interesting post moochooser-
i have to say at times i have looked at the prices for training and have been amazed at the wide ranging prices for different training(CPL, IR etc)..
When it comes to getting value for money, i am the first person to try and sniff out a bargain and believe me when it comes to flying i have tried my best to do the same.
I am almost on the brink of finishing my ATPLs and have been looking into CPL/IR costs and am trying to figure out the cheapest way to do, while at the same time not selling myself short by choosing price over quality.
I see what u are saying that there are cheaper options out there and people should look into them before paying over the odds for what boils down to the same thing.
The one thing I think about ur figures-
mmmm they may be the prices u have been quoted by a school, but at the end of the day, these are based on minimums and by all accounts (I have spoken to a lot of people who have done conversions and people here have already stated this) things like FAA conversions generally take a lot longer than the minimums.
You also have not factored in exam fees for the conversion or a/c hire.
I am not criticising what you have said or anything like that, but i find that when a school is signifigantly cheaper than another, there is usually a catch.
The other thing is-
if you get a bunch of schools scattered around the world giving u good quotes like what u r stating,at times it is not worth hopping between cities for cheap training when ur overheads (flts etc) start to push ur outgoings up.
can i ask u-
where did u get the quote for a FAA CPL for $1300 and the ME/IR add on for $1800?