Questions to ask when choosing an IR school

[WX Man]

What questions would you ask if you were choosing a school to do an IR at now?

And does anyone have a list of airports where IR tests are conducted from? I emailed FCL trying to get the info from them, and they have been spectacularly unhelpful.

[Send Clowns]

Not sure where there is a list, but Bournemouth is one. 4 schools to choose from. Anyone else fly from an airport with a CAAFEU?(CAA Flight Examiners' Unit, or did I see they have changed the name of these?)

Ask the school - "Do you employ Send Clowns?" and if they do then they are a good school :O

Well, a little more seriously, look to instructor/student ratio, payment scheme (in arrears is best, can't lose anything, but if not be wary of making large advanced payments). Pass rate possibly, although statistics can be deceiving. General chat with staff and (away from staff) students to get a feel is probably most important. If you're happy, you will work hard , enjoy your flying and fly well.

Best of luck

[boeingbus2002]

Try a search on this, as it has been asked before.
But Main Test centres are
Bournemouth
Bristol
Cranfield
Oxford
I think Perth in Scotland too, but dont quote me.

You want to find out How much of the course is Sim, S/Engine or Multi,
Where they do the tests,
Number of aircraft approved for IR tests (for back up if yours goes tech!)
Positioning costs to test centre
Any training at Test Centre Airports,
Any other students you can pair up with. (Back seating is VERY useful).
Availability - Will you get regular consistency or frequent gaps due to busy instructor etc.
Also try to speak to previous students as they will no doubt have a "customer orientated" view of their experiences there

Best of luck!

[whitebeard]

Bristol is another Test Centre with a resident examiner

[Megaton]

And then, of course, there's Bristol. :p

[EL SID]

In addition to the points boeingbus2002's very good list I would add:
Visit a few schools and look at the facilities and chat to current students

Find out what their pass rate is like from previous/current students

If the school has a mix of integrated and modular - find out if you may get 'bumped off' in favour of an integrated student.

Test centre location is quite important - some like Oxford, Cranfield & Bournemouth complex departures & arrivals as well as possiblities of getting a test at places with 'interesting missed approach procedures' like Coventry.

See if the school has something like an evaluation offer. I seem to remember seeing that being offered by a couple of schools. If they have take them up and compare.

Don't take the marketing/sales hype too seriously - eg the 'Our School on your CV will look good to a prospective employer,' rubbish.

If you know someone in the industry who can give you some unbaised advice, eg BALPA or IPA representatives would be a good bet.

Above all take you time and make your choice carefully, after all think about the time and consideration you would take to make a capital purchase like a car or a house - you will be forking out a not too dissimilar piece of your personal equity for the course!

[JB007]

Talking to the students is a must..as has been said, do not be taken-in by the sales/marketing - at the end of the day, it is a business...

Leeds also has a test centre...

Cheers
JB

[Martin1234]

Be careful about pass rates. Extremely good pass rates could mean that they overtrain you. If you look at pass rates, also look at the average number of hours flown in order to get the rating.

[Cirius]

In addition to the points above, additional points to consider could be:

Will the school allow you to sit in on a student briefing/debriefing and back seat during an exercise? This may assist in allowing you to determine whether the teaching style is something you will be comfortable with.

Be honest with yourself. If you have minimal twin time, do you think that undertaking a course that consist of 35 hours in the sim and 15 hours in the aircraft will be sufficient? Or, should you go for a course that has less sim hours and more time in the aircraft. This may cost more but allows you to be realistic about your budget.

How are you charged? Most schools will charge on airborne plus x minutes. There are, at least 2 schools that I visited, that charge on the hobbs/tacho meter which means that you can end up paying very dearly for delays whilst held on the ground.

Does the course include approach and landing fees or are they charged separately? This can amount to a few hundred pounds so it best to be aware of this when comparing the costs from different course providers some of whom will include the costs and others that won't.

Is the cost of the 170A test included or is it charged separately? If not, how much will it cost?

If training at an airfield that is not a test centre, can the school arrange for the examiner to come to your home field if more than one student is taking his test on the same day? This could save on positioning costs.

If you choose a course 'package', what are the costs for any additional hours should you need additional training above the minimums?

If staying away from home, how much will accomodation and travel costs amount to? These costs when factored in to your decision may lead you to selecting a course at an airfield closer to your home even though it appears to be more expensive initially.

Good Luck.