Choosing a flight school is something that all trainee pilots should put a lot of thought into. You will be spending a lot of money and you want to make the chances of anything going wrong as small as possible.
Here are a list of things you should do when choosing a flight school.
- Visit the school – Ideally you should do more than just google “flight schools in X”.
You need to go visit the school and get a feel for the place, you need to know what they can offer, what their instructors are like, what the management are like also.
If you are doing a PPL then do a trial lesson, get a feel for the flying, the condition of the aircraft, the facilities.
How many aircraft do they have? You don’t want to be in a position that if an aircraft goes in for repairs then you have to wait, or have lessons cancelled.
This goes for both modular and integrated students. - What can they offer you? My school is at a controlled airfield which I thought was pretty important and would help with my radio telephony. If I had chosen an airport with no ATC I may have needed to pay for ground school or a course to get up to speed.
Speak to the chief flight instructor if possible, he should have no problems answering all of your questions. - Google the school – Look for reviews online of people’s experiences, sometimes you get the honest reviews from students AFTER they have left. The reason for this is, they may feel like they cannot talk honestly while they are still enrolled at the school.
On top of this look for reviews, check forums, blogs, social media etc to get a feel for the school. - Speak to students – Following on from the last point, speak to current students. Get a feel for their opinion on what is happening, aircraft availability, training standards, management, instructors and also the environment.
You may be based at the school for a very long time so you want an honest opinion on the place. - Look at their placement record with airlines – While this doesn’t mean that you will get placed with an airline, if airlines are taking their students indicates that the airlines think that the training is up to a good level at least.
It would be a bit worrying if they couldn’t point to any former students now flying with the airlines. - Research the schools financial position – I am sure you have heard about Cabair, if you haven’t please have a read about them.
Check to see if anyone is talking about the school having difficulties online.
Also never forget the number 1 rule of flight training. Do not pay for a full course up front, ever.
Also remember Credit Card -> Debit Card -> Cash. You have protections with the first two, you have very little protection with cash. - Don’t choose only based on price – Yes price is important, but sometimes the headline figure can end up a lot higher. Do your research, what is included? Will you be charged for touch and goes? Will you be charged per landing? Are their approach fees?Are there any other hidden charges you have to pay?
- Weather – Look at the weather in that country when you are looking to train. For example if you wanted to do a PPL in the winter in the UK, prepare for a lot of cancelled lessons.
If you consider all this advise I am sure you will pick the perfect flight school for you.
Thinking of training via the modular route? Or started and still have questions? Then read The Essential Modular Flight Training Guide.
