Very true. What would you look for as an expierenced pilot.
1. Well-maintained airplanes.
They don't have to be the latest and greatest, but I want to be able to look at and in the planes and see they're well taken care of.
2. GPS units in most aircraft.
Can I fly IFR without GPS? Sure. But if I'm looking to rent a plane for a relaxed cross-country, the extra situational awareness is a big plus. Similarly, if I'm doing instrument training, I want to be able to learn GPS.
3. Relaxed atmosphere.
Granted, I'm an instructor, but when I'm not wearing my instructor hat, I come to the airport to have a little fun. Nothing ruins my day like an oppressive FBO experience.
4. Happy, quality instructors.
Miserable instructors lounging around in ill-fitting, airline-style uniforms depress me. Instructors that clearly enjoy their job and are happy to talk shop in their downtime really enhance the flight school experience. A good mix of experienced and relatively new instructors works well, so long as you choose the individuals wisely.
5. Online scheduling.
Scheduling planes and instruction from my home computer is a huge plus.
6. Variety of aircraft.
Being able to switch between different types keeps me interested, especially as a pilot who already has my core certificates. A taildragger with a good aerobatics instructor is a big draw. A glass cockpit plane in the fleet is also nice. That said, I want to see some redundancy in the fleet so if N12345 is booked or down for maintenance, I can just take N54321 instead.
7. Location.
Driving two hours round-trip for a 1.5 training flight gets old quick. Not saying you have to be at Knight or Whitted, but I wouldn't want to be trucking out to Zephyrhills or Hernando whenever I wanted to fly.