Shoutout for good, bad, ugly flight schools

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12-23-2020, 01:56 PM

#21

dckozak

done, gone skiing

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Posts: 1,601

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sperrysan

Well, training him yourself sounds like a great bonding experience. Buy a plane, work on his instrument and commercial and build time. You could expose him to crm and the concept of 2 pilot ops.You two could travel the country building time and experience for a fraction of the cost of a embry or und degree

Yes my thoughts too. Could be a great experience. I looked at a (POS) 172, pre COVID. 60K, I wouldn't let anyone I like fly in it, let alone my son or self. I would be very amicable to leasing a newer aircraft with an advanced cockpit, aka Garmin 1000, but I don't know whether 200-300 hours leases are doable for SE aircraft.

12-23-2020, 03:23 PM

#22

Sperrysan

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Posts: 376

Quote:

Originally Posted by dckozak

Well you are looking in the wrong place. You are not going to get your airliner grade equipment for that price. But good research and a solid pre buy you could get a descent rig for 40-60k. Put your time on it and sell it
Best of luck with your lease idea but even if you did the rate for a 800k cirrus or mooney ain't gonna be cheap.

12-23-2020, 03:26 PM

#23

LoneStar32

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Joined APC: Oct 2019

Posts: 1,280

Quote:

Originally Posted by rswitz

My recommendation would be a small mom and pop FBO flight school with an older CFI who is retired IE not trying to build time to go to a regional. If you find the right place, the training will be 100x better than the big pilot mills and half the price.

That's the myth people like perpetuate but the truth is that lifer CFIs can make some of the worst instructors. They have long lost touch what it is like to be new to flying. At the mom and pop shop I used to teach at the "older" CFIs would find any excuse not to fly with their student and do ground instead. Why leave the comfy confines of the FBO for a cramped 152 you've spent 1000 hours in? They had many 75 to 100+ hour PPLs while my students were getting theirs 45 - 55 hours.

12-23-2020, 07:42 PM

#24

highfarfast

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Quote:

Originally Posted by rswitz

I agree you're likely to get a cheaper price here. You could get better training but I'd like to point out that the lack of organization and structure that is typical of the described scenario can be a problem for some.

12-23-2020, 07:53 PM

#25

highfarfast

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Quote:

Originally Posted by flybub

I've instructed at both 141 and 61. The 61 op was just as structured as the 141, but that's also how I wanted it for my students so they had some sort of a curriculum to follow and knew what to expect. It was also cheap which is a plus for mom, dad, and student.

I also taught both 141 (at first) and then 61 (later). My part 61 was also very structured with documented curriculum and constant follow ups to keep students on track. I didn't meet another part 61 instructor that was that structured though. But that was 20 years ago. Maybe things have changed. When someone says part 61 instruction at a mom and pop FBO I tend to think of some old geezer as CFI hanging out on the weekends mainly to do rental checkouts but has an occasional private student who when he shows up "hey, let's go fly".

12-24-2020, 04:15 AM

#26

Cardsfan05

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Highly recommend UND Aerospace Phoenix. PM for details.

12-24-2020, 05:35 AM

#27

Sperrysan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Cardsfan05

Highly recommend UND Aerospace Phoenix. PM for details.

lol und oh no way! My favorite pilots to run into. It’s like talking with a vegan Crossfiter, they shout it as soon as they walk in the room. Don’t get a useless aviation degree. Get something that your kid can use when the industry is down or gone, ya know flying cars and all. Separate from the degree go and do the flying stuff. If your kid can do some active duty in the military he can get Uncle Sam to pay for a fantastic flight training program at a community college. If you do it right they pay for the tuition, flight fees, and give him a housing stipend as well.
if he doesn’t want to play soldier, do what was stated earlier, buy a mid range Cessna and fly around the country with your kid teaching him how to be a good aviator. Those are experiences and memories you would both cherish for the rest of your life.

12-24-2020, 08:29 AM

#28

arbalist1

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Posts: 180

If I did it all over again, I'd enlist in the air force in an IT field. Learn everything I can for at least 36 months, then get out and use post 9/11 GI bill at a university with a flight program. Get my licenses and IT certs at the same time. Maybe even join a ANG unit and put in for a UPT slot every chance I got.

Hindsight 20/20.

12-24-2020, 08:37 AM

#29

Firefly727

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Posts: 10

PM sent...

12-24-2020, 09:55 AM

#30

Swakid8

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Joined APC: Apr 2015

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Quote:

Originally Posted by arbalist1

This is what I’ve done, except I was in the service for 9 years during the lost decade. I say have your son join the military, either go the commissioning route to fly or just 36 months of service in a field where he can gain some backup skill sets and get the GI BILL.

After that, recommend him to to use the GI BILL to get the remainder of his ratings and check the degree box. Plus side to that, by the time he is finished with all that, the industry hopefully will have shaken out.