elfreakiao

I am 25 years old and have never flown a plane before. All of a sudden I went to JFK airport and fell in love with airplanes. From that moment on I made the decision that I wanted to be a pilot. I went to a million websites reading about the requirements and have bought the King private pilot training dvd's and bought a full tutorial from airfreddy Airfreddy's Private Pilot Manual and Handbook

I am waiting to collect my income tax in February to have enough money to pay for my private pilot training. I live near republic airport in Long island and wanted to know if any of you guys recommend any flight schools? Also, I am willing to work with any instructors or training schools for free to gain hands on experience, I don't care if its cleaning planes!! anyone know anyone who needs help?

Flight school I was looking at cause it looked cheap was http://www.academyofaviation.com/

boeingt7

Just go to a local flight school or ask around the airport to see if anyone knows of a good cfi. Find one that's been around the block a couple times and knows what he's doing. Nothing's worse than being taught by someone who just wants to build time and doesn't care about their students knowledge.

BoredwLife

This is the best way to pi$$ professional pilots off. LOSE THIS ATTITUDE FAST!!!

You are worth more than "free". Ask for at least minimum wage for anything that you do.

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Senior Skipper

Ditto what he said. You won't make many friends with that attitude, but you'll rapidly gain a LOT of enemies. I've seen it first hand at my airport, and the guy doesn't even show his face any more.

I'd disagree on the minimum wage thing though. Leave minimum wage for a job in which you have put minimum effort to attain. To get any flying position takes a LOT of training and sacrifice. Demand a salary accordingly.

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elfreakiao

Ok, I am going to visit all the flight schools in Republic Airport in Farmingdale Long island this weekend. But in regards to asking around for a good Flight instructor, wont the school just recommend one of their own guys? I have never even sat on the cockpit of a plane, do you think its better to go to a school or just get a independant flight instructor? which is cheaper? and do any of you guys know anyone in New york city that is good?

Thedude

GO take a couple of discovery flights BEFORE you embark on lessons.
You might find out you don't really like flying. I have seen it a couple (of dozen) times.

elfreakiao

You absolutely right. I will do a few discovery flights when I narrow down my choices to 2 flight schools and I also will do one with an independent flight instructor, just to get a feel for what is best for me. I already have all the flight books and dvd's , right now I am just learning as much as possible on my own so I wont be a complete Neanderthal when I go to take the discovery flight. I think I will appreciate it more when I have more Knowledge of the art of flying. Even though I havent flown, Im convinced I will love it!

atlmsl

You've mentioned "cheap" a few times. While cheap is good for obvious reasons don't just jump to the cheapest option. You need to research the school and reputation. A school can be cheap because of old equipment and questionable maintenance. This does NOT mean go find the most expensive option either. It's a tough situation to be in with no flight experience becase you might not know what is acceptable. Just try your best to make an informed decision based on all available info and not just the costs.