Flight Training Dilemma

Posted by . | | Posted on 6:46 PM

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This post is a response from the forum subject: HOW TO AVOID SCHOOL TRICKS

Hi guys......,

I have seen so many of my friends facing big problems and disappointment concerning their training and getting so frustrated with their school that i have thought that it would be nice to recap in this forum the small tricks that schools are using to catch us. Even if most of the times this small tricks have not tough consequences, i have seen some of my friends loosing their hopes and dollars,,

Concerning my self i have been very lucky with my final choice at Career Pilot School... but before Career Pilot School I was in one of the very popular and packed flight school in Atwater,CA,now this school is bankrupted and for me it has been a real disaster here is what are for me the biggest traps to avoid-

- Think twice before you chose very low price program, it is Pilot training not Car Driving....I have not seen any of my friends able to finish a zero to CPL program for less than $45,000 when it was advertised for $35,000 and sometimes even for less

- another common thing is that schools have more students than their capacity , the result is that i have seen some of my friends staying days and days,,,,weeks and weeks without flying because they were no aircraft available for that..

Please now for those who have some advice please share it with us but lets not make this thread as an advertisement for flight school..try not to come up with flight schools names...

thanks

RESPONSE NO.1

Don't put money down. Pay as you go. If they offer you a juicy discount to pay up-front, don't put money down. You can't lose what they haven't got, and if they are worrying that much about cash up front then they probably have financial problems, so don't put money down.

I confess, my vehemence is personal. I lost a little when a school went down, but I was lucky, by pure chance of timing I was nearly finished, and it was actually close to the amount I had saved by putting money up front, so I came out evens. I know many who lost a lot, nearly £20,000 in one case. I should not have paid upfront.

Otherwise the good schools are pretty straightforward, at least in the UK. If you suspect anything tricky then sort it out with the school or walk out of the door! Yes variations in student flow mean sometimes even a good school is over subscribed, but if it gets really bad, talk to the Chief Flying Instructor, if that is no good speak to the Head of Training. If it persists be prepared to go elsewhere, it might cost more in brush-up training, but not as much as an interrupted course, which also might prevent you getting that important first-time IRT pass.

Oh, did I say? Don't put money down!

RESPONSE NO. 2

DO NOT PAY MORE THAN $2500 UP FRONT TO ANY FLIGHT SCHOOL FOR ANYTHING. NO MATTER HOW GOOD THEY MAKE IT SOUND, NO MATTER WHAT DISCOUNT THEY OFFER--DON'T DO IT!!!!

Never let any flight school get more than $2500 ahead of you for any reason.

If you will simply follow this advice then the scammers in this industry will be out of business.

A contract does not protect you if the school does not have the resources (money) to honor that contract. A 100% guarantee is not worth the paper it is printed on in the flight school business.

Over 100 MILLION DOLLARS has been lost by students in the State of Florida over the past 8 years to flight schools that have collected money up front and have not delivered what was written in the contract.

Don't be another victim. If the flight school wants money up front then run away. The newest scam is collecting large amounts up front for time building. Don't do it!

RESPONSE NO. 3

The Jet University students have a student website that details the horror that the students went through at Jet University.

If you google jet university you will find it. The website has been left up by the students and former employees to help others considering flight training know what to look out for. I wish a website like this was available prior to enrolling at Jet University.

With that being said, the training was actually quite good. 180 students went through Jet University.

RESPONSE NO. 4

I certainly understand and share the sentiments of students who undergo the dilemma during the training stage in their flying career. And I’m also aware on how flying schools conduct their business taking their student’s career at stake.

We need to understand that there’s no perfect business in this world. Even one of the largest and stable airlines in Asia (Japan Airlines) filed bankruptcy protection last January 19, 2010 and expected to lay off 15,000 employees.

Your choice in paying the school for your flight training depends on your financial capability and comfort. If you’re comfortable in paying the school in per flight basis then there’s nothing wrong with that. If you think paying half or full of your tuition upfront is ideal for you then there’s nothing wrong with that either. The only
difference between the two is the application of your judgment. It doesn’t take a lot of thinking if you’re paying per flight basis. However, if you decide to pay a large amount of money for your training then you need to have proper judgment so you’ll not fall into false promises or scam. Neither of this payment method exempts you
from any false promises, scam, or even risk. Some flight schools provide hidden charges in per flight or even package payment methods. And some are very good sales man that they’ll convince you to pay a large amount of money even they don’t have the quality of service you deserve based on the money you paid.

WHOM OF YOU HERE ESCAPES FROM THE TRAP OF A SCHOOL MANAGER WITH VERY
PLEASING PERSONALITY AT THE FRONT BUT A LION AT THE BACK AIMING TO
DEVOUR YOUR FINANCES?

AND WHOM OF YOU HERE KNOWS IT’S A SCAM IF YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF
THE SCHOOL IS GOOD BECAUSE OF THEIR NICE FACILITY, GOOD EQUIPMENTS,
AND IMPRESSIVE FLEET OF AIRCRAFT?

I BET NONE.

