Things you should know before going to FSA-Vero Beach
I was a former international student there and i have to say that the school has nothing -nothing to do with the Flightsafety academy of the past years.
The problems are -according to my point of view- : availability of A/C(many A/C have been sold-internet uses the old # for obvious reasons!!!!!) ,availability of instructors,more IMPORTANT availability of good instructors that they want to share their knowledge and have passion for teaching( the school is very expensive so you ask the better training possible and very good instructors).I do not want from someone to say again the fairy -tale with the "standardized" instructors because to be standardized does not make you a good instructor-teacher at all.We are OK with that ?? The availability of A/C is a serious handicap in training since you cannot be proficient .You fly one manoeuvre and then you have to wait one week or more to do another lesson .if you take into account the weather maybe a lot more. I heard a lot of people suggesting talking to the chief pilot or manager. According to my experience there even if i spoke to them many times they seem only to care about their contract students(Swiss-Germany.....e.t.c).In other words the BIG MONEY.All of the other students (not contract students) international or domestic we wait and wait and wait and wait....But at the same time we pay the very expensive campus(don't stay in campus,it is like a cheap hotel with the price of 4 stars).
The only good thing about the academy was the maintenance and the ground school .
It seems that the academy especially now with the economic crisis and after the new owner ( an insurance company) cares ZERO about quality of instruction in the air and they try to take as much money as possible when you become a student there.It is obvious to all that if you fly once or twice a week you need to repeat the lessons otherwise you forget the motor coordination that is required for flying .This means more , a lot more money than you expect.
The thing that makes me leave the school was the numerous excuses when i asked :WHY-WHY i do not fly..They told me nothing about the reason ,instead the give an example that the pilot in airlines they are proficient even if they do not fly every day.My answer was we are students not CAPTAINS and WE pay a great deal of money ..
I say good luck to anyone searching for a good school that is not ONLY BUSSINESS.Flightsafety academy is ONLY business period.
Do not believe the good words of the Internet site or the mail that you receive from them .Go and ask students but without any employ near.