Our Flight School Tours
- Thread starter TheWife
- Start date
Michigan_Flyer
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the great post Wife. It's interesting, you took the exact same tours and got the exact same impressions that I did about three years ago. I chose FSI and have no regrets.
TheWife
New Member
That makes us very confident to hear about all the people who have been there and still know it was the best choice! In fact, I don't *think* I have heard of pne person who was unhappy with them.
There sure are a lot of you in Vero now, have you guys alll met? We TRIED to meet a couple people but they blew us off!
JK...Chunk had a pretty good excuse, lol. If/when our house sells, I will be going back by myself to find an apt or house while Corbin makes the miserable drive in the Uhaul. They said I could stay in the Bungalows again while I look, which was very generous, hotels can add up fast. I will be bringin my own toilet paper though. LOL.
There sure are a lot of you in Vero now, have you guys alll met? We TRIED to meet a couple people but they blew us off!
kellwolf
Piece of Trash
Sounds great! If I had the money and the chance to do everything over again, I would probably go to FSI. All of my flight instructors have come out of DCA (before it was DCA, though), and they were always complaining about how poorly maintained the planes were at DCA. But that is a whole 'nother topic.
Bottom line is you have to find the flight school that fits you (be it FBO, FSI, DCA, ASAP, PDQ, etc), and it sounds like you've done that without rushing into anything.
Bottom line is you have to find the flight school that fits you (be it FBO, FSI, DCA, ASAP, PDQ, etc), and it sounds like you've done that without rushing into anything.
blee256
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on you choice, its seems like you're really happy with Flight Safety.
However it does seem like you had already made up your mind about FSI, right after their tour. I dont understand why you skipped Pan Am. It was mentioned that you didnt like the facilities, yet you toured DCA afterwards. PAIFA's facilities are awesome. when i was there I was very impressed. Ft. Pierce is only about 10 minutes from vero, is it not? I hear most students at Pan Am live in Vero any way. Did you know their planes have A/C? Now thats "bells and whistles". And as far as brand names go....Flight safety is one, but so is SimCom and Delta Connection.
And i just want to clarify some things about DCA. I did do their tour. I used the free flight privelege. I flew first class for LAX to MCO. it was great. The $150 is an option, it includes the hotel as well as transfers. You do not have to buy it. I declined the option because I worked for the hilton and got comp'd at the hilton in disney world. I went online and got a car rental for about 40 bucks and drove myself around, I was even able to sneakin a tour of ATA (thank God, i didnt go there). So please dont think they are selling their free tickets for $100. When I got home I did get a letter from DCA thanking me as well as a survey. I also receive hand written postcards on occasion from Joney Haff, one of the admission counselors. We still email back and forth. she's great.
I am not a student at DCA or Pan am. I just wanted to make sure other potential students didnt get the wrong idea about DCA. They are all great schools, just as long as you work hard at it, I dont think you can go wrong with any of them.
-Brian
However it does seem like you had already made up your mind about FSI, right after their tour. I dont understand why you skipped Pan Am. It was mentioned that you didnt like the facilities, yet you toured DCA afterwards. PAIFA's facilities are awesome. when i was there I was very impressed. Ft. Pierce is only about 10 minutes from vero, is it not? I hear most students at Pan Am live in Vero any way. Did you know their planes have A/C? Now thats "bells and whistles". And as far as brand names go....Flight safety is one, but so is SimCom and Delta Connection.
And i just want to clarify some things about DCA. I did do their tour. I used the free flight privelege. I flew first class for LAX to MCO. it was great. The $150 is an option, it includes the hotel as well as transfers. You do not have to buy it. I declined the option because I worked for the hilton and got comp'd at the hilton in disney world. I went online and got a car rental for about 40 bucks and drove myself around, I was even able to sneakin a tour of ATA (thank God, i didnt go there). So please dont think they are selling their free tickets for $100. When I got home I did get a letter from DCA thanking me as well as a survey. I also receive hand written postcards on occasion from Joney Haff, one of the admission counselors. We still email back and forth. she's great.
I am not a student at DCA or Pan am. I just wanted to make sure other potential students didnt get the wrong idea about DCA. They are all great schools, just as long as you work hard at it, I dont think you can go wrong with any of them.
