Tab Express (Deland, FL) Shuts Down!

[tripin]

I am a low time pilot, having just received my ASEL. I looked into some of these PFT operators, and specifically TAB Express, as a means of getting there faster. I wrote them, and they sent me their little information package. The whole thing had 'SCAM' written all over it. Man, if you fall for that garbage, either you are desperate, or you are too stupid to fly planes in the first place. One of the characteristics of a good pilot is 'showing good judgement'. Anyone who fell for the TAB Express rip off, is sorely lacking in judgement period.
I am currently working towards an instrument rating at a local FBO. Sure it will take longer, but I get personalised training, I pay for the training only AFTER I have received it, and I can vary the frequency to suit my budget, and I can change schools at any time if I don't like what I'm getting, without losing any money. When I'm done, I will not owe anyone a cent.
Come on people, get real....$100K upfront for a couple of ratings anda promise of a career? Get a grip.

_________________________________________
Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life

 

[Pilot877]

tripin, it sounds like you have your head screwed on straight...

Yeah, it is just unfortunate that people are desperate to do anything to "Live the Dream", and some mid-life career-changers feel the need to make up for lost time quickly. Of course, that isn't the only reason, as there are apparently a lot of younger people doing this as well.

Anyway, like I said, the person I know went there when it was just a flight school with King Air's, not a wannabe airline with BE1900's. After all, the real intra-Florida commuter airlines are SWA and the DLC carriers. That is some pretty tough competetion for a turboprop start-up with GIA already in the market as well.

So, out of curiousity, what are some of the things in the brochure that made you call B.S. on TAB and go the FBO route? (Good for you, by the way.) I am just wondering how people get suckered into the scams of these places, because you obviously have to at least attempt to do some research beyond looking at glossy magazine ad's before you plop down $20,000 to $100,000 on a flight school.

Maybe if some prospective student happens to stumble upon this website, they can read about exactly why they shouldn't fall for it, and how they do not need PFT to have an airline career, nor is it the necessarily the best way to get there. The thing is, these companies are trying to sell you on how they can get you seniority and longevity at an airline faster than the traditional way. Of course to our culture in general, faster seems better, but I would not trade my CFI and 135 experiences for any PFT program, even if it would have been faster. It is the most fun you get to have in an airplane before it actually becomes a real job. You also get the most important part: to learn how to make real decisions, and accept the outcomes and consequences of those decisions. (a.k.a. gaining experience in the real world)

Besides, it really is absurd if you put it into perspective with other professional careers: "What if YOU could go from a high-school graduate to a position as a PAID Neurosurgeon in just six months!! We have the HOSPITAL CONNECTIONS!! With our guaranteed 250 hours of actual PAID SURGICAL EXPERIENCE, there is no need to waste time in an actual medical school or lengthy residency. Call today, 1-800-I-B-DR.-NOW, for our free brochure to put your career on the fast track!"

OK, that was intentionally dramatic; but either way, you have people's lives in your hands, why would somebody hire or use the services of a doctor like that? Now, why should pilots be any different?

The eternal debate: TO PFT, OR NOT TO PFT? That is the question!

(rant over)

 

[tripin]

I saw their glossy ad in a magazine, I think it was AOPA Flight Training, and decided to check it out. At that time, I was checking out all the training options available to me. Theirs was simply one of them. I wrote them for their info pamphlet, and then started doing some research online. I believe this very forum had some negative comments about the guys running that show back then already (last summer). It never took a lot of research to find out that these guys were less than totally honest business people. Right there was the first red flag. Then when I discovered one had to pay that amount of money up front, I ended my research on them right away.
I may have been born at night, but it wasn't LAST night!!!

My continued research on the best route to follow, all pointed me in the FBO direction. After checking out a couple in my area, I made my choice, and never looked back. They provide me with a choice of good instructors, excellently maintained planes, and the flexibility of the training is a major bonus.
I am now building hours slowly but surely, and hope to become a CFI in time. I AM one of those midlife crisis people. Not desperate, just wanting a little more out of life, and have always loved planes.

I am astounded that people will lay out $100K large, and not do research. Cos that's what they did. Either they did NO research, or they did it, but ignored the obvious red flags. I feel for these people, but the only way some people learn, is by taking a beating.

 

[GeneralAv]

Most of the people checking out these types of 'academies' have no clue that they should be leary, a phone call to inquire gets you a seasoned 'marketer' whose job is to get them to lock in and commit before they have time to research. People think of airline piloting as an honorable career, and have no reason to think that they are dealing with anything other than a normal flight school. Once they have figured it out, the academy already has all their money, no choice but to stick it out and hope the academy stays open, and the guaranteed interview actually turns into a job so they can start paying off the huge loan....sad.

 

[Pilot877]

tripin, I hope you find the happiness you are looking for in aviation. Sometimes it is a pain in the rear, but I wouldn't want to do anything else. As you are a mid-life career changer, I'm sure that you will be able to appreciate that even more than I can, since it is the only career that I have experienced. By the way, don't let age discourage you, I have a friend who got into aviation mid-life and now has a great career flying Lear's, without the use of an academy.

GeneralAv, you make a great point about the marketing departments of some of these academies. Just look at Comair Academy (I can't bring myself to call it "Delta Connection") sending people SA tickets to Orlando to tour the academy. I'm sure they don't have to sell too hard on the tour once they get people thinking that they can actually be flying that nice shiny new CRJ they just rode in on. Plus, they market the Delta name heavily, something that I think is misleading. Well, at least they don't charge you to fly right seat for 250 hours in an RJ.