Originally Posted by
cxausflyer
TLDR: What are the best flying schools in Sydney in 2018/2019 that are still operational?
G'day Alex,
There are a number of quality schools in/near Sydney, and a few to avoid. If you are on the northern side of the Parramatta River I can highly recommend the Central Coast Aero Club at Warnervale.
One way of working this out is to make a shortlist of schools and actually turn up in the flesh and speak to the CFI or Manager. Remember, you are going to be spending a big chunk of money on your training no matter where you do it, so don't make a decision just based on what their website looks like or what people on the internet say. Turn up and maybe have a list of questions, a few key ones IMO are:
- Do you require payment in advance?
- Will I generally fly with the one instructor?
- Do you have ground theory courses or is it self-study at home only?
- What aircraft do you use and why? What are the rates? (Cheaper is not necessarily better, neither does paying the most mean the aircraft is always the best)
- What are the landing fees (if not included in the hourly rates)?
- What other ratings/endorsements can I do with you after RPL/PPL/CPL?
- Will I be included cohort/intake with other students or doing it 'by myself'?
- What are your operating hours? (it has got to fit with when you want to fly and around your work)
- Have there been any recent accidents/incidents?
The above list is in no way exhaustive but at the end of the day you want to make sure when you are there in the flesh speaking to the CFI etc that it is going to be a well-run place that you want to go to in order to complete your training. You want the instructor to be invested in you succeeding in your training, not just some pleb who is there reluctantly until they can step up to the airlines (this isn't a general swipe at junior instructors, but I've met some disinterested shockers who clearly don't want to be instructing).