"Keygrip" - Disgrace what you say regarding students!
Let's turn this the other way, maybe more flight schools should be honest with their assessment of potential students and tell them they are not suited for a career within aviaiton, how many flight schools give their honest opinion straight out?
Or are they to worried they might loose another "bean bag" client, who will waste their money on training they either do not complete or does not have the potenial to succed in.
It must be a major worry for US flight schools, (worldwide flight schools) - that the current economic climate is drying up the suckers with to much money to waste! I would like more schools being honest and fair, however I guess it is supply and demand that rules.
At the moment students are in demand to be able to save FTO's, so they will take anyone regardless of suitability / ability!
Reading OFT's site, they say themselves they have not based on min. hours, but on a sensible program which is realistic, so who is creating this situation? The student?
Personally I predict several US flight schools going the same way as NAIA, and that's out of business, or at least strongly reduced business. Why? Credit crunch, US route is no longer the economical way to complete a JAR CPL/IR - bad exchange rates, and the loss of J1 visa.
It is a BS, that there are INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS OF NAIA, which have lost their money - because they trusted a so called "BIG" and reputable school!
When people say things like you say, it makes me furious, remember the customer expects, but what can they expect if they have pre payed, and are in shackles over all what happens to their money! PAY MORE, or NO LICENSE - that's the policy of many FTO's - tempt the students with unrealistic programs, because WHAT WILL THEY DO WHEN THEY STILL NEED ANOTHER 10 - 30 hours? Loose it all, or become another CREDIT CRUNCH victim!
