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Best Flight School in US?

Old 02-21-2021, 04:54 AM
  #21  
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Don't say embry riddle.
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Old 02-21-2021, 05:18 AM
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Originally Posted by EM2000 View Post
Sorry to attempt to hijack the thread, but it's related (I'm assuming due to being a new user, I'm unable to make a new thread).
I have my PPL, but have not flown in close to 15 years. I'm looking to get back in with the goal being the airlines. I recently got my Class 1, and am going to get current again locally.
What are the best accelerated schools? ATP, American Flyers, Flight Safety, L3, any others? Are they all pretty much equal with their own pros and cons? I will be doing this debt free as well.
Also, will getting current be enough prior to attending such a program? I don't want to be out of water when I get there.

Thanks.
stay FAR away from L3
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Old 02-21-2021, 05:22 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes View Post
A large part of flight training is what you make out of it. On the flip side, a lot of students, especially younger OR ones new to aviation, don't really know what to do, what to expect, what is acceptable, etc. When you get to airlines, you get to very regimented programs with expectations that you follow procedure exactly. You do so because it's not just your life and the passengers on the hook, the truth is it's the financial interest of the company. The ones that realize that it's a lot cheaper to not have accidents and lawsuits. They don't want you operating outside of SOP.

Some schools don't really enforce standards or lack standardization. Some of the equipment is so out of date it will not replicate in any way what will be used from that point on. Some of them have the student switch instructors all the time. Some of the instructors just barely meet the instructor qualifications and have very little experience teaching. Other schools have very regimented programs to fill in the inevitable gaps created by inexperienced instructors, with highly structured training for their instructors, highly structured courses, etc. Some of these require you to perform or you will be identified for lack of progress and possibly dropped or recycled. This is usually a lot more of a "chance" than you'll get at an airline, where if you are not making progress, they let you go.

But airplanes are airplanes and in my experience, they flight a lot more the "same" than different. There can be benefit to experiencing different platforms and equipment. There isn't a "right answer" unfortunately. The old tends of thousands of hour mom-and-pop school CFI may not be nearly as up on the modern developments and current material. Or maybe they are. The structured flight school may be "finish as fast as possible" situation where you lose the knowledge just as fast as you gained it, because finishing fast does not mean you actually are going to retain knowledge/experience.

Military simply isn't an option for some. Generally the structure there is excellent, but that's because the structure of the military, officer corps, etc. Everything has to be structured. Military isn't an option often for reasons outside of this, like medical and number of available slots.

When you go to the airline, you have to be ready to be a self-starter, understand the level of knowledge required, be competent with your flows and checklists, etc. They expect you to do a lot or most of this on your own, and then they test you on it. If you were at an unorganized flight school and not really held to the standards or required to perform at an appropriate level, it can quickly overwhelm.
Amen, great post.
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Old 07-07-2021, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by usmc-sgt View Post
Again... all these schools you mention have the highest advertising budget. EVERY flight school is accelerated if you want it to be. Find the best balance of cost, fleet availability, and instructors. Start with one cfi under the premise that it’s an interview and you’re trying to find the right fit. Try a few for a few lessons and settle on one.
If the OP’s goal is to fly for the airlines then I’d go with FlighSafety in VRB or whatever Comair Academy in Sanford is now called, or anything comparable. Tough, competitive, procedures and crm based training. Every single one of us that I know who went to these schools & who are now at the majors and big corporate depts have, hands down, stated the training was second to none and prepared us perfectly for the 121 environment and jet flying. A cheaper alternative would be to find an private instructor who has extensive 121 experience and wants to teach you under that philosophy.

I’ve never seen any evidence flying with military guys that suggests a military primary flight training background is superior to the better civilian ones. IMHO, they both have their pros and cons. Navy guys have been consistently the better personality - stick combo over the AF crowd by a noticeable amount.
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Old 07-08-2021, 09:07 AM
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Originally Posted by FTv3 View Post
If the OP’s goal is to fly for the airlines then I’d go with FlighSafety in VRB or whatever Comair Academy in Sanford is now called, or anything comparable. Tough, competitive, procedures and crm based training. Every single one of us that I know who went to these schools & who are now at the majors and big corporate depts have, hands down, stated the training was second to none and prepared us perfectly for the 121 environment and jet flying. A cheaper alternative would be to find an private instructor who has extensive 121 experience and wants to teach you under that philosophy.
. . .
Not discounting that style of training starting from zero hours but it certainly doesn’t mean it is required to work well in 121. I spent several years obtaining all my ratings “hodge-podge” style bouncing all over to whatever suited my personal & financial needs. I work just fine in a professional CRM environment. It can be learned quite quickly if you have the personality & work ethic to act as a professional.
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Old 07-08-2021, 12:07 PM
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Originally Posted by usmc-sgt View Post
EVERY flight school is accelerated if you want it to be.
Ehhh, I’m not sure I’d go that far. Most schools won’t bump students and renters off the schedule just because you want to get it done quicker. Lots of CFIs have been pretty picky about their schedules these last few years too. Also, their ground schools are often set up for the “after work” folks. If a school already has a full schedule good luck trying to accelerate anything.
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Old 07-16-2021, 06:43 AM
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Lightbulb In the same situation but with college

