Best flight schools?

[JJG]

By far the best flight school is the United States Military. The training offered by the Air Force, Navy, and Army are top notch. If the military is not something your friend has considered here is my opinion. If you friend has already graduated college, MAPD and Embry Riddle may not be for him. These are degree programs with extra costs associated for credit hours and fees. My suggestion would be to spend the summer at a local FBO earning his Private Pilot. This will get his feet wet so to speak, learn about aviation, checkrides, flight instruction, and his aptitude. I had students at colleges I used to teach at discover after a few lessons that flying is not for them, after committing large amounts of money to an aviation school. I had one student who was actually doing very well, say that after he completed his checkride he never wanted to fly again, and was changing majors. It one thing to see a 757 fly by and say "I want to do that" versus getting knocked around in a Cessna 150 on a 120 degree day.
After interviewing with airlines and being in the flying biz for 15 years airlines care about one thing, multi-engine time. Whatever you have for mulit time they want more, so go somewhere where you will get the most multi time like ALL ATP's or other schools out there. If you are flying in an 172 RG or Piper Arrow for your commercial you are wasting time and money. Save those planes for the CFI rating. I can't beleive guys will go through an entire commercial/instrument syllabus without one hour of multi time. Not to mention the price difference between a 172 RG and a Seminole or Duchess can be as little as $30.00 an hour. In fact you can probably find a school with a Piper Apache that rents for less than a new Cessna 172. Your friend should find a school that puts him in a multi right after he finishes his Private.

 

[DTWFO]

Tell him to look at Delta Connection Academy (AKA Comair Academy) in Sanford Florida. They will pay for you to fly down there on Delta or Comair to look at it. It's expensive, but among the very best training there is to have.


http://www.deltaconnectionacademy.com

 

[JimNtexas]

I have a newphew who was 3/4 of the way through Comair on 9/11. He finished and has his ratings, but has had a pretty hard time getting a flying job.

I thought at the time, and still do, that he'd have been better off to go to All ATPs. He would have paid less and had much more multi-time at the end of it.

 

[SDdriver]

I kinda agree with the above poster, like I said in one of my previous post, Flight schools are great, but when you really boil it down to the basics, we all end up with the same thing, a private, comm, inst, multi, maybe cfi and such.

Unless of course you go to ERAU and alike, then you get a degree, but you can go to a very good state school pay half as much and get a 4yr degree in something you can fall back on if aviation goes bust, like now and in the early 90's. When it comes to the flying, we all wind up with the same ratings, it is just a fact of paying 50,000 for them or 15,000.

I got my ratings over 10yrs ago, so yes it was cheaper back then due to insurance being a lot less, but I think I only paid about 10 or maybe 11,000 doallrs for my private, comm, inst, and multi. Like I said before, I have never been asked, in one of my many flying jobs I have had, where I got my ratings. So it is up to you really on how much you want to spend and how much faith you put into a flight school like Comair, or FSI, giving you an edge over someone that has the exact same ratings as you, but did it at a local FBO. Just food for thought.

SD

 

[Chunk]

Hope he has 15K to spend on a private, eh JediInane?

 

[hydroflyer]

My personal opinion is that getting to a regional at 300 hours or so really doesn't do you a lot of good. This industry is always up and down, everyone knows it. With this downturn, people have been laid off with high seniority numbers. Some have been able to take on other jobs because of previous experience that they had in other airplanes. What would someone who was hired with 300 hours have to fall back on? No CFI experience, no part 135 experience, no multi other then a Duchess/Seminole or a RJ. Frankly, I try to position myself for the future, knowing that layoffs could likely happen, I want to have enough variety of experience to hopefully find another job to keep me going. Just my thought.

 

[SDdriver]

hydroflyer,

That was a VERY VERY good point! I have always said that making it to the regionals in 300hrs was not a good thing because of experience, but the situation you brought up was very real in this industry. If you get an Rj job at 300 and get furloughed at 800hrs you don't even meet 135 mins. Thank you for bringing up that point, maybe some of the new guys will think twice about taking that job at a regional with that in mind..

Sd

 

[Wiggums]

If you get an Rj job at 300 and get furloughed at 800hrs you don't even meet 135 mins.

Um, ok, then go back and get your CFI and get another 400 hours. No doubt if the same person had gone the CFI route instead they'd still only have 800 hours, but it wouldn't have been in a RJ. Overall the RJ job would be better.

 

[desert pilot]

shebles

1 800 249 6482,www.shebleaviation.com,check again most flight magazines if the adress is correct.They fly out of kingman az. and henderson nv. They do a great job in a short time with some of the best prices out there!

 

[SDdriver]

Yeah true, but if they would have just got a cfi gig or banners or traffic, they could build the 1200 first and then get the rj and then if a furlough comes they can get a decent job hauling freight as a captain. See the point? Not trying to be mean, just saying getting the hours before you get there prepares you better for losing the job if that happens.

Sd

 

[stillaboo]

Reality Bites!

What would someone who was hired with 300 hours have to fall back on? No CFI experience, no part 135 experience, no multi other then a Duchess/Seminole or a RJ.

I'll give you a situation. A rich guy owns a Citation. There are 2 pilots who want the job.

One has 1600 hours TT, 300 Multi, all piston. He's an CFII-Multi.