-Brian
TheWife
New Member
I appreciate the clarification, perhaps the DCA guide should then not have said "You only have to buy a hotel room for $150". That didn't make it seem optional. Even if you don't have to get the hotel, I don't appreciate that they tried to get me to pay $150 for a hotel that has nothing to do with their school. That reminded me of those guys that say they'll give you a free vacation if you just listen to their spill about time shares.
I do agree that in the end any school will get the job done, especially if you have the right attitude. We just feel like we will like FSI and Vero better. Ft. Pierce is more like 30 minutes from Vero, not 10. I am sure Pan Am is just fine, it was just our own personal feelings that we didn't want to tour it. For the same money we preferred FSI. But that's why I said people should still tour all schools. Obviously not everyone is going to get the same feeling we did, someone might feel best about Pan Am and there is nothing wrong with that.
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you had already made up your mind about FSI, right after their tour
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We actually didn't have our minds made up about FSI before going to DCA. Like I said before we were 90% sure about DCA before getting there. (Remember the Who's in Sanford thread?) I fully expected that we would like DCA and Sanford more when we got there, so I actually was surprised.
We did know that the planes at Pan Am have A/C. It wasn't a big enough factor for us to consider them.
Please remember, all of you that read this and are looking at these schools, like I have said a few times now, this is our own personal experience and I think you need to have your experience and base your decision off your's, not our's. However, I also feel that it speaks volumes that I haven't heard from one unhappy FSI customer, yet I have heard from unhappy students from the other schools.
I do agree that in the end any school will get the job done, especially if you have the right attitude. We just feel like we will like FSI and Vero better. Ft. Pierce is more like 30 minutes from Vero, not 10. I am sure Pan Am is just fine, it was just our own personal feelings that we didn't want to tour it. For the same money we preferred FSI. But that's why I said people should still tour all schools. Obviously not everyone is going to get the same feeling we did, someone might feel best about Pan Am and there is nothing wrong with that.
[ QUOTE ]
you had already made up your mind about FSI, right after their tour
[/ QUOTE ]
We actually didn't have our minds made up about FSI before going to DCA. Like I said before we were 90% sure about DCA before getting there. (Remember the Who's in Sanford thread?) I fully expected that we would like DCA and Sanford more when we got there, so I actually was surprised.
We did know that the planes at Pan Am have A/C. It wasn't a big enough factor for us to consider them.
Please remember, all of you that read this and are looking at these schools, like I have said a few times now, this is our own personal experience and I think you need to have your experience and base your decision off your's, not our's. However, I also feel that it speaks volumes that I haven't heard from one unhappy FSI customer, yet I have heard from unhappy students from the other schools.
shooter13
New Member
I agree about never hearing negatives from FSA students. I have not. When I toured, I was sold on FSA. Sold until i came home and played with the budget to figure out when I could afford it. I really liked the school and all of the people. I would go there if I had the funding available for it. I am pretty sure you guys will be happy with your choice. Congrats!
went to DCA...liked the school...hated the town...worst ever !@%#hole...DCA is great other than the fact of where it is located..and ill agree with the wife that they project the thought that the only way to get to the airlines is through them...as we all know thats crap but to a novice it might sound enticing...oh well just my thoughts
ClipperPilot
New Member
I took the tour for ATP in sarasota, i was waiting to be swept off my feet from the stories i have heard, but it was a whole in the wall boy. Older model A/C, the place was a little dirty and extremely small, extremely. I have not been to the jacksonville location as of yet, but i hear good things so i wont be biased as of yet.
SierraPilot
New Member
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They also say their instructor waiting pool is about 3 months right now. FSI's is around a year. That sounds like bad news but what it says to me is that DCA students aren't willing to wait around. FSI must have a pretty damn good instructing program if people are waiting that long to be a part of it. FSI has internship programs you can do while waiting too.
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I personally think FSA has a good program and is a good school, and I have toyed with the idea of switching to FSA, but the reality is I just cant not work for 1 year and pay my car payment and credit cards, etc.
As for schools like DCA having a shorter waiting list, I'm going to have to disagree with you.. Maybe its just DCA instructors are getting hired by delta connection carriers? or maybe they dont want to teach and went home? or maybe FSA instructors are more career instructors or are waiting for that perfect job, I guess my point is its pretty speculative to suggest that ones waiting list implies one school is better than another. I dont think anyone will argue that FSA is a good school, but there are always pro's and con's to any school.
Ryan
They also say their instructor waiting pool is about 3 months right now. FSI's is around a year. That sounds like bad news but what it says to me is that DCA students aren't willing to wait around. FSI must have a pretty damn good instructing program if people are waiting that long to be a part of it. FSI has internship programs you can do while waiting too.