Neither of the payment method guarantees your success or escapes you from any risk. If you have the money and you’re just paying a per flight basis then there’s a big risk that you’ll spend it in another venture therefore interrupting the continuity of your training. Or, if you pay a big amount and end up in a school that’s closing down
then you’ll lose. Most of the students who aim to become professional pilots nowadays have wrong perspective when embarking in this career. They choose the school that has an impressive facility, programs, equipments, and aircraft. None of these students knows the reality behind the business even with due diligence still it does not guarantee from the risk he or she is into. Every student has different opinions about the school, therefore, making it more complicated and confusing if obtaining views from other students.

The most important thing if you decide to become professional pilot and have a successful career in flying is to choose the best instructor (not a flying school). I was very lucky that I was mentored by one of the legend in aviation, William K. Kershner, who taught me the right stuff and helped me become successful in this career. You can find good instructors at National Association of Flight Instructors at http://www.nafinet.org if you’re planning to fly in the US. You can search for a master flight instructor or even flight instructors that are inducted in the hall of fame. The reason why the flight instructor is the most important thing is because they protect their name and profession in the industry and they shield you from any scams or bankruptcies. Additionally, if you have a good mentor then he or she will help you find a promising job. Remember that even if a flight school is directly attached or a subsidiary of an airline company, still it does not guarantee your employment after
your training. And it does not guarantee that they’ll not close down if strike by economic crises.



Going Green in Aviation

Posted by . | Posted in , , , , , | Posted on 12:12 AM

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We are all aware of the global warming we face today. The existence of human race is continuously threatened with this unbearable climate change on which we are the number contributing factor of its mess. Nevertheless, we also can’t ignore our lifestyle, profession, business, etc. where it hangs the balance of life and our environment.

As an aviation community, we must be prudent and act accordingly to the best interest of “our planet Earth” – Go Green. Support the initiatives of Green Aviation International, a non profit organization comprising of both aviation and other professionals.

Excerpts from Green Aviation International

Aviation is most definitely not the biggest contributor to climate change by far, however its rapid growth has offset improvements made in other industries. Aviation still emits massive volumes of CO2 each year, and whilst only being 2% of overall global production it still amounts to an additional 670 000 000 000 kg in a year. That volume has doubled since 1990 and is predicted to more than double again by 2025 to 1480 000 000 000 kg (1.48 billion tons). There are also other pollutants such as NOX created by inefficiencies in combustion that cause other environmental damage. Some of these pollutants damage the ozone layer that shields us from harmful radiation. These pollutants are even stronger in their impact because they are released at high altitudes. Scientists predict in different research that the total warming impact of aviation’s emissions can be multiplied anywhere between 1.9 and 2.7 times to estimate their true impact.

For sure, the Science of Climate Change is not yet settled. There is still much research to be done to understand how these things work. Indeed, a small number of scientists even say that there is no strong link between CO2 and Global Warming, although they are in a minority. Well they might be proved to be right in due course, but the other pollutants emitted by aircraft do cause damage to the fragile Ozone Layer that shields life on Earth from harmful cosmic radiation; that is a fact.

As the current Guardians of the planet we have a duty to act now to protect its future. We believe that we have no moral alternatives and must address the real issues now. For sure, aviation is far from the worst contributor to global warming, road transport and power generation are far worse, but that does not lessen the need nor urgency for people involved in aviation to clean up our own backyard instead of pointing at the bigger mess in our neighbor’s yard.

Green Aviation International is a new and quite unique organization comprising of both aviation and other professionals. We fully recognize the wonderful and positive impact of aviation on our lives, but we also fully recognize that to continue to enjoy our freedom to fly we must fix the problems quickly. We are working with airlines and rolling out a number of practical, low cost solutions to help them reduce their impact upon the environment. We only have one Earth and if we mess up our environment, there simply is no “plan B”

We hope that you will support us in the mission of helping aviation and “turning it green”! After all, humans need to fly! But please don’t forget all those other forms of transport, industry and your own home. Cut and offset your CO2 emissions now, before it is too late.







Launching the New 2010 Website

Posted by . | Posted in , , , | Posted on 9:06 PM

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Aviation Training One International launches its new 2010 Website. The new site provides helpful information to students on how to become a pilot, an aircraft mechanic, flight dispatcher, flight attendants, and air traffic controller. It also provides planning information helping students to effectively plan their training and finances.

The new website features are:

  • Auto response to student inquiries and applicants.
  • On-line chat to contact the school’s administration.
  • Planning information.
  • On-line training schedules and records.
  • Current news and other relevant information.
  • And many others.

You may visit the website at http://www.avtraining1.com

Any comments or suggestions to make this website more useful is highly appreciated. Should you feel that some contents require corrections or there are things that need to be added then we'll be happy to consider those.





2010 has finally arrived and we’re very blessed that we have gone this far with much anticipation of more training and improvements. 2009 brings tough choices and sacrifices considering the economic conditions and rigid transitions that open more ideas and opportunities.

As much as we’re hopeful to make this year productive and meaningful, let’s not forget that our institution was established with a strong foundation as written in our creed. And we must continuously carry the virtues on which our academy was founded for. Nevertheless, our commitment to our students, employees, management, business, and community must be renewed as we progress towards our goal – to be a great aviation training academy.

Join me in this community and make a change for a better world in aviation.