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I was excited about the CFI benefits and pay online. I visited the Academy and was very turned off. I arrived in my airplane and parked in what I thought was transient parking under the tower by a few airplanes, turns out I was in the Sierra flight line! They had about 4 airplanes out there, I saw on ADSB and heard on the radio three airplanes out doing maneuvers. They have something like 7 airworthy airplanes right now. They have what looked to be 40+ planes grounded behind the maintenance hanger. Turns out when the IRS came out to raid for tax issues, they also had the FAA which acted on the many reports from instructors about questionably-airworthy aircraft that were not getting fixed. I saw about 6 students and 4 instructors in the dispatch office. I didn't even take the tour of the dorms because I had seen enough to know what was going on (and someone filled me in on the federal raids).
The Chinese students haven't been around for a while from what I hear, just a few Taiwanese and other nationals. The good (most profitable) contracts were with the Chinese from what I was told... if that is true watch out. I'm just not sure they are meeting their contract commitments. The dorms might be full of students waiting to fly buy they are going to head home without the ratings they need if they only have 7 airplanes that can fly. I was told they are working on acquiring new ones.
I personally don't want to start my flying career with a sinking ship. They had Gucci @$$ Chinese contracts and they couldn't buy a few more $50,000 pipers, then they had to forge a few more $ out of it all. Super slimy, I don't like that feel.
And there are other things... they turn off the AC at night. It is a giant central air system for an old SAC barracks, if it is on it is costing a lot of money. If there aren't many students there then they can't pay for that. Remember this is central valley CA, a very hot place in the summer. I stayed the night a friends place in Modesto near by and it was uncomfortably hot until midnight in the summer. At least we had a swimming pool! The poor students walk to get food because the cafeteria food is just barely passable as human food.