Flying At FTC
I'll be honest in admitting that I haven't fown with anyone else but with 300 hours behind me I have loved almost every minute of my trianing with FTC. The bits I haven't liked do not relate to actually flying.
The instructors are the schools finest asset. What ever other problems may arise, you know that every minute you are in the air will count. I even took a joy ride with one of the instructors who was doing an acceptance flight, I learnt lot just from that and I wasn't paying for it.
I flew with them in 1998 to get an SA PPL and then joined them again last year after doing my ATPL exams distance learning through Atlantic.
I have earnt my CPL and my Insructors Rating (JAR) with them.
Now I will not sit here and say that the last 6 months out there was all plain sailing. Anyone who was out there this year will tell you that the school has had problems, not least with the accomodation. Through it all the school want people to get through whether they be fun PPLs or serious Career Pilots.
The "new" piper aircraft as they are called are only two years old I have am privaledged to have the delivery flight of one of them in my logbook as PIC. The rest of the fleet i probably what would be expected with PA28s and C172s. They have 2 Arrows (for CPL) and 2 twins.
The key to "surviving" is to stand up for yourself and keep on top of the situation you find yourself in. For a smallish school you can, at the en of the day, have a beer with the school's Owner. How many schools can say that.