Originally Posted by
Mr Immlemann
Im kinda in the same boat. 21 year old PPL looking to advance the ratings in the most economical fashion. After discussing the topic endlessly, I would say depending on his location in the country, look for a local FBO with the cheapest airplane/instructor prices. This is not saying find the worst instructors, just where you can stretch those bills. No need for a glass cockpit for now. That will come later on if he/she does follow through. In the KPHX area, and everywhere in general, there is a HUGE fluctuation in prices. In the ritzy ditzy part of town, a C172S NAV III and CFI will run 200$. Drive a little bit out of town, and your down do $150 for a C172S and CFI (this is a respectable price, anything more and your getting ripped off ). If he/she can find a 152 for $70 and instruction for 30$ then your down to $100. Although, this is becoming hard to find.
He lives in China, otherwise I would have passed similar advice. He is randomly searching the Internet for flight schools after having determined that he cannot afford schools like Flight Safety. He plans on flying out here and doing all of his flight training, so I think he needs some solid recommendations vs. randomly choosing a school. He sent a few links of some random schools he was looking at, and the only one I recognized was Sunrise Aviation out of Ormond Beach, FL.