Record Straightening
I remember reading this post a while ago and just noticed it suddenly resurfaced. Upon reading the comments so far I'd just like to add what I know to the mix.
To give you my background I have been selected to start the internship program in January at ACF in Long Beach. Before accepting the offer to join them I did extensive reaseach on them on here and via other avenues.
To be honest I did not find one bad comment about the school or its owner Seosamh Sommers. In fact quite by chance I saw that people who have encountered him highly rated his tuition. In addition other people who booked to go with Rainbow Air found that Seosamh had been sub-contracted to do the training were admittely not pleased at first as you can imagine, but on reflection, very satisifed with the result and feel they got the better end of the deal.
To be honest I wouldn't have accepted their offer if I wasn't 100% for a few reasons, first of which is £29,700 of my own hard cash over two years, second of which is that they are gonig to be my employer after I finish my initial training and I don't want to be put in a potentially awkward position if their business practices are not 100% above board, thirdly, as already mentioned I will be there for two years of my life (I'll will have just turned 29 when I finish, some argue the best years of your life).
I had a lengthy phone call with Seosamh and we hit it off (well in my opinion) right away. He was affable and explained that if I had the opportunity of a more tangeable flying job say 18 months into my internship, although they would find it hard, then I could move on without penalty. In fact the whole money situation at this school is very amicable, eg. on 0 hours you pay for example £2,000 into a ESCROW account just so they know you have the funds, upon completing, say 20 hours you sign it over to ACF. Everyone happy.
I'd also like to add, Seosamh paid for my SEVIS and M-1 Visa application before 1./ I passed my JAA Class 1 medical (which I did on Monday of this week) 2./ Seen evidence I could pay the whole £29,700 course fee and 3./ Sent a desposit to confirm my place at the school.
Now, as I said at the top of the post some people may construe my post is tinged with a degree of bias, and to be fair I must admit if the school is busy it makes my job as an instructor all that more easier. However at this stage (before actually putting my foot on American soil) I'm well impressed with the friendliness, openess and honest of those at ACF and look forward to being part of the team.
In addition FAA to JAA stuff already queeried, I have been guaranteed that, although I will be in a FAA environment, I will be trained to (the slightly higher) JAA standard and then some on top, in everything from PPL to CPL IR/ME and Instructor Rating. Also my hours building will be instructing (slightly more educational and hands on than flying long legs) and the majority of this will be Multi-Engine.
If the above turns out not to be the case I can assure you, I will be the first to let you know on here. As I will be very miffed and money down based on the course structure as outlined to me. But to be honest my brain tells me its all there, my colleages tell me the same and finally, possibly the acid test, my gut feeling about this is very good indeed.
I have also been told and found out from my sources that ACF intends to, and has in the past, taught any student from a JAA country (as this is exclusively their target market) up to and beyond the JAA standard.
Stephen