The best thing about working at a flight school is the customers. Over the years, we’ve had a wide range of individuals come through Horizon Aviation and they have all left their mark. Dan Everette is an officer in the United States Coast Guard and came to us four years ago because he wanted to learn to fly. He was going to be stationed in the area for two years and wanted several licenses. No problem.
I got to know Dan pretty well during the two years he flew with us and was impressed by him. He’s committed to being a good pilot and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. He has flown to Oshkosh with us twice and will be a repeat offender this coming summer.
Almost two years ago, Dan was assigned to Virginia. It was good for his career but lousy for us. I was hoping he would get stationed in the area so that he could teach here part time. Turns out, the Coast Guard didn’t ask me when they chose his next assignment!
Since he moved south, Dan and I have talked routinely and he has related to me the process of finding another school. It wasn’t always joyous. Dan is a very thoughtful guy and doesn’t condemn quickly nor praise lightly. He’s very serious. I asked him to write about his experience choosing flight schools because I thought his struggle was typical. Here’s what he wrote:
Flight Training – The Human Element
Over the past 4 years, I’ve had the opportunity to obtain flight training at 5 various schools. Thinking back upon my experiences thus far, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are 3 different types of schools:
- Pilot Factories: The schools where you can pay a large amount of money for certificates and go from 0 hours to 250 and “graduate” with your commercial ASEL & AMEL certificates. Also, I’d put university/college flight programs into this category. Places where programs are significantly compressed to learn the bare minimums and the only true limit is your credit line.
- Flight Schools: What I would call the “typical” flight school, which from the moment you walk in you can tell it’s a business first, flight school second. They can range in size, though typically you’re just an account number and the school teaches to the bare minimum as outlined in the PTS with little thought (or care) as to what you will do once earning your current rating, unless of course you’ll be coming back immediately for advanced training.
- Schools of Aviation: Though similar to “Flight Schools” in that they can take the shape of everything from part 61 operations, to vast highly organized part 141 schools, they do set themselves apart in one distinct area. They’ve concluded the most important component of flight training is the student. Realizing the future of general aviation is walking through their doors they’ve successfully adapted a business model which recognizes this and hired instructors who understand this. These are the schools that don’t simply teach to the PTS, but actively encourage students to exceed the minimums, learn more and constantly strive to be better aviators, even after the ratings are earned.
Each of the school types I’ve listed all have their advantages and disadvantages. In the end, an airman’s certificate doesn’t say where you earned it, and it’s up to each pilot to decide on their own what path and end result they desire.
Although I’ve considered a pilot factory for a particular rating, I’ve never actually used one, though know a few people that have. They do serve a purpose for some people, but are designed for people who are seeking the fastest possible route to a professional flying job. Though in today’s economy, the days of being hired with 250 and 15 are going away (if not already gone).
This leaves us with the last two school types which are the primary source of pilots in the general aviation community. Through my “rating journey”, I’ve run across 3 “ Flight School” types and have heard of dozens more. After a few lessons, it becomes readily apparent that these schools are solely in the business to make money and whether you earn your rating, or even come back after your primary training, is an after-thought.
I’ve seen schools advertise “the newest, state-of-the-art fleet” fully equipped with glass cockpits, yet with instructors who are barely proficient in glass themselves. Schools that advertise “accelerated programs” but you need to schedule months in advance to guarantee instructor availability. Questionable rental policies which are not insurance based and even border being unsafe.
From schools which teach out of an uncontrolled field and an instrument student’s only interaction with ATC is during their long IFR cross country flight. Only teaching and flying the approaches (in the exact sequence) the local DPE will require, to only allowing aircraft to launch if the winds are less than 20 kts sustained (even dual). This type of training definitely sets the student up for success for their check ride, but does nothing for their success as a pilot.
The horror stories could continue, but the bright side to all of this is the final category, Schools of Aviation.
It was during a business trip in the spring of 2005 when on the shuttle to the rental car company that I saw the “Learn to Fly Here” banner on the northwest corner of hanger one at PVD. I don’t know why I wrote down the number the time, but I did. The prospect of becoming a pilot had always captured my imagination. Maybe it was the simple fascination with flight, or finding my father’s flight bag when I was a little kid. Perhaps a prelude of things to come, my toys were building Lego airplanes and playing with my dad’s metal E6B (though I had no idea what it was or how to use it).
Not much has changed since then. I have a Lego airplane on my desk and I still have no idea what an E6B is or how to use one. However, I found myself with a day to spare during that business trip, and since I knew I was moving to the area soon, I decided to give the number a call. Later that afternoon I found myself taking my first flight lesson and fell in love with it. Having never been in a small general aviation airplane before, it was an exhilarating adventure. Having an engineering background, I wanted to know more, and in excruciating detail. Thus began my experience with New Horizon Aviation.
From that day, I felt that every time I called or walked through the front door, I was treated as a member of a large extended family. It wasn’t just me being treated this way, but every time I observed someone walk through the front door, even someone just inquiring about flying, they were treated as a member of the family. The enthusiasm exhibited towards motivating students and shaping the future of general aviation was always palpable. Whether your interest was instrument flight, aerobatics, warbirds or anything in between, there was always someone there who shared the same passion as you.
This is what sets “Schools of Aviation”, such as Horizon, apart from other flight schools. Although business is still conducted, it is overshadowed by the sense of community fostered at the school. It wasn’t until I had to move away that I came to realize that what I was learning and being exposed to was not listed in any PTS or course manual.
The importance of recognizing their awesome responsibility in molding the future of GA is what sets “Schools of Aviation” apart from others. The human element isn’t present in the FAR’s, the AIM, or the PTS (outside of cold & academic terms related to CRM, learning psychology, and behavioral models), but it’s critical in the overall General Aviation experience, and something that is often overlooked.
From a student’s perspective, this focus on community is what keeps students engaged during their training, and more importantly motivates continued learning and development after the certificates are earned. Perhaps this is why when I’m in the area on business, I’ll stop by Horizon for a few hours just to say hello.
These “Schools of Aviation” are the type where even years later, you’d call to see how things are going back where you learned to fly or to bounce training ideas off of. It’s the type of school where you’re treated as a member of the aviation family, regardless of where you’ve moved onto. Although my airman certificate doesn’t indicate where I earned my ratings, knowing it was at Horizon I feel has played a significant part in my becoming a better aviator, not just a pilot.