The last time I renewed, I was short on time, and tired the AF FIRC. To say that I was underwhelmed and disappointed in their offering would be an understatement. The presentations were poorly scanned graphics direct from the FAA texts. No effort was made to enhance presentations. Some of the material was outdated, some was incorrect. The time allotments for given subjects was not in proportion to the importance of the subject; topics needing a lot of attention were given minutes, and topics deserving little more than pass were dwelt upon with fervor.
The timer for the system didn't work. I enquired with American Flyers, and they said it was a common complaint. I could spend sixteen hours on line, or attached to their system, and get four hours of credit. I finally caught on and began logging on just to wear the timer down.
The course is cheap, which describes both the quality and cost. It's a matter of self-certification; one pays American Flyers for the privilege. I was very disappointed in the course. I've had no other experience with AF, other than this course, but based on the showing from that product alone, I will never recommend a soul to that company. It was unprofessional, spoke of minimum effort, and demonstrated a complete lack of interest in the client, and in the product itself.
Yes, it's cheap, and yes it works. That's about it. If you have the time, you're far better off with an AOPA course, or other live presentation that offers up to date materials, and approaches the subject from other than a pre-initial CFI point of view.
