Advice Requested

It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA

Location: SW Florida/Bonita Springs
Objective: Flight for business (SE USA), travel between two homes
(Caribbean) and simple pleasure
My Age: mid 50s

--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

WJRFlyBoy wrote:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA

Location: SW Florida/Bonita Springs
Objective: Flight for business (SE USA), travel between two homes
(Caribbean) and simple pleasure
My Age: mid 50s

The first thing you do is forget the posts that tell you "you are the
boss and the CFI is the employee". It doesn't work this way.
You are certainly entitled to a good flight instructor however, and
picking one out of the assortment available can be a daunting task.

The trick is to get the right one for YOU. This means a CFI who fits
well with your temperament and goals. Pick the right CFI and you will
enjoy every moment you spend learning to fly. Pick the wrong one and you
will be wasting time and money.

I always suggest doing some foot work before signing up at a flight
school. There are two things to consider; the operation itself, then the
individual CFI assigned to you within that organization. BOTH have to
meet your standards. If there is a weak link in this process, it can as
I say become quite time consuming and be an unenjoyable experience.

I suggest an informal visit to each operation you are considering. Just
show up, sit around, have a coffee and talk to people. See what
develops. Usually by doing this, you will end up getting a pretty fair
picture of who's who and what's what at that operation.

Some people like the organization of a full operation. Some like the
relaxed atmosphere of the small FBO. You have to decide which is best
for you individually.

As for the CFI; sit down and talk with each one you are considering.
It's always been my advice that if you don't feel an initial bonding and
camaraderie with a CFI on the first meeting it usually doesn't develop
later on. This again is your call.

ANY pressure....any at all, by a school or a CFI to sign up NOW should
be a red flag. Not all these situations are negative but enough are that
serious consideration should be the watchword.

The main thing is to do your own research on this issue. What you learn
from us on the forums will for the most part be from our own experience
and this may or may not apply to you and your specific situation.

Best of luck
DH

--
Dudley Henriques

Thanks, Dudley, especially the "talk and interview" approach, this makes
particular sense for me. I have until 1Q 2008 so time is on my side.

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:53:52 -0500, Dudley Henriques wrote:

The first thing you do is forget the posts that tell you "you are the
boss and the CFI is the employee". It doesn't work this way.
You are certainly entitled to a good flight instructor however, and
picking one out of the assortment available can be a daunting task.

The trick is to get the right one for YOU. This means a CFI who fits
well with your temperament and goals. Pick the right CFI and you will
enjoy every moment you spend learning to fly. Pick the wrong one and you
will be wasting time and money.

I always suggest doing some foot work before signing up at a flight
school. There are two things to consider; the operation itself, then the
individual CFI assigned to you within that organization. BOTH have to
meet your standards. If there is a weak link in this process, it can as
I say become quite time consuming and be an unenjoyable experience.

I suggest an informal visit to each operation you are considering. Just
show up, sit around, have a coffee and talk to people. See what
develops. Usually by doing this, you will end up getting a pretty fair
picture of who's who and what's what at that operation.

Some people like the organization of a full operation. Some like the
relaxed atmosphere of the small FBO. You have to decide which is best
for you individually.

As for the CFI; sit down and talk with each one you are considering.
It's always been my advice that if you don't feel an initial bonding and
camaraderie with a CFI on the first meeting it usually doesn't develop
later on. This again is your call.

ANY pressure....any at all, by a school or a CFI to sign up NOW should
be a red flag. Not all these situations are negative but enough are that
serious consideration should be the watchword.

The main thing is to do your own research on this issue. What you learn
from us on the forums will for the most part be from our own experience
and this may or may not apply to you and your specific situation.

Best of luck
DH


--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

snipped excellent advice

Prior to getting off the ground, can you suggest an educational approach
(websites, written materials, etc) so to get ahead of the academic learning
curve?
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

WJRFlyBoy writes:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

Things which helped me, and things which I wish I did:

- once you find an instructor or three which you like chatting with on
the ground, go for a demo flight with them. See if you like their
teaching style in the air. It is much easier to say to someone "I
decided to go with someone else" if they know you are just trying them
out and you have not yet committed to a single instructor.

- before starting your training, figure out your money. It really
sucks to reach solo, then have to stop flying for a while while you
save up for some more flight time, then have to redo a bunch of the
pre-solo work because your skills have become rusty and you have moved
to a new town. You are better off if you set aside $10-$15k up front
before starting your training. (If you are lucky, you won't have to
spend it all -- but may as well be prepared.)

- exceptional instructors are hard to come by (that's why they are
exceptions). Once you find one, you may find that their schedule is
really packed, so it is hard to get lessons scheduled with them. If
you tend to be busy too, make sure you choose an instructor who's
schedule is compatible with yours.

- if you can, try to fly twice a week (at least). Less than that and
you may start to get rusty between lessons, and it will take longer to
learn.

- try to find "mentors". If you can find someone in your area who
just got their certificate, they should be able to give you hints
about training in your area. It is good to know how often you should
expect lessons to be cancelled due to weather, how reliable certain
schools or instructors are, etc. You are most likely to get accurate
answers to your questions from someone who is not about to ask you for
lots of money. Also, someone who finished recently (or is still in
training) may have more immediately relevant information about schools
and instructors than someone who got their licence many years ago.

Chris

WJRFlyBoy wrote:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA


I agree that finding a CFI that you feel comfortable with is important.
Even better is one with more than 500 hours. But beyond that be prepared
to do some work and studying on your own. Too many students expect to be
spoon fed... they think because they are paying the money it should all
just happen without a lot of mental exertion on their part. Wrong.

