Anyone care to share their experience...

meyers9163 said:
All I can say now is check with them before you go. By looking at the website recently prices got hiked and may no longer be the best option out there for you. Anywas just look around and you might be able to find just as quality of a product out there. Perhaps look into a Whiteair or Ariben as well. Both off quality multi time and prices are lower as of right now.
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All I can say is wherever you decide to go,do it fast. Prices everywhere are going up. Fuel is the biggest expense when it comes to operating a flight school . As the fuel prices increase the rates will as well. yes all our fuel charges are included in the price. Just do your homework when it comes to picking a flight school. Dont put it off to long though, you will pay more in the long run. Take me for example, I did my training in 1999 and I paid 26,000 for an ab initio program with all brand new airplanes. i thought that was expesive. You could barely do that today in a old 152.
 
The last I looked, fuel is down below what it was when ATP raised their prices early this year. We are'nt going to use this as a tripping stone right now are we?
 
Dude gas has gone up a crap ton for Skymates in the last 6 months, like almost a dollar. Harrison aviation is the one that sells us the gas, and there's nothing we can do about it. Ryan is right, get in now.
 
I just find it interesting that on your field gas is so "expensive." I mean of course gas goes up prices go up however not out of control. It all comes down to its just a business and everyone is looking out for themselves and no one else. I mean we cant bash ATP for high prices when the prices are now almost identical (or very close to it). Both are business and both are trying to make as much money as they can period. As some have said "its only marketing" and that's very true. Marketing it is, just anyone looking into how to do their training I just caution you to find the best place for you. Just get the ratings that you need and find a place you can get the best bang for your buck. That's all I was trying to get across. There isnt just one way (the academy setting) to get your flight time. There are pleanty of small CHEAP fbos out there that can get you where you want to go. Just got to find what works for the individual person.
 
Problem in GKY is there is only one FBO to sell fuel. What are the flight schools going to do? Go to the OTHER fuel provider on the field?

I've been saying for a while now that Harrison was going to be a problem. They're normally pretty darn fast to raise fuel rates and slow to lower them. Ari is in Ft Pierce where there are a couple of fuel providers (last time I checked) that compete with each other. With no competition on the field, there's not much incentive for them to lower the rates.
 
Good point! I guess the question lies what can Luca do to help this situation out some..... And I have no clue but that just sucks that one place can screw over the rest of the people on the field.
 
As the prices continue to increase, I'm seriously considering going somewhere else next year. I've been following Skymates for a while, and it seems most everyone is pleased with the quality of instruction, and it seems that most of the instructors have been able to get pretty decent jobs after instructing for at least 6 months. I'll continue to watch and wait until next year....
 
jtrain609 said:
I'll make you a bet that everybody's prices go up
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of course the prices go up, but it seems like Skymate's are going up more than other places right now. i'm not complaining, just observing...all part of the decision process on where to spend my money
 
I can assure you after spending about 10 months around Skymates that Luca is not interested in ripping anybody off, ever. He's not trying to scam people, he's just getting hosed by insurance and gas prices.
 
I may be way off base, but it occurs to me that the relationship between Harrison and the tenants at GKY is a symbiotic one. If Harrison strangles the clients on fuel to the point where they can't enroll students, they stop buying fuel.

I suspect that it's a balancing act, and that the economics of paying clients (i.e. - students) will affect the fuel prices more than the other way around.

Kell, JT - what do y'all think about that?
 
Harrison makes their bank selling fuel to jets that come through, not flight schools. Two Falcon's rolling through in a week will probably buy more gas than us in a month.
 
Plus, one of the other big fuel buyers is ATP. I'm sure they've got the price set where the locations that buy cheaper gas balance out the ones that buy it at a higher price.

John's right, though. Harrision caters to the JetA guys mostly. They'll get DC-9s, 727s and tons of Falcons from freight haulers to make the bank. Losing some 100LL business isn't gonna hurt them. GKY's already lost one flight school in the past few months, and Harrison probably didn't even notice.

Besides, I think Harrison is now the only fuel provider at FWS as well.....
 
meyers9163 said:
I mean we cant bash ATP for high prices when the prices are now almost identical (or very close to it). Both are business and both are trying to make as much money as they can period.
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Nah..no bashing the ATP folks. We are not competiton for ATP. They run an entire different operation then us. We are who we are, they are who they are.

As far as making as much money as possible....welcome to avation.
 
I appreciate all the info, keep it coming if you don't mind.

I totally understand the "it's not what you know, but who you know" mentality. I'm a little older, 33, and I haven't flown in about 10 yrs., but I have a friend who is a captain at a major fractional company flying challengers who is encouraging me get my time up. He firmly believes the fractionals are here to stay, and I feel that this type of flying is more my 'style' than aspiring to the majors. Lofty goal for a lowly 100+ pilot!

I firmly believe that I was born to fly (pretty sappy, eh?), and I don't want to be 50 and start second guessing my decisions. I've got a degree, desire and the smarts to know I will never work 9-5 in some cubicle. Just a little background on me so you all know where I am coming from.

Thanks for the help, all.[/quote]

Don't be discouraged by the age of 33 - you are 100% right, I have had several people wanting to do the CFI package around the age of 40 or so, with regrets of not having done it early and thinking at 33 it was too late. Can't beat the view........No matter what you fly!
Go for it!
 
How does that have any relevance with the conversation on the hike in prices? And also looking for the best product/place out there to train? Sorry but I am lost!
 
She was simply replying to that post. She doesn't have the time that the rest of us do to read the forums all the time and replies when she can.
 
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