The other has 700 hours TT, 480 multi, 450 turbine. He's a MEL-I.

This situation actually happened. The CFI didn't get the job. Why? The other guy "flies jets for a living, he's an airline pilot. The CFI sits in a 172 and watches people screw up pattern work."

Now, I think both guys could do the job, but, I wasn't hiring. Obviously, both guys fly for a living. However, when the average person looks at a guy who flys a large jet (50 passenger jets are big planes to most people- they just have small seats in them), and then compares him to a guy who flies a 172 . . .

There's a mistique to airlines. Most everyone who learns to fly would love to fly 2 things, a military fighter and an airliner. There are few pilots who would rather fly a 172 than an ERJ. Whether you like it or not, when you fly a 'big shiny jet', you are considered by the world to instantaniously be a better pilot than the guy who flies a 172.

1)Walk into a FBO. Tell them you fly jets for any name brand 121 airline. Leave.
2)Walk into the next FBO down the ramp. Tell them you are a flight instructor. Leave.
3)Walk into a flight school. Tell the instructors you fly for a carrier. Leave.

You will be looked at as a stud in 2 of the above situations, both by pilots and by non-pilots. Guess which ones.

Image is everything.

-Boo!

 

[Whirlwind]

Re: Reality Bites!

I'll give you a situation. A rich guy owns a Citation. There are 2 pilots who want the job.

One has 1600 hours TT, 300 Multi, all piston. He's an CFII-Multi.

The other has 700 hours TT, 480 multi, 450 turbine. He's a MEL-I.

This situation actually happened. The CFI didn't get the job. Why? The other guy "flies jets for a living, he's an airline pilot. The CFI sits in a 172 and watches people screw up pattern work."

You of course hit the nail on the head.

There's a mistique to airlines. Most everyone who learns to fly would love to fly 2 things, a military fighter and an airliner. There are few pilots who would rather fly a 172 than an ERJ.

*raises hand*

Hey, while I'd love to fly a F-16, driving a bus (airliner) holds no appeal to me.

Gimmie a 172 any day of the week, or better yet, gimmie a Pitts Special!!!

At some point, you're just managing systems and not flying. I get a chuckle out of the stories my fixed-wing CFI tells me when she does checkouts for airline pilots. Her boyfriend is a Captain for Southwest and while she won't say it in front of him, he can't fly a 172 worth a damm.

Of course, if you really want to have some fun, try flying helicopters! My 62 year old silver haired mother could fly a 172, but she'll never be able to fly an egg beater.

Whether you like it or not, when you fly a 'big shiny jet', you are considered by the world to instantaniously be a better pilot than the guy who flies a 172.

Only in the eyes of those who don't know any better.

My 2 cents from the cheap seats...

Jason

 

[stillaboo]

I posted this somewhere else too, but I watched a 777 driver stall a 172 about 80 ft above TDZE b/c he flared right where he was supposed to . . . in a 777!

Thanks for mentioning the Pitts! That airplane is a blast! I flew a BD-5 once too. Talk about 'pocket rocket'. It's the go-cart of aviation!

-Boo!

 

[hydroflyer]

Re: Reality Bites!

There's a mistique to airlines. Most everyone who learns to fly would love to fly 2 things, a military fighter and an airliner. There are few pilots who would rather fly a 172 than an ERJ. Whether you like it or not, when you fly a 'big shiny jet', you are considered by the world to instantaniously be a better pilot than the guy who flies a 172.

You are right about the initial mistique of flying military jets and airliners. At one point or another I wanted to fly those, still wouldn't mind it. However as Whirlwind pointed out, there will be a point when you are more of a systems manager than a hands on flyer. Which is "better" is really up to the individual. For someone looking at starting training, hopefully what they may get from a thread like this is that there are so many options out there as far as different types of flying, that a person may decide something other than the big planes would be good for them. Forget the "image." I could care less about what people think of me, even if it is "freight trash" as long as I enjoy what I am doing. Every route will have its benefits and drawbacks and each pilot needs to choose the one that is right for themselves.

As far as the Pitts goes, well I am just waiting to try one, although I have flown its close cousin, the Christian Eagle. Not only are they a blast, but they should be flown in any attitude other than straight and level.

 

[Whirlwind]

"WOW! You actually teach people how to fly? I've always wanted to do that." (once in awhile they become your student)

Ahh, you're so right! I think being a CFI is pretty cool. Shame the pay isn't better, but whatever, none of us who really love flying got into it for the pay anyway, right?

Honestly, I'm looking forward to it, teaching people how to fly helos is going to be fun!!!

"Are you training terrorists?" (If they only knew how student pilots terrorize the skies)

LOL! I think the buildings would do a lot more damage to the helicopters than the other way around!

"Do you teach the BIG airplanes?" (No, the kind we have to falp our arms really fast)

Yep, and if it gets really bad, you might have to get out and push!!!

"You're so brave, I could never do that. I'm afraid of heights." (So am I. But when I have working wings, heights aren't a problem.)

What is it with pilots and a fear of heights.

I too am terrified of heights, but in a helo or stuck-wing, I feel fine.

I recently went skydiving for the first time, just to face my fear. Oh my gosh, stepping out of that Cessna Caravan at 13,500ft took an impressive amount of courage and willpower.

I'm glad I did it, it was an amazing experience!!!

Jason