Which school was this..? Presumably SEVIS approved, or you're a US citizen or legal permanent resident?
I'm not a US citizen or legal permanent resident there. I am a bog standard UK citizen born and bred. The school is a small but long established operation that has had scores (possibly hundreds) of foreign students, and specialises in ex-mil pilots such as myself. I've no idea if they are SEVIS approved. What I do know is this: I travelled on an ESTA, told immigration exactly what I was doing and was allowed in, exactly as my flt school said I would be