S. wrote:

Yep, this is a consideration. At the school I was looking at, it's $350 for
foreign student registration, plus $130 for Homeland Security check.

There is no reason for a charge for "foreign student registration" or
downpayment or whatever. It's a sure sign of a place that likes to rip
you off or has way to much administrative overhead to pay for.

The 130$ for the TSA is a different charge though, and should be payed
by yourself directly to the TSA. Have a look a
www.flightschoolcandidates.gov for the due process.

Unfortunately there are a lot of shady operators out there... Especially
in Florida. You might want to have a look at www.pprune.org in the
wannabe section. There's some great advice for choosing a flightschool.

And lastly, $35K for an "ab initio" training is only a marketing tool.
All schools end up charging more for some obscure reasons. My advice
would be to go for "pay as you go", it also makes it easier for you to
change schools if something goes wrong or you are not happy.

This from someone wo started flying at the age of 33. Now, five years
later, I'm flying a Falcon Jet. Sure, it was a long way and there were a
lot of obstacles to overcome, but I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Cheers,
Jens

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