Originally Posted by
joshc1922
All the instructors could care less about the students, they were all time builders and i didn't really learn anything.
That is a HUGE problem with University flight programs or pilot factories (ATP, Flight Safety, PanAm, RAA...). There are never any lifer instructors. At my FBO, more than half the instructors are career flight instructors. They have been teaching since I had training wheels on my bike. They have forgotten more about instructing than any ATP instructor will ever know! I am glad you recognized this before it was too late.
I ended up spending more money doing the MINIMUM amount of lessons required for the short course than i did for my entire entire PPL training. it was rediculously expensive. They had a whole new fleet of luxury cirrus aircraft which were really nice but WAY too unessasry for private training, and that is much of why it was so expensive.
A cirrus is downright rediculous for private training. There is no need for that. Ideally, you want to do your private training in the cheapest aircraft possible. I did mine in a Cessna-172 ($80/hr), and I often wondered why I didn't go with the C-152 ($60/hr). I would venture a guess that a Cirrus costs about $200/hr. Basically, I could go up and fly for 2.5 hours in my 4 seat C-172 for the same cost on one hour in a Cirrus. Think about that. When flight training can cost $30,000, making it 2.5 times as expensive is a BIG DEAL. New airplanes are nice, but I don't think you should waste money learning to fly in them. A 2007 C-172 is about the same as a 1977 C-172 flying wise.
I heard rumors about aviation degrees being pointless, and i have perfessional confirmation on that fact and that's when i said, im done with wmu's program. So i switched majors and now majoring in criminal justice which will give me a B.S.
I wouldn't say an aviation degree is pointless. It is still a college degree. The thing is you do not need an aviation degree to fly airplanes. I got an engineering degree, and that was overkill. If you get a degree like business, finance, engineering, etc..., you will have a backup incase something happens with your flying job.
What i guess I am asking is whether or not this path is any better than going through Westerns bad instruction and over priced training. Is this type of training sought to be equal to a major flight training university?
You are on a perfect path. I would be doing exactly what you are. Go to a local FBO and fly with instructors who care about instructing. Go out and fly a 1980 era Cessna-172 or equivalent (C152, PA-28,..). These are some of the greatest planes ever built. They don't call it "The Golden Era of Aviation" for nothing. They are also cheaper and ideal training aircraft. Get a degree in something other than aviation, especially something you enjoy (like Criminal Justice). No go out and enjoy yourself.
You are on a good path!