Selecting The Best Flight School For Training As An Airline Pilot
You want to find the right flight school. This article guides you in selecting the ideal flight school for your training to become a commercial pilot. Not all of the advice in this article may be relevant if you want to take up flying as a hobby.
Let’s take a moment to consider why someone would look for a flying school or what they would actually be paying for before we go through all the important elements. Is it for pilot education or to fly for an airline? The second response is accurate.
Therefore, the capacity of a flight school to place you in a pilot job once you complete your training and have links to airlines is the most crucial factor to consider when choosing a flight school. Without assistance from your flight school, you will be on your own once you begin the sometimes-difficult process of looking for a career.
This guarantees the flight school’s excellence as well. Low-quality flight schools are unlikely to have any relationships with airlines. They won’t be eager to partner with a training organization that sends out subpar cadets.
But to get things going, here is a comprehensive list of the things to take into account while picking the top flight school.
Cost Of Training
When choosing a flying school, cost is frequently the first consideration. But if it’s not absolutely necessary, this ought to be the last thing you think about.
Don’t simply compare prices; compare prices along with what is included in the price. Different flight schools advertise different prices that include various extras. VAT, landing fees, navigation fees, instructor costs, fuel surcharges, tests, and instructional materials are some items that may or may not be included.
It matters a lot how the flight training is paid for as well. There are often three options: paying in full in advance, paying in numerous installments, or paying as you go. The last one typically works out best for you. You don’t run the danger of losing your money if something goes wrong with your flight school, and you don’t even need to have all of it before you start training.
Training Setting
You want to pick a reputable flying school that has a long history of providing instruction. The flight school should have its own training facility equipped with all required tools (classrooms, briefing rooms), as well as adequate staff to meet the needs of the training. Stay away from “one man show” schools.
The airports where the flight school is located should be suitable. For each stage of the training, you require a different piece of equipment. You can’t expect to complete the entire training on a nearby grassy area.
The use of flight simulators or training tools is advantageous. Only sizable flight schools typically own them.
Aircrafts Condition
Look for fresh, well-maintained, modern-equipped aircraft. As a general rule, a plane is considered to be new if it is less than 10 years old. Therefore, it differs somewhat from determining a car’s age. Many flight schools that operate with aircrafts which are 30 years old or older is simple.
It makes sense to employ glass cockpit-equipped planes for training since the majority of airlines now fly aircraft with glass cockpits (LCD screens in place of traditional gauges).
To avoid training lapses during maintenance, the flight school should have more than one aircraft on hand. The ratio of planes to students is also crucial. As a general rule, the school needs one plane for every four or five kids.
Aviation Instructors
The aviation school that you choose should have knowledgeable, experienced instructors. For the initial phase of instruction, having instructors with less expertise is typically acceptable. However, for the crucial portions of your training, like instrument rating or MCC, look for instructors with experience. It’s typically preferable to train this with current or retired airline pilots.
The school should have enough instructors on staff to meet the needs of the students. There should be one instructor for every four to five students.
Instructors should give their students enough time. This includes both the briefing and the de-briefing in addition to the training flight.
Career Prospects
This is actually the most crucial factor, as was indicated in the article’s opening sentences. Pick a flight school that will assist you in finding employment after you complete your training.
Numerous flight schools and other training organizations work with airlines or provide MPL programs with guaranteed employment at the conclusion of the program.
It is strongly advised that you visit multiple flight schools in person before beginning in order to make an informed choice. Even while some flight schools have excellent online presentations, you can discover that they are one-man operations without the necessary facilities to teach airline pilots.