Tough Decisions! Please help

[Nick2024]

OK here is my situation.

I am prior military, I used my VA for flight training at a flight school at my local airport. had fun liked the people where I did it at. Well it cam time for my CFI rating and I had a friend go to another school on the same field for the CFI rating, Well I decided to give it a try and go wih him. I changed schools so I no longer was using my VA. along the road to getting my CFI ticket I have spent around 4000 plus for time in the schools Arrow!!! Well I am going to get the II/MEI add-ons and have thought about going back to the 141 school to save me money.

Flight school A)

my instructor is VERY VERY busy which is good for him but made it very hard to get flights in with him to train.

I call him to talk about getting flights and he never calls me back.

It costs alot more cash to get the ratings at his school.

Other instructors have told me that communication is very bad at the school.

The planes are newer planes.


Flight school B)

I can use my VA for the add-ons+ saves me money!!

The planes are a bit older but also cheaper for training.

The owner/ Cheif Flight Instructor is at the flight school ALL the time until late at night and has always in the past called me back shortly or answered everytime I called with a question.



My biggest worry is of course burning bridges at my current flight school since I will for sure run into them at the fuel pumps sometime.

I have submitted my paperwork to get on insurance at my current non 141 school but now since I have been thinking about going back to the 141 school I am not sure what to say to the non 141 school. I have not herd from the non 141 school all week with any update about the paperwork. I called the 141 flight school tonight to ask about a headset and they basically were telling me that I can work there and they would love to have me teaching there and can help me of course finish the add-ons.


Either way I will only be here for maybe at most a year since I am moving to Colorado !!



Thoughts??

 

[Der_Meister]

I would just say, that you should the GI benefits you earned. If that flight school cant understand that, they only see you as $$ not as a student. I would use the GI benefits if I could. Old planes are still good, there is a reason they are old.

 

[staledog]

Go with option B. don't worry about it, people switch flight schools all the time.

It goes along with rule #1- if we don't take care of the customer, someone else will.

 

[ProudPilot]

Go with B. Use the benefits and while aviation is a small community, changing vendors is pretty common.

 

[A Life Aloft]

Agree with B. Save your money. It's no biggie to switch. Use your bennies. You deserve them. Who wants to work with a school/instructor who can't even be professional enough to return your phone calls? They obviously don't value you, as they should. The more of a "personal" relationship you have with your instructor and school, the easier training will be for you, you'll enjoy it more and do better.

 

[Nick2024]

Thanks for the input fellow JC'ers!! I just printed out my VA forms and submited!

 

[Der_Meister]

just a question, what ratings are you looking at getting? Is you CFI for fixed wing? and do you currently instruct? are you willing to relocate?

 

[Nick2024]

I'm adding double eye and MEI to my CFI-A. I am instructing my wife's boss now and will be instructing at flight school B . I'm planning to move to Colorado by years end.

 

[Der_Meister]

good deal, I wanted to make sure you had a job. If you were not already employed I would have gotten a job with my school, we just got affiliated with a JC so we now train GI's and were will no doubt need a few instructors in the next few months. I fly about 100-120 a month.

 

[Nick2024]

Yes I have a full time job working on helicopters as a contractor for the Army.

 

[Baronpilot244]

Flight schools are in business - treat them as such and go with what you feel is best for you, the customer.

Bp244

 

[H46Bubba]

It's a no brainer! Option B! I need to look into using mine again now that I can use my CH.33 bennies for flight training. I hated that I lost that option when I transferred over at the beginning from the old pre 9/11 GI Bill

 

[FlyingScot]

Flight school A)

my instructor is VERY VERY busy which is good for him but made it very hard to get flights in with him to train.

I call him to talk about getting flights and he never calls me back.

It costs alot more cash to get the ratings at his school.

Other instructors have told me that communication is very bad at the school.

The planes are newer planes.

I am not sure why you switched in the first place. It looks like newer airplanes are the only thing it has going for it. Poor communication and unresponsive instructors, combined with higher costs, sounds like a place to avoid. I would suggest you spend as least as possible on your training and save up the money to survive on when you are CFI-ing.

Unfortunately the school I went to is not in business but I got my CFI for $1600. The schools moto "We scrimp on safety and pass the savings on to you."

 

[Nick2024]

Thanks again JC'ers for the input, Change was calling and I was not really asking myself why was I going to change and pay more!! Agh! lesson learned right?