Glad to see you back Rib 22,
All that typing of yours was deleted because it was nothing more that an extremely extended and totally uncritical advert. I got to it but not before your were already having the piss taken out of you and your words thrown right back at your school.
The search engine is available for all and anyone can find that with the exception of the quality of the instructors there is very little about such a large concern that hasn't been criticised over many years.
Going back to the mid nineties the debate raged regarding the poor food and accomodation, security, cultural clashes and noise in halls. The 'new' simulators have been consistently criticised for years as poor similacrums of aeronautical devices and the marketing has been under a constant critical review. Roll back the date a year and the 'success' in placing students is a constant and very disparaging theme. Strangely enough this has turned around but obviously has nothing to do with the immense worldwide demand for pilots now.........
Experienced aviators have become giddy with the chopping and changing of allied training fields overseas and anyone in the business and not a customer knows that latterly the legendary training staff has been battered in terms, hours and conditions.
Thus your post simply screamed naivety at best or cynical con job to anyone with even a year or so interested in FTO's let alone in the civvy game.
Spouting success for the latest and more expensive scheme is a total nonsense when airline training departments are working to absolute capacity, expansion is delayed due to both lack of pilots and airframes in many parts of the world and startups are putting their plans on hold. Why, the poor sods in India are having to work an extra year before retirement coz the training can't keep up.
We hold no brief for the FTO industry other than upholding standards. They are an entirely seperate entity to the airlines, providing a career path and a living for some remarkably good people. But I repeat, they are entirely seperate from the fortunes and cycles of the industry many of you seek to enter.
Collectively, they will never willingly do anything other that tell you what you want to hear even when there isn't a job to be had for guys with 5000 hours let alone the newly qualified.
Doubt me? Spend a couple of weeks on the Australian forums - over 10,000 issued but unused professional licences. Fodder sold dreams to keep flying schools running and a hundred or so instructors finding their own students so they can slowly, painfully build their hours. The UK is exactly the same - turkeys don't vote for Christmas.
That's flight training writ large and why we expend the time and effort year after year to counter the gladhanding, promises and gloss.
Using this site carefully will give all a picture of many schools doing a fine job with integrity. You'll discover organisations that don't need to advertise anywhere and individual groundschool and flying instructors who are quite simply deeply gifted individuals. That's what PPRuNe is for. Slap down the hype and praise the best in the industry.
You may not agree with me but consider this.
The FTO's are in business to take money from you.
We don't take a penny
These forums exist through working airline pilots putting something back into the industry you want to join.
Regards
Rob Lloyd