Information about FSI (FlightSafety)

[thebot]

Hi Guys,

I know many of you are against these academy's and I know you have heard this drill before (as I have read many of them) but i'm wondering if you could tell me as much as possible on FSI and the pricing.

I'm 28 years old, and a corporate career changer. I'm not married, but I have a long time girlfriend. We don't plan on having any children. I've always wanted to be a pilot. I'm not going into this profession for the money.. as i've realized that money isn't that important. (that doesn't mean i'm not concerned with retirement... and i'm planning accordingly)

I"m looking to do the training as quickly as possible. I am still considering some of the smaller FOB's but i'm afraid I can't complete the training as quickly. Also, i'm half way though my MBA (which i'm freezing at the moment) which leads me to my next point. I want a 141 school. I'm used to a structured environment in college... as well as what my life was in corporate.

What i'm looking for is how much does this school (Flight Safety) stick to its budget? If they say 50k... how much of a reality is that (not including living expenses)

I'd like to know how often the typical flight safety guys went over budget in their training, and by how much. If possible i'd like the most accurate amounts you can think of... because going over budget is 3k is not the same for all people, some think that is a lot while others feel that is an acceptable amount. So i'd like to know, was it 0, 2k, 5k, 7k, 10k, 15k etc... and how often did these "extras" (being failed flights, extra courses etc occur) and in hindsight, were these things more preventable on your part? Were these "extras" accrued by too many nights out partying, too hard of a curriculum, laziness, etc... ?

Thanks for your time, I really appreciate it!

 

[thebot]

does anyone have any info on this? or can anyone suggest where / who I should ask this too?

Thanks in advance !

 

[mpflies2]

Ok I came to flight safety in january to do my CFI. I personally ran over budget much more than I had wanted to. I'd say the reason for that is the fact that it took me longer to adjust to the flight safety way which is very structured, etc. I came from a Part 141 school, but it was completly different. I cannot speak for certain, but it seems to me that if you started your training here, your less likely to run over budget because you learned there way from the get go. I don't regret coming to this school in the least, because I feel I've learned so much more than I could have gained elsewhere, but if I could do it all again, I don't think I would have come here from the get go just because it is quite expensive to do all your ratings here. For the price these guys pay from 0 hours up to instructor ratings, I did all the ratings plus a 4 year degree for approx. the same price, and that was at a private college nonetheless. Hope this helps to some extent

 

[gator_hater]

It was several years ago, and things may have changed...I arrived with my private and left with comm/me. I was a couple grand under budget. the bigget factors were having decent instructor who only charged for the time she worked and not for what the syllabus called for, and finding a decent place to live off campus. You can find 2/1 apartments in houses with utilities included for less than the rooms with kitchens at FSI.

 

[The_Russian]

I went to FSI for my CFI and loved it. Finished 2000 dollars under! Also never had a plane go down for mx once the entire 3 months I was there!

Good Luck!

 

[Tonala2k]

I didn't use FSI for any of my initial, and I think price was the only deterrent for me. From what I've seen they run a great operation. Very professional. In my eyes, they are the "Go TO" people in the flight training business. They've been around, have a good name, and know what they're doing. I may need some training soon in a CE-425 Turbo-prop. My prospective employer will pay $2,500 to train me else where, but I will happily pay the difference of $2,500 and $7,500 because I know FSI has what it takes.

$0.02

 

[Tonala2k]

Oh, don't discount Part 61 Schools. Many of them are just as organized as a part 141. They just don't jump through all the hoops with the FAA. Where I see most people having trouble with 141'a are the stage exams that must be performed by a check pilot. Most schools only have a few and a lot of time is wasted on the ground waiting for one to have a slot open. being a check pilot is a big job.

 

[Thresh]

I started with basically zero here. I'm working on my instrument rating now. I'm about 2k over maybe. Just from unfinished lessons. They have a certain curriculum, and if you have to add a flight to finish, that's tough luck.

I'm overall satisfied with the training so far, but you can get it elsewhere cheaper.