Originally Posted by
deftone
Im not sure of timelines but this is the American Flyers pricing current as of last week.
Solo C172 $225 per hour
Dual C172 $260 per hour
Ground instruction $90 per hour
Weekend written exam course $495
Written exam fee $165
DPE fee $600
At those prices I would NEVER go there. It makes ATP look like a great deal!
The issue I had with the ATP guaranteed CFI position is that you basically need to go where they want you to go. They give you a choice of locations that have vacancies, so you may end up working somewhere with lower potential for hours.
Originally Posted by
Pirringer
As an airline pilot with over 20 years experience, I will say this, ATP produces crap. They do not educate and the majority of their pilots wash out. The select few that make it, well, they struggle.
ATP has financing, that's it. Multi time, who needs it these days? Get an education. I've flown with a lot of American Flyers graduates and they all know their stuff.
ATP's hourly rates are pretty close to those you listed for American Flyers, they just don't publish their hourly rates much. Also ATP includes a ton of time-sharing (two pilots logging PIC) which is how they keep their overall price somewhat competitive.
I think US Aviation's program with Tarrant County College is a better program at least for new high school graduates and others just starting their career. In two years you earn your licenses through CFII, an associates degree, and there is financing. Furthermore, its cheaper than ATP. Financing is also cheaper since your using higher education loans instead of vocational training loans. New-to-college students may also get the Pell Grant.