Well Im glad you guys have got your eyes wide open..and your heads screwed-on the right way.
Just so you know...my contacts in Jerez...& OAT will tell you different in respect of these "airline" schemes. The amount of time and effort required is minimal for an airline....particularly when you balance it against the cost of training (some would say thats the whole point..with which I dont disagree) however, the schemes by their nature imply that you have a better than average chance of going from zero-to-hero..sadly in the real world it is simply not the case.
Im only pointing these things out too offer a counter view to all the marketing and hype. You are quite right to say airlines dont want to fill an FTO's bank balance...but at the same time they dont care what it costs you, so by default the endorsement of a scheme such as this..or OAT's similar setup gives FTO's a chance to charge pretty much what they like.
Guys at the end of the day its your money.....In my 10 years of aviation (SE piston, ME piston, Turbo-prop, Jet) Ive seen both sides.IMHO..this is a poor return for your money.
Anyway best of luck.....enjoy the beer..and keep smiling
