Tab Express, Deland, Fla

[bobbysamd]

Costs of training

[W]hat other substantiating info are you looking for? GIA readily provides hiring info, names & numbers of grads to contact, etc. To be honest, they have been more forthcoming with this info than other schools.

If you come for a visit, does it let you speak freely with students and instructors? Somehow, I doubt it.

Of course, Gulfstream will provide hiring info and references - slanted to its way of thinking.

In terms of cost to airlines for training, I have no hard numbers. I would imagine classroom time, and particularly sim training/checkrides are not cheap

The ground school instructor is already there. He/she is already being paid; I really rather doubt that ground school instructors are paid per student. Here again, I don't have information at hand if trainees are compensated while in training. I know that many airlines require them to pay for their own lodging, so, lodging costs are not borne by the airline. In terms of sim, that is still part of an airline doing business. If the airline owns its own sims, there is no problem; in fact, the airline can amortize its sims on its taxes, and probably accelerate depreciation. If it is leasing its sims, that likely would be a fixed cost, and expense, which still comes off its taxes. Not to mention that many airlines broker-out sim time to outsiders. In short, training costs are a part of an airline doing business. Accordingly, it's not that big a deal businesswise for airlines to wash out trainees.

[A]ll I'm saying is that (PFT issues aside) they seem to deliver to a large extent on what they offer/advertise - more so than other "professional flight training academies."

There can be no aside about the P-F-T aspect. That is the issue. That alone negates any offer delivery issues.