Since I'm new on the site, they won't let me start my own post. I found that your scenario is similar to mine, so I'm hopping on your thread to see if any veterans can help me too.

I am currently enrolled at Middle Georgia State University because they are partnered with Delta's Propel. This university is charging me in-state tuition because they have a waiver program for bordering states.

I recently found out that my home state just got their first university to partner up with United's Aviate at Elizabeth City State University where if you are an NC resident your tuition is $500 a semester for a full-time semester and if you're out of state it's $2,500 for a full-time semester. I do think that will help me out in the long run with finances.

I have my bachelor's in Business Administration and Management-- and now I'm getting my second bachelor's with a flight track, in which I'm treating it as a professional school.

At this rate, I do think since I'm using my GI Bill that is only 60% and I come out of pocket 40%, Elizabeth City State University is the move.

My questions to the veterans of the aviation world are:

1) Is there a huge difference in the programs between Propel and Aviate?
2) What's the difference between Delta and United as far as the employee package? (benefits)
3) If I live in North Carolina, which airline is better to commute as for their hubs?
4) When I graduate, will I still be able to apply to other airlines too even though I graduated from United's Program?



Thank you all in advance.
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Old 09-22-2021, 09:30 AM
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Default Hello - Any good flight school in N.Virginia

Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum and I want to know if anyone can suggest me a good flight school for Private Pilot certificate course in Norther Virginia. I am based in Fairfax/Reston and looking for a flight training school for general aviation to get Private Pilot Certificate course.

Thank you!
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Old 09-22-2021, 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by traineepilot View Post
Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum and I want to know if anyone can suggest me a good flight school for Private Pilot certificate course in Norther Virginia. I am based in Fairfax/Reston and looking for a flight training school for general aviation to get Private Pilot Certificate course.

Thank you!
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Old 09-22-2021, 10:34 AM
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I think it really boils down to what your end goal is. That is VERY important to determine before you choose a fight school. There are a million and one flight schools out there that offer you the same things, in a different manner. At the end of the day, a green FAA license is a green FAA license...right?

Well...that might not be 100% true if you're of the professional pilot mindset. If you're basing your training around being a career pilot vs. a leisure pilot, there are some things that you should take into strong consideration. Does the flight school have direct airline partnerships? Do they place safety at the top of their priority list? Do they have the resources to keep you in the air, such as; on site maintenance/parts? What kind of internal support system do they offer? What is their course syllabus like? Will you be assigned a mentor outside of your CFI? What other resources/SOPs do they take directly from airline operations and incorporate into the flight school? All of these are important questions to ask/confirm before you go spending your time and money on a mistake. Don't get me wrong...there are guys & girls out there who go the old school, civil "part 61 route" and eventually ended up landing a professional pilot job...BUT...If you can be immersed in that professional/airline pilot environment early on, it's going to make a difference when you start knocking on doors asking for a job. Not all programs are the same, and not all schools offer what you need.

Are you going to pay a little more at one of these 141 schools? Probably.
Do you want to go the cheapest school with something as serious as flight training? No.
Do you want to make significant professional connections as early as possible in your career? Absolutely.
Are all flight schools created equal? Absolutely not.

To combat these facts, you would need to go directly to the major airline's recruiting/management teams (like SWA, AA, United, and JetBlue) and ask them; Why do you run specific, partnered cadet programs for your "zero to hero" pilot training. I would assume you'll receive a two word answer; Quality control.

It's also super important to go visit these schools in person. If you'll be investing so much time/money...why wouldn't you?! Ask to talk to the instructors, and the cadets currently in training! They'll tell you everything, and then some.

Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

Genuinely hope this helps someone!
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