Captain_Bob
Well-Known Member
I think it is semantics when it all boils down to it... those guys probably didn't need to be "placed" had they stayed with instructing for just a bit longer. Instead they made a concious choice and paid an additional fee for a 40 hour RJ program than many of the Regionals deem a good experience, allowing them to be in a position to be "placed" at an airline months to a year sooner than if they didn't do it.
The whole "Joe's FBO" being more interested in turning out good pilot's/CFI's is really just that "Back in the good ol' days" thinking. Do they put out good pilots... sure they do. But ask how many guys on here got their ratings in the time frame and the price they expected from Joe's FBO. How many times have we heard that it took people 3 years and $10,000 to get their private? Is Joe more worried out putting out good pilots, or is he more worried about his bottom line?
Outside of Doug's hypothetical Flight School that get's hashed about from time to time... and the obvious golden rule flight school that you went to... there's not many flight schools that are realistically only out there to produce good pilots and CFI's... without making a good profit that is.
Convince me otherwise... but a good flight instructor at a bad school can produce a great pilot... a bad flight instructor at a good school can produce a bad pilot.
If we say FBO's don't produce good pilots and overcharge in the long run... we'll get 20 people on here say "that's not the way my FBO ran!" If we say large schools like ATP/FSI/Pan-Am/DCA don't produce good pilots and overcharge in the short run... then you'll have 20 other pilots say bull to you as well.
Are we too far gone to believe that there are rational people out here making solid rational decisions about what is best for their future without placing all the blame in the industry on potential marketing fluff? In re-reading those "marketing agreements", I am seeing the words, "Letter of Understanding, Hiring Alliance, Letter of Agreement"... not "Marketing Fluff". Is it Marketing? No doubt. If Joe's FBO had "letter's of understanding", would he market it? No doubt.
At what point does a flight school go from being Just Perfect like it was, as you said, "back in my day...", to being too large and effecient to produce quality pilots?
I'm sorry Don... I don't mean to diminish what you've accomplished in the past but when you started on the whole "back in my day" thing I couldn't help but think of Dana Carvey's Grumpy Old Man Schtick on Saturday night live! "Back in my day... we had to wind the rubber band on the prop ourselves... then when it ran out... we'd have to climb out on the wings and re-wind it again before we crashed... and we liked it!"
http://www.danacarvey.net/snl_grumpy_losealimb.wav Aviation, like everything in life changes... sometimes for the good, sometimes for the worst... (most often for the worst it seems sometimes.) Training methods, Marketing methods, Prices, Expectations, etc... things change.
Some things don't change. FBO's take peoples money and close, Major flight schools take people's money and close, FBO's overcharge by stating the student needs "additional" training, Flight schools seem build that overcharge into the program cost... FBO's put out great confident pilots, flight schools put out great confident pilots... FBO's put out weak pilots who felt they got burned by the FBO, flight schools put out weak pilots who felt they got burned...
...and the world... goes 'round.
Bob
