Does your flight school charge for these exams?
Probably if you are right near the end of your current training then perhaps stick it out and get that done before progressing elsewhere.
If you are really not satisfied or are not that close to a milestone (RPL/PPL/CPL/IR) then consider shopping around. Changing schools is (usually) not that big a drama.
Personally I would agree with that. I would say, be wary of schools that pressure you to make payments up front. Unless it is a full time or residential course, I would go for the pay as you go.
There are good schools and good instructors, not all schools are out to rip you off.
Don't be afraid to look at smaller schools, schools at regional airports, those with less glitzy offices and also at schools where the instructors don't wear epaulettes and ties. Nothing wrong with big schools or instructors who wear epaulettes and some schools require that as part of their corporate image (which is fine) but remember image and size isn't always a reflection of quality.
Look for those with a passion about aviation and instructors who come across as enjoying instructing.
Talk to others about their training experiences and recommendations. Word of mouth is the best recommendation. And maybe just drop into another school and have a chat and see how it feels to you. Doesn't cost anything to have a squizz.
If you are really not satisfied or are not that close to a milestone (RPL/PPL/CPL/IR) then consider shopping around. Changing schools is (usually) not that big a drama.
One word of caution to financially uneducated students: schools are keen to have you "open an account with/for them" where you wire the money for your tuition. Be wary as to ask yourself who really stands to benefit from this. Is a discount being offered for providing funds upfront or is that simply part of the terms and conditions of the school? I have been harassed in the beginning to do so and refused firmly because a.) there was no financial incentive and b.) that would have been loss of leverage for me had things gone wrong. Just be wise and swipe your credit card each time.
There are good schools and good instructors, not all schools are out to rip you off.
Don't be afraid to look at smaller schools, schools at regional airports, those with less glitzy offices and also at schools where the instructors don't wear epaulettes and ties. Nothing wrong with big schools or instructors who wear epaulettes and some schools require that as part of their corporate image (which is fine) but remember image and size isn't always a reflection of quality.
Look for those with a passion about aviation and instructors who come across as enjoying instructing.
Talk to others about their training experiences and recommendations. Word of mouth is the best recommendation. And maybe just drop into another school and have a chat and see how it feels to you. Doesn't cost anything to have a squizz.
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Ixixly, I agree with most of what you wrote, save for:
If you're unhappy with the rules of the game, change them. I don't think anyone stands to lose with my suggestion. There's no domino effect either. Here's how it works. The school asks me to provide N dates that I can commit to. If the weather conditions are adverse or if the previous student crashed the nose wheel, nobody can fly (no change from now) and the lesson is just cancelled. However we at least already have a new date (and aircraft) for the cancelled lesson. If I cannot make it to one of those dates, then it's my responsibility: just let the school charge me for the loss of income. It's uncool, it'll hit low budget students right where it hurts but let's face it, my dentist does it, my doctor does it, airlines do it, even my barber does it and that's absolutely fine because it's fair.
That's the whole point to it: a commitment to take a lesson on a certain day at an agreed upon time is a contract between two parties. It's good for younger students because they'll know they can't slack. And it's also good for instructors for the very same reason.
In the end, whether it's a flight school or a barbershop, it really all comes down to what commodity you trade in. For flight schools the only stream of revenues (at least, obvious to me) is the flight time on their assets. Therefore, keep them flying as much as possible and keep costs as low as possible, and that includes opportunity costs too. Sounds trivial, but starting the day with full tanks (instead of calling the avgas truck just when doing the pre-flight checks) would already carry a long way.
My school operates a few Warriors. A glance at the engine timesheets revealed that each has been flying an average of 80 hours/month (VDO time) over the first three months of 2018. That's a shy 2.6 hours/day in summer months when the school is packed with grounded students. With a little discipline, I can imagine that this figure could be easily stretched to 3h daily. Consequently, I would have comfortably completed my training by now instead of answering your post on a textbook VMC day. ✈️
Let's say they take your advice and commit to N Dates suitable for them, what happens when circumstances such as Weather and Maintenance keep combining to make those dates not happen, who then pays the price and gives up their schedule to make it work? Who also gives up their schedule to make up for the person giving up their schedule...so on and so forth, it's a real domino effect doing it this way. This idea also could potentially stretch things out even further, by doing so it undermines the efficiency of the Flight School as when things keep combining to stop you from being able to do a certain flight on a certain day you might not have other flights available for whatever reason, now the School continuously has Instructors idle which is a massive money loss for them.
That's the whole point to it: a commitment to take a lesson on a certain day at an agreed upon time is a contract between two parties. It's good for younger students because they'll know they can't slack. And it's also good for instructors for the very same reason.