[/ QUOTE ]
I personally think FSA has a good program and is a good school, and I have toyed with the idea of switching to FSA, but the reality is I just cant not work for 1 year and pay my car payment and credit cards, etc.
As for schools like DCA having a shorter waiting list, I'm going to have to disagree with you.. Maybe its just DCA instructors are getting hired by delta connection carriers? or maybe they dont want to teach and went home? or maybe FSA instructors are more career instructors or are waiting for that perfect job, I guess my point is its pretty speculative to suggest that ones waiting list implies one school is better than another. I dont think anyone will argue that FSA is a good school, but there are always pro's and con's to any school.
Ryan
172_Captain
New Member
"I have one slight concern with FSI and that's that the place was pretty quiet. We saw probably 10 or so students there, while the halls at DCA were so crowded we couldn't get through. Maybe it was the incoming hurricane?."
That was a "chinese fire drill", they have those every day at DCA between the hours of 6:00a and 12:00p. They are held in the "Operations Center". They were kind of fun at first but after a couple of weeks it becomes very frustrating. Moreso when your trying to read the schedule, plan your flight and get your aircraft. They also play "musical chairs", Caleb would probably enjoy that but it's no fun when you are trying to plan a flight and need a place to sit.
The best customer service I recieved at DCA (aka Comair) was before I signed the contract, it just went to "hell in a ham basket" afterwards and I'm here to tell you first hand it starts at the very top level of DCA's organization (is that the correct word?) and rolls downhill.
The airline >interview< that DCA advertises, think of it as a carrot before you sign the contract. After you sign the contract it suddenly becomes a billy stick, and DCA is tactful in it's use. Yes indeed!
If I had it to do over I would pay the difference and go to FSI.
That was a "chinese fire drill", they have those every day at DCA between the hours of 6:00a and 12:00p. They are held in the "Operations Center". They were kind of fun at first but after a couple of weeks it becomes very frustrating. Moreso when your trying to read the schedule, plan your flight and get your aircraft. They also play "musical chairs", Caleb would probably enjoy that but it's no fun when you are trying to plan a flight and need a place to sit.
The best customer service I recieved at DCA (aka Comair) was before I signed the contract, it just went to "hell in a ham basket" afterwards and I'm here to tell you first hand it starts at the very top level of DCA's organization (is that the correct word?) and rolls downhill.
The airline >interview< that DCA advertises, think of it as a carrot before you sign the contract. After you sign the contract it suddenly becomes a billy stick, and DCA is tactful in it's use. Yes indeed!
If I had it to do over I would pay the difference and go to FSI.
MC130FE
New Member
Well, the people from Pan Am, be they students or employees, that come on this board make the decision for another school a very simple one. They are always so defensive of their school...usually in regards to a post from someone screwed by their school. I don't want to learn, and work in an atmosphere of such insecurity and uncertainty. So, Thank You Pan AM! You've made my decision process ten times easier.
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Huh? I always figured Delta trained their pilots somewhere around Atlanta.
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well, i guess doug didn't see this... but for recurrent training, the delta pilots train at the sims located in atlanta...
but for new hires, they do ground training in atlanta and usually send them to new york or elsewhere for sim training using the FSI simulators... I remember doug telling me they had a great time up there (even had cookies or donuts for them?) and the trainers were very efficient and proficient!! they don't use DCA for anything as far as i know, yet DCA uses them (Delta) like luring the fish to the hook....
Am I remembering this correctly doug?
Also - thewife, glad you & corbin had a good experience and got a very well rounded examination of all the different schools and areas!! also glad you saw Sanford for what it is - hahaha
I never liked living near their either!! never went into their town except to go to the "trade" bookstore where i could swap the used books i had for other used books. I can't seem to find any of those stores in phx.
