Quote:
Originally Posted by youngflyer  I am going to begin my flight training this month so I called up a couple of FBO's and I have found the general rate of $98 wet and about $40 for instructor. Would this be a good rate? I am only 16 so I am going for my ppl. BTW I am based in the Syracuse. |
Nothing wrong with those rates. Pretty average, in fact.
[begin rant]
Just remember that there is a lot more to a school than rates. Maybe I'm preaching to the choir here, but now that I've been working at an "expensive" flight school for a while now, I keep running in to this when talking with prospective clients. I try to get people to look at more than just strictly prices when planning their training.
One of the first things people always want to talk about when inquiring about our school is the cost. Of course cost matters, but some people act as though all flight schools are created equal and whoever offers the "winning bid" so to speak must be the place to go.
When you check out a flight school, make sure you meet the instructors in person. Take a flight or two with them and make sure you feel like they are safe, knowledgeable, and easy to get along with. Ask them about scheduling and how flexible they are to fit your schedule. Ask them about aircraft availability. Will they ever need to cancel lessons for any reason other than weather or maintenance on the planes? Ask them about what syllabus they use. They do use a syllabus, right? Have them show you the material and talk about what they do and don't like about it. Ask them for references from other students they have in the past, or currently are, training.
*Those* are the really important issues a person should be looking at when deciding where to fly.
Billy Bob's Cheap Flying Club might have some awesome, well-maintained aircraft, along with a crowd of highly experienced, fantastic teachers. Or they might have shoddy equipment and lazy, disorganized instructors who don't know what they're doing and never have time for you...all at rock bottom prices, which in the end, might still be a rip-off.
And Big Name Pro Pilot Flight School might offer the best quality training all the way around, but you might have to pay a premium for it. Or, you might pay a premium and get completely ripped off by low-time instructors who suck at teaching and just want to get to the airlines.
In either case, you'll never know until you check out both in person and start asking questions. Also, in either case, price doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of training.
[/end rant]
Good flight school rates. 
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