Flight Schools
How to Select a Flight School
By Chris Vika
There are many ways to go about choosing a flight school, and in the end I guess it really comes down to what you want to end up as or where you wish to fly. In this article I’m going to clarify some of the problems related to choosing a school that is right for you.
As everything in aviation, planning is the key word. A former American Airlines captain ones told me the reason major airlines often prefer military aviators is because they live by the “5p rule – Proper Planning Prevents Pore Performance”. Or in this case, the more we know about the different options we have, the better the choice we make will be.
The easiest, and most efficient, way to narrow down our options is to use the method of elimination. So let’s set up an action plan.
1. Collect information
As mentioned above; the more information we have the better our selection will be. So make sure you collect information about as many schools as possible. Scan aviation magazines for advertisements, search the internet and try to talk to people in the aviation environment. Best Aviation is also a fantastic tool as it has information on more than 950 flight schools world wide. If you don’t know anybody who is flying, either as a professional or for pleasure, look up a flight club near you in the phonebook. Almost every city with an airport has a flight club or flight school of some sort.
Make contact with all the flight schools you come across and ask them to send you some information. Every serious flight school has advertisement brochures and somebody whose responsibility is to recruit new students. This may be a student councilor, an independent representative or somebody working with the schools marketing department.
Take down the name of the person you talked to as large schools may have several recruiters. This will make it easier for you later on if you have additional questions.
Here are some questions you should ask. Make sure to take notes while you are on the phone. It’s easy to forget details if you have to communicate in a foreign language or if you make several phone calls in a row.
And do not forget that the people you talk to are salesmen, and their only object is to sell you a service. Be sure to focus on the objective information you obtain (prices, program length, facilities, etc.) as some of them can get very subjective. Words like “great” and “better” can only be measured by the mind that experiences it.
How many students does the school have at the present time? – The student mass will give you an identification on the schools popularity. This alone does not mean it is a good school. High budget schools usually do allot of marketing; something that bumps the training price up, but it brings in more students. Since they have large number of students graduating from their school the chances are you will find more of them in the airlines. These schools usually also have good contact with the major airlines as many of their student graduates fly for them.
How many airplanes does the school have online at the present time? – With simple math you can find out how high the demand for an airplane is. Divide the student mass (S) on the aircrafts online (A), this will give you the student to airplane ratio (R) - S÷A=R. To ensure proper flexibility and quality for your training this ratio should not exceed 4. A higher number may cause delays in your training because of ground time waiting for an aircraft. This means you in the long run have to spend more money on living expenses, and it may also run up your training cost. The longer you have to wait between two lessons, the more repeating needs to be done.
How much experience do the instructors have? – In good times the instructors doesn’t have to work long with a school before something bigger and better comes along. Even though everybody who has earned their instructor certificate should in theory be capable of instructing, some experience doesn’t hurt. It is therefore important that the school has some senior instructors with a lot of experience teaching students. Also make sure you ask about their chief flight instructor. The crew is only as good as its captain, so a chief flight instructor with a lot of experience is preferred. It is not uncommon that the instructor doesn’t know the answer to a students question; it is therefore comforting if you have other experienced instructors to council with.
Does the school offer visa to foreign students? – If the school is located in a country other than your own it is important that they offer some sort of visa. Visa violations are in most countries strongly enforced and it could end up with you getting expelled before your training is finished. Also I would not recommend you train with a school that is willing to participate in breaking any laws. Think of it this way; if they’re willing to break this law to make money, they might just as well break other laws. By slacking on some maintenance they could for instance cut some expenses…
Why should I train with your schools? – Don’t just ask yourself this question. Give the guy or girl on the other side of the phone a shot at it as well. When I was looking for a flight school to start my training with I would ask this question in the middle of, or close to the end of the conversation. I first wanted to hear what they had to offer, and then I wanted to hear how much they really believed in it.
If they don’t have an answer you should cross the school of my list. After all, if the guy selling you the service wouldn’t buy it him/herself why should you?
If the story you are told sound to good to be true, it probably is. Some sales representatives will go so far as to sell you a future full of glory. “If you train with us you can be with the airlines in three years!” Maybe so, but then again “If you play the lottery today you can win $100,000!” Some make it to the airlines sooner than others, but very seldom is this just because of the school choice. Cross them of your list. “We will guarantee you a job interview with an airline if you train with us!” Fair enough, some schools do get you that interview. But do you really think they are going to hire you just because you graduated from that school if they don’t have any openings? Be very careful with any guarantees, too many students in the past have lost a lot of money on unfulfilled promises. Don’t cross them of your list just yet, unless you feel the representative didn’t tell you the full story. If you can’t trust them now, why should you think it will get better after you give them your money?
