As a former instructor at Firecrest I would recommend that students should avoid paying up front for flying lessons - you can never be sure of the company's financial security and so risk losing your money, as some Firecrest students will testify; and instructors and suppliers should make sure they get paid in full on a monthly basis for the same reasons.
Very true for students, renters and suppliers but how could the Flying Club (Starsfly) be run more efficiently to avoid the trading problems that Firecrest encountered?