Well folks, it looks like I'm a survivor of one of the most oft-mentioned FTO's in the state of Florida! I returned to the UK with my PPL in 4 weeks in 2004 (had to stay longer due to almost a week of poor weather but it
was february) and all was well in the end.
I will fully admit that I probably didn't carry out as much research as I could before I went, but as a grown adult I believed I was aware of the risks. However, it became apparent that the risks you know about are not the ones to worry about! The orientation morning (form filling, registration, tour of facilities etc.) was a bit of an eye opener in that the FTO owner was conducting it and I immediately felt ill-at-ease in his company for several reasons which needn't be delved into at this point. Suffice to say he received a very wide berth from me from that point on.
On meeting the instructors I felt a lot better. My particular instructor was, I felt, very good. He had a very good attitude, was encouraging and was able to help me when this was required. I believe all of these instructors have since left, but I guess that's the nature of the job for them. As far as ground school and exams were concerned, I felt that the success of the student was directly proportional to the effort the student would expend. Having said that, the R/T exam was an absolute joke and frankly, I feel like I was given an R/T licence rather than have had earned it. As a result, I have had to work VERY hard on R/T discipline ever since.
I did pre-pay for my course and was fully aware that cancellation on my part would result in my losing a lot of money, but made sure that my payment only cleared 48 hours before travel. The FTO owner didn't like that which I suppose set me up for a less than pleasant orientation a few days later and did set alarm bells ringing.
I also had a very strange run in with the FTO itself in that the cost of the study materials were included in the package price. The study materials were purchased from AFE in Manchester and the cost of these were deducted from the "headline" cost, and the net sum was then payable to the FTO directly. Me being me, I realised that I could save a significant sum by obtaining the required texts from Amazon or second-hand (current editions only please! - an old student trick). This was mentioned in passing to a fellow student who in turn unknowingly regurgitated the story in front of one of the FTO staff at a "social" held on wednesday afternoons / evenings. I was then asked to come to a meeting the next day where the FTO admin manager and the owner demanded that I pay the difference (my saving) to them. I refused to do this, saying that it was irrelevant how I obtained my texts etc, the fact that I had them was proof in my eyes that I had fulfilled my part of the bargain. Several veiled threats followed but on each occasion I asked that they prove I had second - sourced my texts. This was finally brought up immediately before my skills test with the implicit threat that I wouldn't be flying today if I refused to pay the so-called difference. Again, I asked that the FTO prove where my texts were purchased from. I left the office to carry out the pre-flight etc. and no more was said.
Talk about sharp practices!
My experience was generally good. I enjoyed my time there, worked toward my goal and achieved it. Some time was spent in the pub, socialising etc. but these times were relatively rare. However, I did see several people fail / run over schedule / be charged significant sums of money over and above what they had already paid as they needed more time in order to pass for different reasons. Certainly, I saw a few people suffer because of what I would have deemed "self inflicted wounds" but that can happen in any course of study.
Just what happened to me anyway - I hope it helps!