Since a lot of you are looking at flight schools to go to, I thought I would post a bit on my decision to attend FlightSafety Academy. I remember what it was like when I was making the BIG decision on flight schools, and the lack good information out there had me  wanting to know what actual students thought of their school. Since I've been here, FSA has met my expectations for great training. Now, I've wanted to be an professional pilot since I can remember, and having attended more than a few flight schools I've recieved far beyond what I got elsewhere. I'll assume that if your reading this, your aspiration is be an airline pilot going the civilian route. If not, than most if any flight school will do. Before I came here I did a lot of research and FSA kept coming up in talking with pilots and various airline types. You can say a lot of things about a lot of flight schools but when it comes down to it, pilot's at FSA are definently a "known product" in the industry, and this is really important come hiring time. I decided to go here after I toured the campus. Everything is oriented to you, the student. In fact, there are a large percentage of pilot's here from all the big schools who have switched to FSA (myself included). It would be a long list explaining why. As far as the training, it can be easy and hard as hell at times. It's all up to how much you put into it, and most all true aviation lovers will have a blast here. Training is definently of a higher caliber than anywhere else I've heard of and flown. But that's what you want, right? It's highly structured and specifically geared toward the ways "airlines" fly. In addition to standard private/ multi/ instrument/ commercial courses you'll also take "CRM-crew resource managment" which is a big thing in the airlines, high altitude training, and you'll go through spin training in FSA's aerobatic Zlin which is way too much fun. Sure, its a little bit more expensive than the others schools, but that money is well spent on excellent maintanence, the HUGE fleet of planes. Trust me, this is also very important. At other schools they might have too many planes in maintence, or all the planes are already scheduled, guess what, you can't fly! Speaking from experience, this happens way more than you would think at many other schools. All those lost days add up to lots of afternoons sitting on your butt wasting money on living expenses and such. Time is money, and you want to get out of here as fast as you can to start getting paid. In fact, FSA might be cheaper than some when you consider that. Vero Beach, Fl. is also a great place to live, you'll live about 5 min from the beach, fly most days, and make some amazing friends from all over the world. I think that's also a big part of why I love it down here. I also like that I don't need to hunt employers, the regional airlines come through here alot and are picking up our instructor pilots with as little as 400 hours. Of course you could go the direct track program and fly right away, but as for me, I want to instruct here before I move on. I'm about done here as far as training goes, and it seems that now is a great time for me or the pilot just starting out to hit a great hiring window. Even though this place is for me, I would say its not for everyone and no flight school is. First decide if your commited enough to be a professional pilot, it's a very long/hard/expensive road to get to that nice cushy well paid left seat in a 747 you've dreamed about. Second, start requesting and checking out those big information packets flight schools will send you. Thirdly, schedule a visit (lots of schols will fly you to there campus for a tour for free). Finally and maybe most importantly, take your info and definetly visit more than one school for perspective and see what fits you best. Good luck with all of your flying aspirations...

That is a very good point concerning a degree and flight school. I was a college graduate before I started at FSA, so this wasn't a consideration for me. FSA does not offer anything but your ratings (they used to have a program through Embry-Riddle but that's gone now I think), and if you are planning a career in the airline field or even coporate, a degree is a must in my opinion. Maybe not "as?" much at the regional level, but from there you better have one. Also, lets say you find yourself losing your medical for some reason, or you get fed up with lay-offs and furloughs, a degree is definently the smart move for something to fall back on. In commercial aviation, remember to prepare for the worst and expect the best!     

Jason what are the costs there from 0 hours to the point you can go to work or start instructing?

What is the timeline from 0 to commercial pilot or instructor?

Really enjoyed your post, thank you!

Jason I echo your thoughts and then some since being here. This place is amazing. I finished Pvt ground school and scored over a 90 on my FAA exam.

The program here is so well structured, the campus is great, and I couldn't have hoped for a better school! It is challenging and you have to commit yourself to this training for sure, but its so much fun if you truly love to fly as Jason says.

I am amazed by all the great things I hear the folks from the airlines say that have come down so far about how well our students are trained and perform. That is awesome to hear when you think about how much you spend for this type of training, to know you picked the right school!

Jason you did a much better job of describing the environment here than I ever could, thanks for the great write up and for helping to lead me here!