After having done my initial training at RMIT flight Training.
My advice. STAY WELL THE **** AWAY..
Unless your have lots of money to burn.!!
I would highly recommend Melbourne Flight Training at Moorabbin airport where I finished. And If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be working in the Industry.
Anyway back to why you shouldn't choose RMIT.
RMIT as i've discussed with other past students, is that they are purely a business.. NOT really flying school.. They just want your money and they have a few sneaky ways in taking it.
When most people who start flying (especially if your dad or mum aren't pilots) most are pretty naive, and don't really know what the industry is really like.
Ways RMIT take your money:
- Charging random $1500 admin fees. Apprently its for the paper you use and using the photo copier.. but seriously $1500 just for bits of paper?
You will get charged the admin fee about 3-4 times. so thats $6000 worth of paper during the time your there? WTF
- Failing you in flight tests for flights other than perfect... Failing a test = re-test = a quick easy $600 flight test fee.
Reasons why you might fail a test that a stupid and happened to students in the past. Not realigning compass to the DG, Logging your time on your map instead of your flight plan.
- In addition to needing flight tests Perfect.. Your solo checks also need to be pretty perfect to pass aswell.. Failing = more flying = money
- Charging you for the full set of classes even though you are falling behind nor having even sat them
- 19 year old instructors who know nothing that they pay peanuts.
- Charging dual rate for a flight test.. All other places I have flown on a test was just Solo rate for aircraft + flight test fee.. Not Dual rate + flight test.
- now'a'days they charge an arm and a leg for a C172.. reason being because their new with G1000... Bollocks..
- Whenever their prices go up due to fuel, the price of the sim goes up aswell, even though it doesn't burn any avgas.
- They won't give you the required paperwork to go train elsewhere if you owe them money
- They give priority to their overseas airline contracts, as they pay them more, and this means you may be waiting up to a month or even more for a flight. this also means your skills aren't current, you don't fly as good which leads to remedial flight = money!!!!
- Oh yeah when you do a flight test and fail, they make you do ridiculous amount of remedial training... E.g Failing a PPL.. 2 solo Navs and another Dual nav.. 3 long flights = money!!!
- Also you can't sit the CPL test unless you have completed their whole syllabus, things that aren't even required by law, Tailwheel endo and Aerobatics, although good to have, its not required.
- Their ops manual states you cannot attempt your GFPT unless you have 10 hours command which is double the legal requirement, they say its so they have a higher standard.. But its just money..
- They make you purchase a full set of maps and flying equipment that you probably don't even need yet when you start.
- List goes on... PM me if you have any questions, I'm quite happy to put these scammers out of business.
High Houred Low Qualification pilots are also quite common at RMIT.. Often you will find 80 Hour pilots who don't even have GFPTs? Money???
So if your a rich sugardaddy then go for it..
Otherwise go elsewhere!
PS. RMIT also don't really give a rats arse about your progress, the company just want your money and the instructors just want hours.. (All of them pretty much just want to build time for the airlines)
Don't fall into the hype of 'RMIT' its just a name.. Its all it is.. Who cares if its affiliated with a university? What matters is the end result. That CPL MECIR and FIR
Now after I have bitched about RMIT, I feel as if I owe Melbourne Flight Training something.. So Here I will do the opposite of 'bitching' lol
After having been unhappy with RMIT for a long period of time I finally made the switch to another flying school. (Only continued to go there because I lived 10 mins down the road)
Anyway, I'd describe MFT as more of a flying school, their instructors are predominately highly experienced grade1's... Most of those grade ones actually want to be flight instructors in GA... BONUS!!!! Average experience level between all instructors I would guess 3500-4000 hours.. (RMIT <800) Most of their instructors there also have a lot of flying experience outside of instructing, Charter RPT, etc..
At MFT you and your progress will be taken care of, and you will make a lot of new pilot friends, some of which may even help you when it comes to getting your first job, as the place has a very social atmosphere especially with their Friday Night BBQ and beers.
MFT will not only help you get that licence, But when you finish, They will even hook you up with a job.. Glen the CFI is very well connected in the industry and always has friends and past students looking for pilots..!!.. He also pretty much takes on all instructor trainees who train there, to give them a foot in the door, (Like what happened to me) :o)