Visited Airman Flight School...

bjm

bjm

New Member
in Norman, OK yesterday. I haven't seen or heard a lot of discussion about this place on JC, so I thought I'd let people know that I MAY have info if interested.

8.0 hours flying from Jeff City, MO to Norman, OK, so it was a good trip for the ole logbook!
 
Please, share!

I hear the training is good bang for the buck, but that it's kind of a dump.

Care to confirm or deny that?
 
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a dump, but if you are looking for flash and fancy equipment, this is not the right place. Here are my thoughts...

(1) CHEAP!! or for what I have seen. About $21K for Commercial, CFI, CFII, ME, MEI (about $17K without MEI). This price is garaunteed, so if you need more training, you don't have to pay more.

(2) Fast. 3-4 months for the training mentioned above.

(3) Friendly. Everyone there seemed very laid back and the lady giving the tour was extremely friendly and frankly honest, which I liked.

(4) Airplanes: 15 single-engine trainers, 1 multi trainer for about 80 students enrolled in various stages of training. She said the average fleet age was about 20 years, but they looked older to me. The multi (can't remember what it was) had been in the shop for 3 days waiting on a carburetor replacement. ALSO--none of the airplanes have advanced nav equipment (GPS, Loran, etc.). Just the basics to get from point A to point B.
One thing I didn't like was that they do not allow the airplanes to go on overnights. You can take it for long cross-country 'training' flights, but it didn't seem like you could go off and visit family in their airplanes. FBO on the field has rentals, but they were grounded indefinitely for reason I do not know.

(5) Ground School: Small classrooms with seating for about 15 people. Only 10 students enter a program at one time. Formal ground is 3 weeks prior to flying (for commercial).

(6) Self-examining authority. This is good since you don't have to take flight tests with a DE. They are a Laser-Grade center for writtens also. She told me that the FAA guys can come and say that they will be giving the checkrides for the day (would make me VERY nervous!), but said when this happens they find that the FAA fails fewer students than Airman does. Remember, price is garaunteed, so this is not a money-making trick. It's in their best interest to get you finished up! So this actually is a good thing I think that they are stringent on not just passing out certificates.

(7) Airport: OU Westheimer in Norman. Newly paved asphalt runways. control tower. busy airspace though. approach had to deny request from Airman student when we were departing due to high volume. Will Rogers is very close. and an AFB, don't remember which, and don't want to look it up now...

I asked her point blank why their training costs are so low, and as I said, she was quite frank and honest. I gotta run right now, but if you wanna know more, reply or PM me.
 
Very cool...thanks for the gouge. I almost went there for my CFI/CFII. I've heard that it's a good place to train!
 
Yeah, the only thing I have ever seen on here about it is one person saying they've heard that nobody hires Airman grads due to poor quality. However, my CFII was from Airman, and I think he did a fine job with me. I did not get the feeling that they are a 2nd rate school, just a ultra-low-cost, nothing fancy, finish students quickly place. Personally, I don't think it's for me...

Again, if anyone wants to know more I'll answer whatever questions I can!
 
Hey Bjm,

I am going to Airman in a few months to do my CFI-A training(possibly the CFII). I would appreciate anything you can tell me about what you found out. And I mean ANYTHING.

Thanks
Fred
 
hey fred. my general opinion is what you read above. old airplanes with bare minimum equipment. lots of students. young CFIs. the lady i talked to boiled it down nicely. one of the main ways they keep their costs so low is sheer volume. other ways: (1) old, poorly equipped airplanes (2) low-paid instructors (3) airplanes only stay local except for X-countries, i.e. no renting a plane to go visit family for the weekend.

i'd be more than happy to answer any specific questions you have. just let me know what you want to know...
 
No problem. I know what I said was pretty general stuff, so if you want my opinion on anything specific, don't hesitate to ask.

Are you going there for sure? If so, make sure you let everyone here know how you felt about your experience there!
Good Luck!
 
I haven't attended Airman, but a good friend did. He went there around 1999-2000 (I think?). He went with his Private and and a good chunk of time already built up towards his Commercial. They got him finished on the Commercial ASEL, got the AMEL, CFI, CFII, and MEI for $15000! Flat rate too. He left a happy customer.
 
I have known quite a few people that went to Airman. I remember one guy was pissed because he was getting dumped around from instructor to instructor. That is the only real negative I have ever heard. Now, if you want the gouge on the nightlife, PM me, I went to school there
 
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