dakovich,
The two flight per day thing was the same for me. If there was a ground school, it counted as one flight, and once ground school was over you were scheduled for two flights a day. My point about that was that I was seeing students fly only once a day at other schools and they were finishing faster?!? The aviation business is all about networking. I know a lot of people in a lot of different situations, and it was shown to me that Pan Am is the wrong choice through many examples.
As for your questions I'll try my best to answer.
I think it's a great way to learn when you sit back seat with fellow students. I did it a lot! But you can do that anywhere. But I do agree with you, that is a better way to learn.
I can go on and on with little things that slowed me down, but those kind of things happen at all the schools. The thing that pissed me off the most was a money issue. They do a good job of giving you the real pilot environment but that's about it. I am absolutely saying that there are places that will finish you FASTER, CHEAPER, and you will be Happier. When you minus the ACE program you WILL still spend 50K I promise. You may not think so now, but it will add up and next thing you know, your asking for another loan. There really isn't specific things I can knock about Pan Am, except the money. Their planes, instructors, and training is excellent but WAY over priced, and you have to do more than you should. Blowing 100 feet on an S-turn after 8 flights shouldn't be a big deal, however at Pan Am- if you do on a stagecheck, you have to go back with your instructor, fix it, then wait for another stagecheck. Believe me, stupid things like that will happen a lot, and they shouldn't. Sure your probably thinking, "Well that will make ma a better pilot" that's what I was telling myself, and it did. But it wasn't necessary at all, it was one of their many ways of sucking you dry. I have a lot of friends that instruct there, and I know a lot of students. The only beef everyone has is the $$$$. They make themselves sound like they are a quick and professional route to the airlines, which is BULLSH*T. You are right, I wouldn't want a school to finish me faster than what Pan Am projected either, but the key word is projected. My main point, and I'll say it again, is you could put up ANY school next to Pan Am and they may not finish you faster, BUT I guarantee they will finish you in the same time frame and for 1/3 the price. Now if you shop around, and I know of a few in the Phoenix area, there are some excellent schools that will finish you faster and WAY cheaper and you will be just as competant as any Pan Am Pilot. And I'm not picking on Pan Am pilots cause that's where I got the majority of my knowledge. Just watch those "briefs" add-up.
If money is not an issue, than I guess Pan Am is the way to go. However, like I said earlier, I am an instructor, where as the other 20 people in my class dropped out cause of money- or they are still training. So who's ahead, and hurting less in the pocketbook?