options in the area. Go there for the good training you'll get....

[davidhigbie]

They'll be around for a long time, as a former instructor- '04-'05, I was swamped and my former students who became instructors there are also now swamped, generally. I wouldnt worry about their business, thats not your concern.

Your concern is what kind of training you'll get for your money...and I can assure you, you will get exactly what you pay for and more...as long as you put 100% of your effort into it. Like the other guy said, its not a country club and in my 2 yrs there as an instructor and student, I never stepped into the pool or on the v-ball court. There's better things to do- fly a lesson, study, and, on occassion, party out at the beach or The Patio or Waldo's, etc. You dont need to live on campus, there are houses, small apts, etc for rent everywhere. Find a buddy, get a house or whatever, and only go to campus when you need to. You're not going to find the quality of ground school instructors, flight instructors, airplanes and maintenance anywhere else. Dont go to ATPs- its not about how fast you get your ratings.

[WakeMan]

Thanks for putting my mind at rest.

As I said I dont really care about how the place looks.

Being in business myself, I automatically think that when I walk into a restaurant that is always empty, that its going to close in the near future.

These guys are really investing into that place, I know that they are repainting all the aircraft this year, and refurbishing appartments. I just cant get my head around why they need all those airplanes.

[Crockrocket94]

Ive been here some days when I can't just randomly go out and get a plane...

1. depends on the weather, not everyone can fly that day.
2. Depends on the time of day you saw them, sometimes there are peak training times, so that could have been a factor.


But yeah, this schools not going to close. You can rest assured.

[WakeMan]

Good, thanks for answering my ??'s guys.

I've got another question, I know instructors earn $16 per hour, how many hours per day on average is an instructor likely to work? I'm just trying to get an idea of if ill need any cash whilst working there, or I could live off the instructor income.

[Crockrocket94]

Like most instruction jobs out there, you are probably at the airport about twice as much as you get paid to be there.

Depends though, most are pretty swamped so they are here from 7am till midnight sometimes.

Some days they have a nice 8 to 5 or so. At any rate the pay is sufficient from what I have seen.. although some people have large loans,,, me.... and it depends on your lifestyle.

Ill wait for one of the instructors to get on here and tell you how it really is. But as a student here for the last 8 months, (Working on CFI right now) I can give you a fairly good estimate.

[soonerpilot06]

Wakeman,

As a current instructor at FlightSafety, I can tell you that you will likely fly 15 to 25 hours a week. It all comes down to how well you can manage time and your schedule. As the IP, you schedule your own students. This week I flew 19 hours and billed 35. You see, at FlightSafety, you get paid $16/hr for what you fly and what you brief. If you do any extra paperwork or whatever management needs you to do, you bill for "management time". We also get great benefits and vacation pay.

To ease your mind about whether or not FlightSafety will last, the Academy is financially tied to all the other FSI training centers. There are currently around 200 students here. In early 2001 there were near 500. For obvious reasons, enrollments dropped but they are increasing.

[bLizZuE]

Not sure why concern is placed on facilities not even related to aviation, or aviation training. Sure they're nice to have, but I don't think I would let them deter me from choosing a great academy.

[Crockrocket94]

^^true.

But in all fairness the pool does suck.

[JeffGreeley]

Originally Posted by WakeMan

Secondly, but only a minor problem is that I found the accomodation they put me in quite shobby

Wait, are you telling me that FSA will let visitors stay the night? Is it free? I'm planning to visit Delta Connection Academy this summer. Not because I'm interested in the school, but because they give you a free roundtrip ticket! I'd love to swing down to Vero Beach, especially if FSA paid for my stay. Freebies rock!

[bLizZuE]

lol yea you can stay the night free

[TP_Express]

Originally Posted by JeffGreeley

Wait, are you telling me that FSA will let visitors stay the night? Is it free? I'm planning to visit Delta Connection Academy this summer. Not because I'm interested in the school, but because they give you a free roundtrip ticket! I'd love to swing down to Vero Beach, especially if FSA paid for my stay. Freebies rock!

FSA will also pay for you trip down when you have completed the CIME program.

[Crockrocket94]

true statement, combine the two, get DCA to pay for your trip down, then stay the night free at FSA...

You're on top

[JeffGreeley]

Originally Posted by Crockrocket94

true statement, combine the two, get DCA to pay for your trip down, then stay the night free at FSA...

You're on top

Awesome! Too bad I'm only 18... I would love to go down by myself and rent a car. I don't have any friends that are over 21 besides relatives. I guess I'll have to go down with my mom.

[Crockrocket94]

Hey that's not so bad, dinner is on her then


There are some nifty place around to eat.