Will Flight Schools Survive?

[ATPMBA]

Tight credit markets, looming global recession., the perception of a bad economy. Will this cause flight schools to go out of business over the next 18 months?

[Aerospace101]

Flight schools will survive

Because there are so many fools out there ready to blow +50K on training right now, because they think there will be a job waiting for them in 18months time.

[BelArgUSA]

Flight schools are great at advertising "AIRLINES HIRING BOOM"
Start training NOW for B-787 captain jobs at a $400,000/year salary.
Airline pilots work only 75 hours monthly...
There is a "hiring boom" since October 1973...
Even peaked in 1991/94, after September 2001, and now October 2008...
xxx
Of course, first will be 15 years as flight instructor...
For time building at $12/hour... you will be flying 20 hrs monthly...
Training many other "future B-787 captains" -
xxx
If I had to do it again, I would not be a pilot.
I would own a flight school.
:D
Happy contrails

[v6g]

If this forum is anything to go by, there really is a sucker born every minute.

[fadedfootpaths]

This is like asking if Paris Hilton would stop having sex for the rest of her life :ugh:

[G-BFUN]

There are good flight schools out there you know guys.

If it is the end of FTO's then no one will ever become a pilot again, and in that case seeming as we are on the forum for "prof. pilot training" this forum should be closed down as well?

In short, yes its a bad time if you have qualified now with a CPL ME/IR, but as many people I know with YEARS of experience say, its cyclical and its not a question of if, but when, airlines hire again.

[ali1986]

what a load of rubbish!, now is the time to start training. ready for the hiring boom in afew years

[WindSheer]

what a load of rubbish!, now is the time to start training. ready for the hiring boom in afew years


With an attitude like that....you may well end up in the sh1t!
If you have got the courage to still go for it...then do so on your own personal analogy!
We are in a serious global recession, it could take 10 years for things to pick up at the pointy ends....or then again it may take less......NO ONE....AND I MEAN NO ONE, KNOWS!

Maybe you should work for the OAT marketing team...:cool:

[ali1986]

Windshear from what veiwpoint do you speak from exactly?

sure the recession doesnt help, but the industry goes up and down in a sine wave anyway. you wouldnt want to start training when all the airlines are hiring you would want to be ready to go straight in.

[Aerospace101]

FOOLS! :ugh:

[ford cortina]

BAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

[Philpaz]

but the industry goes up and down in a sine wave anyway

Sine waves are smooth, this is more like a white knuckle ride at Alton Towers :ok:

[Bruce Wayne]

Quote:
but the industry goes up and down in a sine wave anyway
Sine waves are smooth, this is more like a white knuckle ride at Alton Towers http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

Blindfolded.

[JohnRayner]

All you people on here with no vested interest are talking b:mad:cks!!

You're all just full of sh1t

I've been told personally by the people at (insert BIG FTO here) that NOW is the time to start training, as the crystal ball at (insert BIG FTO here) clearly states that there will be no recession, which will be done by 4.30 pm, July 14th 2009 if there is.

I also found out after 15 minutes on the flight sim at (insert.. ahh, you get the point) that I am Tom Cruise in TopGun re-incarnated, and they assured me PERSONALLY that there would be no risk to them if I got my mum to sell Granny's jewels to finance my training!

They also told me the moon is made of cheese, which just goes to show that modern schools don't know NOTHING.

I'll think of you losers with your balanced non-financially motivated opinions when I'm on the bridge of the starship enterprise. You probably just want my job anyway.

etc. etc.
A.Wannabe

:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}:}

[flyboy55]

so whens this big hiring boom going to start ??

iv been told around 3-5years. what do you's think ?

[safta]

Flight schools in first world countries such as the USA and Europe will start to take strain as the demand for pilots dries up and less people are able to afford to learn to fly.

Additionally, a lot of flight schools in the USA have relied on the rapidly expending 3rd world countries to supply them with students, but the current financial crisis has resulted in currencies from 3rd world countries or emerging market economies weakening considerably against the 1st world currencies, making flight training in the USA and Europe unaffordable.

However, flight training in emerging market economies is now very affordable due to the weakened currency and, as an example, a Multi Engine CPL in South Africa, with accommodation, can be completed for less than $30,000 USD. The license is highly respected world wide and ICAO recognised.

What is a worry is that some schools, as they become desperate for students and revenue, will resort to underhanded tactics to entice students to join them and will then not deliver the goods.

The best advice is to never pay a large deposit in advance of commencing training but rather opt to pay in small amounts as your training progresses. If they ask for large deposits in advance, smell a rat!!

[potkettleblack]

Flight schools are generally made of teflon. This is because they have an amazing knack of rising like a phoenix from the flames of destruction that they have left around them when they go bust. You will find that the astute flight school owner has their a/c owned in a separate company or trust and when you pay over your hard earned it goes into another company. Never the twain do meet. When the creditors come calling the school is liquidated and amazingly enough the CFI sets up from a new portacabin just across the way advertising amazing discounts for "new customers" as part of an opening never to be repeated special.

Avoid handing over deposits and large payments in advance like the plague. Use your credit card in case they go bust even if it means paying a small admin fee.