What To Look For In Flight Schools

When you finally decide you want to learn to fly it is time to look at flight schools. Since you have never been involved in anything quite like this before, we thought it would be a good idea to give you some tips on what to look for in a flight school. This is one area of your life that choosing the cheapest rate may be a big mistake! The phrase, "You get what you pay for", has never been so true as when it comes to flight schools. Choose your school carefully and let the school speak for itself.

Gather some literature on the local flight schools in your area and look over each schools pamphlet. Don't base your decision on their literature alone though. You will want to visit several that look the best to you before making your decision. Visit the schools you have selected as possible candidates and take notes. It may help you to take notes from the pamphlets you have collected so you can ask questions while you are there. Here are a few things to look for and ask about:

1. Does the school meet your needs when it comes to philosophy, goals and objectives?
2. Do they have any additional benefits like housing, financial aid, additional pilot training like aerobatics?
3. How important is both the ground and flight training to this school?
4. How long has the school been in business?
5. Check out the schools enrollment numbers, credentials and instructors. You will want to make sure they aren't a fly-by-night training facility that is here today and gone tomorrow.
6. Check out the schools aircraft that is used in flight instruction. Make sure it is the type of aircraft you are interested in flying.
7. Ask about the classroom structure and things that are covered in the classroom.
8. Ask about its airport services and make sure they offer instrument approaches and they have a reliable control tower.
9. What is the schools safety record?

When you visit potential schools you will likely be in contact with limited personnel. Listen to their spiel and then ask questions about everything on your mind. If you don't understand, ask again until you get the answer you are looking for. Make sure your tour of the facility includes every aspect of the school. You want to see the maintenance hanger, the tower, visit the classrooms and visit the aircraft you will be training in.

Interview the chief flight instructor or their assistant and ask questions. Make sure they offer an evaluation of your progress during your training, there are no more than four or five full-time students and no more than ten part-time students, ask how flying lessons are scheduled, find out what their liabilities as far as insurance, if you will be responsible for deductibles and if so how much it is in case of a loss, what your coverage is as a student and who keeps your records. This may seem like a lot of questions but you will be more at ease knowing the answers to these questions.