Not many cars claim to be a better sportscar than a Boxster S..
My experience is this. I did my CPL and various ratings and Multi and IR at a variety of schools. They were all small having no more than half a dozen aircraft and they were based in scruffy buildings which each contained a very scruffy kitchen with boasting a 1970's stained steel kettle for communal use.
I then went on to be a flying instructor at such a school.
I then went on to be a flying instructor at a big shiny prestigious school having dozens of aircraft based in a marble floored air conditioned purpose built building containing dozens of computers and a collection of well stocked vending machines.
And do you know what?
Straight and Level 1 is the same lesson conducted in the same way at both types of school.
So are Medium Level Turns and Circuits. So is VFR Nav 1 & 2, and Stalling 1, 2 & 3. The radios work the same and the checklists are identical. Principals of aerodynamics remain unchanged and the examiner at the end of the training is the same for each type of school. The license issued is the same colour from the same building regardless of whether you paid £40k or £60k.
If I had a son and if he wanted to be a pilot and if the repeated beatings had not dissuaded him then I would NOT contemplate using a large FTO based on my insight into the business. Its not worth the premium and its not even the best training available.
I think the most distinct difference between small and large FTO's is that you are one of 9 students in the former and one of 95 in the latter. You have far more power and influence in the smaller FTO. Time and again large FTO's are accused of being sausage machines, of having terrible management and being poor at communicating. It seems a universal constant at large FTO's.
Go and look at the large players but MAKE SURE you also go and look at a few smaller schools. Start at an airfield near you. There are some real gems out there and they can save you money.
Cheers
WWW