Mostly the schools guaranteeing a job interview are larger, high budget schools with preferred hiring. This means the airline is so pleased with the graduates coming out of that school that they are preferred. On the other hand this may also be related to airlines ownership in the school or other contacts they may have. In other words, just because they can get you an interview doesn’t mean their training is fail proof and your future is secured.
2. Study the information
Now that we have gathered everything you got your eyes on, it’s study time! Make sure you read carefully through the information you have gathered. Take notes on your likes and dislikes as you go along. Also keep in mind the information covered above. This will make it easier when we are going to make the final choice.
3. Elimination time
It’s time to eliminate the schools that didn’t meet our requirements. Let’s make an elimination plan.
1. Price
Since the choice of school is largely based on what you can afford we are going to eliminate the ones who are to expensive first. I mean, if we can’t afford it anyway why bother?
When looking at the school’s price list focus more on the hourly rate than the total course price. Most school’s program prices are budget samples based on the hourly rate. And most budgets calculated completion is the minimum training requirements as opposed to the actual training needed. Therefore the hourly rate is the best way to compare the schools prices. If you only have a program price; add at least 15% to the total cost.
Also take into consideration how long the training will take and how much it cost to live there. The living expenses can vary a lot from country to country and state to state. Also look into if the schools offer housing, and how much it will cost. To get an idea on how long it will take you refer to the program length and add two months. Remember, everything is usually based on minimum requirements and not the actual training needed. If you chose to train over the winter add two more weeks as you are likely to loose some time due to bad weather. Even the sunniest places can get bad weather during the winter.
By doing this you at least ensure you won’t run out of money before graduation. It is much more expensive to run out of money half way than it is to plan for a little extra.
2. Reputation
Now that we have eliminated the schools we can’t afford, it’s time to see which of the schools we have left is worth spending more time on.
See yourself (the student) as an employer hiring an employee (the school). You wouldn’t hire anybody without checking their references would you? At the end of the day it’s your money, and they are the ones who need them to survive. So let us hear what other people have to say about the schools we have left.
Call the school and ask to talk with a current student, preferably one that is close to you in age and nationality. This will tell you how the school treats their students, and give you an indication on how well you may like it there. I would recommend you correspond through e-mail and not call them at school. He/she might be to busy talking to you, and chances are they won’t share their concerns when they are at school.
Ask for a list of references. If the school treats their students well they should have no problem finding a couple of graduates who will go good for the school. Schools with graduates working where you live and who are willing to recommend that school to you are the best. Other pilot graduates who now work professionally as pilots are also very good sources.
Any lack of corporation should be treated suspiciously. If they don’t want you to talk to a current student or are unable to find a graduate who will go good for them, they more than likely are hiding something. Most graduates, if they were happy with the training there would have no problems helping you and the school out.
Note that smaller schools have fewer students so it may take some more time for them to find one that is willing to talk to you. Especially if you request it is somebody close to yourself in age and nationality.
3. Program
We now have left schools that are affordable and worth spending money on. So let’s find out how and where we wish to train.
Most schools offer about the same type of training, but some programs may be more popular with future employers than others. For instance Chris’ Professional Flight Training’s pilot program may be more popular with Alpha Bravo Airlines than John Smith’s Flyers’ Pilot Program. So the natural choice here would be Chris’s Professional Flight Training if your goal is to fly for Alpha Bravo Airlines.
On the other hand John Smith’s Flyers’ pilot program may be the preferred program with Charlie Delta Airlines. So the natural choice here would be John Smith’s Flyers’ if Charlie Delta Airlines is where you wish to work.
You can get a good indication on what programs have a high status with your favorite airline by contacting their human resources department or pilot union. Also pay attention to what companies the schools associate themselves with. Be aware the airline’s human resource department’s primary job is to hire new staff, not help you select a flight school.
So what do I do if the airlines are not the way I wish to go, or no program has a preference over the others?
In my opinion you should go with the cheaper one. Remember that if you have loans they have to be paid back some day, or if it is your savings you may want to have as many possible resources available while you look for a job after completed training. Few get a job right after completion, and it may take several months to find a job that will support you.
Make sure you make calculations on the living expenses where you will be training. It may make the total cost of a cheaper program more expensive than a more expensive program.