In the end, whether it's a flight school or a barbershop, it really all comes down to what commodity you trade in. For flight schools the only stream of revenues (at least, obvious to me) is the flight time on their assets. Therefore, keep them flying as much as possible and keep costs as low as possible, and that includes opportunity costs too. Sounds trivial, but starting the day with full tanks (instead of calling the avgas truck just when doing the pre-flight checks) would already carry a long way.
My school operates a few Warriors. A glance at the engine timesheets revealed that each has been flying an average of 80 hours/month (VDO time) over the first three months of 2018. That's a shy 2.6 hours/day in summer months when the school is packed with grounded students. With a little discipline, I can imagine that this figure could be easily stretched to 3h daily. Consequently, I would have comfortably completed my training by now instead of answering your post on a textbook VMC day. ✈️
With the above and some people who can be on short notice "standby" plus a fair and consistant cancellation policy (which includes the student getting a credit if the cancellation is the fault of the school) to deter people from wasting everyone's time, the main factor we find as a barrier to getting the max efficiency is the fact that the hangar and parts suppliers' doors are slammed closed Friday lunch time, just as the school gets busiest, so there is zero maintenance backup available when you need it most. Don't get me started on how long it take to get a 100 hourly done >
that's for another thread.
that's for another thread.
Okihara,
Great summary above of the challenges facing GA schools and flying students alike. While there will always be justifications for the various cancellations etc you have experienced, it highlights the downside of the flying student customer experience. It can be really ****e in an era where we have less free time than ever, and the sort of person who can afford flying lessons probably has less than average.
GA can be it own worst enemy.
Great summary above of the challenges facing GA schools and flying students alike. While there will always be justifications for the various cancellations etc you have experienced, it highlights the downside of the flying student customer experience. It can be really ****e in an era where we have less free time than ever, and the sort of person who can afford flying lessons probably has less than average.
GA can be it own worst enemy.
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Okihara,
Great summary above of the challenges facing GA schools and flying students alike. While there will always be justifications for the various cancellations etc you have experienced, it highlights the downside of the flying student customer experience. It can be really ****e in an era where we have less free time than ever, and the sort of person who can afford flying lessons probably has less than average.
GA can be it own worst enemy.
Great summary above of the challenges facing GA schools and flying students alike. While there will always be justifications for the various cancellations etc you have experienced, it highlights the downside of the flying student customer experience. It can be really ****e in an era where we have less free time than ever, and the sort of person who can afford flying lessons probably has less than average.
GA can be it own worst enemy.
Those of us in the ranks of the hoi-polloi, or those who said good-bye to their ab initio days a long time ago, should be grateful and thankful to the owner/operators of small flying schools who have the time, the energy and the interest to share with us some key points about the highs and the lows of running a business, while remaining enthusiastic about teaching flight without tears.
GA it's own worst enemy? Is that like a dog biting it's own tail?
(Aside - who said "you are not your own worst enemy while I'm still alive." ?)
GA it's own worst enemy? Is that like a dog biting it's own tail?
(Aside - who said "you are not your own worst enemy while I'm still alive." ?)
Folks,
Back to the original question, I will throw in another question ----- why do we have these pre - a/b/c etc. "exams" at all, they should not be necessary, and guess what, they are unknown most other countries where I have experience ---- where written exams are limited to set pre. the issue of the PPL.
Why --- because of our Australian preoccupation with "process" and to give something for CASA to audit.
In the 'good old days' here there was no such nonsense pre- this, that and the other written tests, and is anybody going to claim that present day AU training is superior, thanks to such imposts.
Elsewhere, it is the quality of the pilot produced, as judged by the independent examiner who conducts the license testing, that counts.
Tootle pip!!
Back to the original question, I will throw in another question ----- why do we have these pre - a/b/c etc. "exams" at all, they should not be necessary, and guess what, they are unknown most other countries where I have experience ---- where written exams are limited to set pre. the issue of the PPL.
Why --- because of our Australian preoccupation with "process" and to give something for CASA to audit.
In the 'good old days' here there was no such nonsense pre- this, that and the other written tests, and is anybody going to claim that present day AU training is superior, thanks to such imposts.
Elsewhere, it is the quality of the pilot produced, as judged by the independent examiner who conducts the license testing, that counts.
Tootle pip!!
Strangulation by red-tape and over regulation. If this trend is not reversed our "land of the fair go" will continue its journey down the gurgler. Read Schumacher's 'Small is Beautiful' and try to believe it is not too late. Hope against hope.
Last edited by Fantome; 17th Jun 2018 at 07:59.
