Hi Politically Blonde
As a student at ACFT I can say that you should give them a go. I am very happy there.
As I said earlier, the 'briefings' cover items not necessarily covered in the text books including the practical application of that information. They are not a substitute for self study. They complement your study. I have found the briefings very valuable and would rather be given a briefing on the ground with a proper presentation at the lower briefing charge rate than in the air when you are trying to do other things like fly and navigate. Without a good ground briefing you could spend more time in the air trying to master a particular part of the training. The more information you have the more chance you have to be a better and safer all round pilot.
Ground briefings are all about minimising your flying time. The flying time is the most expensive part of achieving your licence so if you can utilise the ground briefings efficiently the overall cost of your licence should be less otherwise you will probably end up doing additional hours over the minimum to achieve your licence.
Give the instructors a call and they can explain about the briefings in more detail and answer any specific questions you may have. There may actually not be as many briefings as you think there are. Phone them on 9417 1927.
Happy flying.
