what do you wish you had asked?

[vectis lady]

im going to be visiting prospective schools for cpl/ir training in the next few wks and am making a list of what i need to ask them or look out for, is there anything that you wish that you had asked/known about your school or training before you started,

i just want to make sure that i dont get home and then think Oh i wish i had asked such and such

any help much appreciated - thanks

[MrHorgy]

I'm about to start exactly the same as you m'lady, so i'm in the same position.

A few i've come up with so far are:

Do you do your CPL on a Multi Aircraft or SEP? How does this affect the cost?
How many hours do an average student take to complete the CPL / IR - is it much above min requirements?
Is local accomodation easily sourced, should it be required?
Do you operate / have any recommendation schemes or tie ups with airlines?
What aircraft do you operate? How often are they down for maintenance?
Will I get a dedicated instructor?
Can I speak with other students?
What other ancillary costs should i consider (landing fees, nav charges, etc) - how much are they likely to be?
Is the exam held on site or do i need to commute?

Any more questions are welcomed. PM in your box vectis.

Horgy

[FrayCampbell608]

If you have look through 'To be an airline pilot' its got a page with some good questions on it ranging from, if fuel prices change will i be charged extra?, what if course over-runs allocated time etc. Its certainly worth considering EVERYTHING that will cost you money too as this will affect your expenditure (obviously) but simple things like a sandwhich or a brew everyday for 60 weeks could cost a significant amount. I wrote out a massive list before i went to The Flyer show (which i must say was excellent) but i sadly dont have it on me in the office.

Imagine your the school manager and think of ways you can earn more money!

[looptheloop]

CPL/IR

I would be really interested in your findings as i will hopefully be in the same boat/plane as you in a few months time (exams permitting!)
I would recommend Craig Padfield at Ravenair Liverpool he seems to be a terrific instructor.
One question i would ask a school is how many students they have going through the school in an average week- there are some schools who are so busy with PPL students that others tend to get left out and flight training gets interrupted while you wait for your instructor to have time to squeeze you in.
Good luck with your research.
I look forward to reading about what you find out.