The best students I've had are the ones that will study the material
on their own... will be well prepared for their pre-solo test and
for their solo cross countries and show up 20 minutes prior to their
scheduled lesson to get a weather briefing and for pre-flight.

Good luck... you sound like you want to be and will be a good pilot.

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:57:47 -0500, Christopher Brian Colohan wrote:

- if you can, try to fly twice a week (at least). Less than that and
you may start to get rusty between lessons, and it will take longer to
learn.

Is there such a thing as too often?

- try to find "mentors". If you can find someone in your area who
just got their certificate, they should be able to give you hints
about training in your area. It is good to know how often you should
expect lessons to be cancelled due to weather, how reliable certain
schools or instructors are, etc. You are most likely to get accurate
answers to your questions from someone who is not about to ask you for
lots of money. Also, someone who finished recently (or is still in
training) may have more immediately relevant information about schools
and instructors than someone who got their licence many years ago.

Chris

Chris, thanks, can you suggest the bst way to find these in-training or
just finished (or is this self-evident once you get to the airport(s) ?
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:54:29 GMT, kontiki wrote:

WJRFlyBoy wrote:
It's time to stop talking and start doing so I would appreciate any advice
on how to assess a flight school, instructor, pricing and any other
suggestions.

No advice too basic, trust me Including what I should have included in
this post or requested in the first place

TIA


I agree that finding a CFI that you feel comfortable with is important.
Even better is one with more than 500 hours. But beyond that be prepared
to do some work and studying on your own. Too many students expect to be
spoon fed... they think because they are paying the money it should all
just happen without a lot of mental exertion on their part. Wrong.

Appreciate the time and the encouragement, yes, it's a "excellence or not"
thing with me. Drives my wife nutz I tend to pour into the pursuit of
something especially if it is new.

The best students I've had are the ones that will study the material
on their own... will be well prepared for their pre-solo test and
for their solo cross countries and show up 20 minutes prior to their
scheduled lesson to get a weather briefing and for pre-flight.

Good luck... you sound like you want to be and will be a good pilot.

Suggestions on where to go for material to study, what material in
particular? Consider that I have zip experience and no ego.

I have had to wait 30 years +, kids out of the house, my wife willing to
give in, life insurance paid in full...
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

There is no such thing as too often, BUT you must allow yourself time to
assimilate the new information/experience/knowledge, and to prepare for the
next lesson. Your instructor should debrief you after each lesson and
discuss with you what comes next...but you will escape the re-learning that
comes with flying infrequently.

The web is an invaluable resource. Use search engines to the utmost.

Nothing wrong with cross-posting to both the student and piloting
newsgroups, but you will soon see that the same folks frequent both. I
recommend that you join the AOPA and log onto their forum as well as
www.pilotsofamerica.com, www.purpleboard.net, and www.studentpilot.com. Lots
of friendly, helpful folks and a few jerks.

Bob Gardner

"WJRFlyBoy" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 16:57:47 -0500, Christopher Brian Colohan wrote:

- if you can, try to fly twice a week (at least). Less than that and
you may start to get rusty between lessons, and it will take longer to
learn.

Is there such a thing as too often?

- try to find "mentors". If you can find someone in your area who
just got their certificate, they should be able to give you hints
about training in your area. It is good to know how often you should
expect lessons to be cancelled due to weather, how reliable certain
schools or instructors are, etc. You are most likely to get accurate
answers to your questions from someone who is not about to ask you for
lots of money. Also, someone who finished recently (or is still in
training) may have more immediately relevant information about schools
and instructors than someone who got their licence many years ago.

Chris

Chris, thanks, can you suggest the bst way to find these in-training or
just finished (or is this self-evident once you get to the airport(s) ?
--
Remove numbers for gmail and for God's sake it ain't "gee" either!

WJRFlyBoy wrote:

Suggestions on where to go for material to study, what material in
particular? Consider that I have zip experience and no ego.

I have had to wait 30 years +, kids out of the house, my wife willing to
give in, life insurance paid in full...

Well for starters it is really hard to beat the venerable FAA
Airplane Flying handbook for starters. You can buy it from any
number of sources, including even many FBO's. But you can also
download it directly from the FAA in PDF format he
http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/a...lane_handbook/

It gives a great overview of everything you'll need to know and
do to get your private pilot license and includes some great
visuals. Going beyond that... and getting in-depth study and
explanation of every aeronautical topic you will encounter I'd
recommend The The Pilot's Manual (Private and Commercial) by
Trevor Thom. It has excellent explanations, illustrations and
even practice questions at the end of each chapter. I found it
very well written and still use it as a resource on occasions.
Of course you should also get the 2008 edition of the the FAR/AIM
(Federal Aviation Regulations and Aeronautical Information Manual)
[and even bring it with you on your check ride].

In studying for the written its hard to beat the tried and
true Gleim Private pilot FAA Knowledge test study guide.
It contains all the subject matter you will need to know to
pass the written test and provides example questions and
in-depth answers to actual questions you will get on the test.

Beyond the above texts, there are several DVD courses from
Jeppeson, Sporty's and King Schools. I have viewed several King
and Jeppeson tapes (DVDs) and found them very well done. In fact
all of these three have the entire Private pilot course on DVDs.
I prefer having a textbook myself but DVD coursse can benefit
many people... but they are not cheap... and still no real
substitute for some reading and studying a good textbook.

Hope this helps, and please keep us posted on your progress Sir.