Florida Flight School Tours

[Heat2151]

Hi all after reading these forums I'm finally inspired by you guys so this is my first post.

I hope everyone here is safe and well, this being a career change for me (Network Engineer) I will finally get the opportunity to see these Flight schools first hand. So next week I will be in florida with wife and son to tour a few of the flight schools the first in order will be PAIFA then FSI,ATA,Comair,GulfStream & Regional Airline.

Thing is that thier are so many flight schools in Florida alone it can make your head spin but after some serious research I have narrowed it down to these six.

I have read on these forums both positive and negative points of views on all of these flight programs and that kind of information is excellent in helping me with my ultimate choice.

I intend to get the ball rolling within the next couple of months so next week will be critical in terms of first impressions, will the cost be a concern ? yes that's a given but it is the quality of the flight training to make me a better pilot that is the most important factor (advise I got from being around Navy Pilots)did four years active duty

and based on conversations with some counselors
some claim that thier program is the best! others did not have to the school reputation speaks for itself but I wont know untill I'm there in my book the following factors will count heavily
1) Quality of the Flight Program
2) CFI's per Student
3) Condition of the Aircraft's
4) Housing
5) Tuition
6) Program Reputation with airline Community

Well my friends it getting late here in Brooklyn
it's time for me to check out and I will post a full debrief of the tours.

Best Regards,
Heat2151

 

[PurduePilot]

Thanks Heat! I really appreciate all you have to say. I'm thinking about going to one of these schools... maybe Pan Am or FlightSafety.

I've heard both good and bad things coming from these schools. The biggest complaint I heard was that these schools hose you down for money. However, the good things outweigh the bad. I want a school with an atmosphere that makes me study, otherwise I won't.

 

[aviator]

My advice to both of you and I'm sure you've heard it before if you follow this forum, is to get your private first before you come down to Florida. It will introduce you to flying and you'll gain the basic skill with out having to pay out the nose for them. After that you can focus on being a professional pilot, which is what all those schools will teach you. (except maybe Gulfstream and ATA)

 

[PurduePilot]

Yeah, I have my private/instrument. I'm currently working on my commerical.

I want to go there to get my multi, CFI, CFI-I, and CFI-Multi.

 

[Citation X]

Have you guys considered ATP flight school? I'm most likely going there for my II/MEI. I have several friends who went through the program there and the feedback was excellent. ATP is not for everyone, it is very fast paced and demanding, but not overwhelming. The instructors are awesome and almost all the flying is in twin engine aircraft. website: www.allatps.com

Good luck with your search!