CPL / IR Choice of FTO
All of the previous posts seem to take mostly subjective or personal views. Its not just the money you are going to spend, its the quality of your training and whether you are going to achieve that all important 1st time IR pass that matters. Therefore take time to consider some important points :
The location
> If the airport has only 1 runway, (Bournemouth and Bristol) will you always be within your crosswind limit and able to fly as planned.
> If the airport has a lot of commercial traffic, how much time might you spend waiting at the hold, or orbiting N or S while the heavy stuff departs or lands, let alone being told to break off your ILS because a 767 is gaining on you.
> What is its elevation, e.g. Bristol is 622 ft, in theory thats a 530 ft lower cloud base than EGBJ when a warm front is coming through.
> How easily will you join controlled airspace, and and at what level - check the published SIDS and STARS
> What is the lowest level for the airway you will be joining - is your training aircraft turbo-charged and able to get up there quickly.
> Is the twin you are going to do the IR on De/Anti iced. If not, how many days will you lose because of a low level icing forecast, even in summer.
Take time to visit the FTOs' and ask questions - being friendly and drinking coffee is not enough,
> Meet the Instructors - are they just a bit older than you, hours building perhaps on a salary of maybe £10-15K / yr, or are they 3000 hr plus professionals earning £35 - 45K / year with real experience and knowledge to impart to you.
> How many students to each Instructor, 2 is ideal, and will you always fly "back to back" with another student.
> Ask to see the Training Manual. What is the syllabus - what exercises / routes will you fly.
> During the 50 hr IR course, how many and what type of approaches can you expect to fly and where will you fly them.
> What will you spend on approaches (base and away) in addition to the course fees.
> How many Long Briefings can you expect, and on what subjects.
> Ask to see the Quality Manual - how will your progress be recorded / assessed.
> Is there a Student Reference Study Guide for additional self study - how extensive is it.
> How is the charged time calculated - block to block, airborne + 10, airborne + 15 etc.
There really are a lot of things to consider before you can be sure that you actually made an informed decision, rather than acting on an impulse, feeling or hunch.
Whilst there are a few "wise boys" out there, you generally get what you pay for, especially when it comes to Instructors.
Good luck