Vero is a nice little town and your a bit closer to the beach... you'll be able to see the shuttle launches without having to travel to the launch pad either (once they start them back up)...
oh - and another point...when i go up to a salesman and ask "so what you got that he aint got" the answer that tells me something's "funny" is always when the salesman tries to sell you away from the other company by ripping the other company instead of trying to show what HIS company actually has to offer...I'm pretty sure it's called negative advertising and is used as a reverse psychology principle... even though they don't work at that company, they feel embibed to have to tell you how much you would lose by going with the other product instead of pumping up the product you asked them to sell you.. know what i mean???
having the little extras like the powerpoint slides, don't really mean much when your looking at the versitility of the school and where your $$ are going to go... but knowing that they CARE about how they market and that they're DIRECT about answering your questions is what sells their product. If a powerpoint slide helps them do that, then more power to them for presenting it as it should be presented... when you think about it, you are going around and asking the bidders for the best bid and they have to do their part to make sure they show you exactly what you would be getting with their bid offer. when they win your bid, that's when you pay the little bit of additional cost...to me, it would be worth it!
good luck out there and let us know how it goes!!
Huh? I always figured Delta trained their pilots somewhere around Atlanta.
[/ QUOTE ]
well, i guess doug didn't see this... but for recurrent training, the delta pilots train at the sims located in atlanta...
but for new hires, they do ground training in atlanta and usually send them to new york or elsewhere for sim training using the FSI simulators... I remember doug telling me they had a great time up there (even had cookies or donuts for them?) and the trainers were very efficient and proficient!! they don't use DCA for anything as far as i know, yet DCA uses them (Delta) like luring the fish to the hook....
Am I remembering this correctly doug?
Also - thewife, glad you & corbin had a good experience and got a very well rounded examination of all the different schools and areas!! also glad you saw Sanford for what it is - hahaha
I never liked living near their either!! never went into their town except to go to the "trade" bookstore where i could swap the used books i had for other used books. I can't seem to find any of those stores in phx.
Vero is a nice little town and your a bit closer to the beach... you'll be able to see the shuttle launches without having to travel to the launch pad either (once they start them back up)...
oh - and another point...when i go up to a salesman and ask "so what you got that he aint got" the answer that tells me something's "funny" is always when the salesman tries to sell you away from the other company by ripping the other company instead of trying to show what HIS company actually has to offer...I'm pretty sure it's called negative advertising and is used as a reverse psychology principle... even though they don't work at that company, they feel embibed to have to tell you how much you would lose by going with the other product instead of pumping up the product you asked them to sell you.. know what i mean???
having the little extras like the powerpoint slides, don't really mean much when your looking at the versitility of the school and where your $$ are going to go... but knowing that they CARE about how they market and that they're DIRECT about answering your questions is what sells their product. If a powerpoint slide helps them do that, then more power to them for presenting it as it should be presented... when you think about it, you are going around and asking the bidders for the best bid and they have to do their part to make sure they show you exactly what you would be getting with their bid offer. when they win your bid, that's when you pay the little bit of additional cost...to me, it would be worth it!
good luck out there and let us know how it goes!!
MrSkyKingRon
New Member
Zowie Wife, that was great that you went into such detail about FSI! Thanks! And thanks to the others for their input as well. The pile just keep getting bigger for FSI! It is my number one choice so far, and really, I'll bet you ten it's the one I pick after the tours and all is said and done. The bells and whistles part hit home for me too! I'm the same way. Sometimes I buy the cheapo brand to save a few bucks and sometimes I spend extra for the brand name because damn it, I want all that comes with it!
Who's the pilot Wife, you or PilotCR? He's got the "pilot" name and you seem to be doin' all the flyin'. Are you just puttin' in the effort because he's busy? Just curious. You kick ass women!
Sounds like I'm going to like Vero too. Hope things work out for you both with your house in Utah.
Keep us posted as to your progress.
Who's the pilot Wife, you or PilotCR? He's got the "pilot" name and you seem to be doin' all the flyin'. Are you just puttin' in the effort because he's busy? Just curious. You kick ass women!
Sounds like I'm going to like Vero too. Hope things work out for you both with your house in Utah.
Keep us posted as to your progress.
TheWife
New Member
[ QUOTE ]
Who's the pilot Wife, you or PilotCR? He's got the "pilot" name and you seem to be doin' all the flyin'
[/ QUOTE ] Corbin's the pilot. He's just shy and I am the message board addict/information researcher. You should see the stacks of paper I had from researching mortgages, housing options, cars, insurance, etc. over the years. (Pays off though, we always gets good deals!)
Who's the pilot Wife, you or PilotCR? He's got the "pilot" name and you seem to be doin' all the flyin'
[/ QUOTE ] Corbin's the pilot. He's just shy and I am the message board addict/information researcher. You should see the stacks of paper I had from researching mortgages, housing options, cars, insurance, etc. over the years. (Pays off though, we always gets good deals!)