There are many things to consider before signing up for a flight school – and you’ve likely spent months researching different organizations, their offerings, advantages and drawbacks. But, there are things that even experienced aviators can miss when searching for the right training program. And, when trying to learn this challenging but rewarding new skill, you want to make sure you feel comfortable with all the details.
As such, there are some common issues that people often overlook when researching different flight schools – here’s what you should remember to ask your potential flight school before becoming a client.
Community-Driven Approach
Community-driven flight schools build their training process to the maximum benefit of its students. This means that students are encouraged to collaborate versus compete with one another. Flight schools like Inflight, for example, believe that personalized lesson plans built upon an individual students’ learning style is the most effective way of teaching. Fostering communication between peers, staff and other organization stakeholders is a great way to improve services while promoting connection.
Post Graduate Opportunities
Once you graduate from flight school, what are your plans? You may not go far without some industry-insider support. If you have plans to get paid to fly after becoming licensed, make sure to ask about opportunities outside of the classroom. This may be in the form of networking opportunities, job placements or club memberships, for instance, and can mean the difference between moving up the ladder and staying stagnant.
Safety Record
Without a doubt, a school with a stellar safety record is going to be better to work with. Make sure you don’t overlook the important aspect of your safety. Schools that have been in the industry long enough should have strict standards for their instructors, regular maintenance schedules for their aircraft and impeccable facilities. This shows that they care about the safety of you and all their students, and not just about making an extra buck.
Events & Social Opportunities
An often overlooked advantage of attending a high-quality flight school is the social camaraderie that comes with it. It’s fairly easy to start making connections within the aviation community and allows you a way to take a break from your rigorous training schedule. The easiest place to start is with fellow students and instructors. Outside of school, however, your organization should be up-to-date with private and public events, where you can mingle with a like-minded crowd. Some flight schools even offer regular in-house events, whether it’s public forums, conferences, mixers, interview series, award ceremonies and so on.
Aircraft Equipment & Classroom Technology
Inspecting their fleet of aircraft to ensure quality and regular maintenance seems like a no-brainer – but what about other equipment? This goes beyond the airplanes themselves and could mean aircraft equipment like headsets and control panels, or classroom technology like top-grade flight simulators. Flight simulators are particularly useful because they can reduce costs of going up in a real plane while allowing you to continue lessons even when grounded due to inclement weather or scheduling issues.
A Clear Path After Passing Your Program
Even if you’re just getting a simple sport pilot license, a flight school that gives you the most value for the money will usually offer a path toward your next step in flight training. For example, becoming an airline pilot would require several steps of certification, but it will be easier and more affordable with a roadmap in place. For those with a private license, you may not be able to get paid for flying, but you can move onto learning instrument flight rules (IFR) training so you can gain the freedom to fly at night. After that, commercial licensing is within reach where you could actually find a job in the cockpit.
Choose a community-driven flight school – choose Inflight.
These Things Before Signing Up At A Flight School or before signing up for flight training lessons, make sure you don’t forget to ask about the items above when interviewing with different schools. From their commitment to community to their safety record to their offerings outside of lesson plans, don’t overlook these things before handing over your first payment.
If you’re searching for a flight school that has built a student-centric training program, then turn to Inflight Pilot Training. With new facilities planned for 2023 and beyond, we’ve crafted our flight training programs around a growing sense of community.
Whether you want to pursue flying as a hobby or a career, we’ve helped countless students take the control wheel and soar to their favorite destinations. Together, we develop personalized plans designed around your goals. With a high-quality fleet of airplanes, experienced crew, and diverse training programs, you’ll soar to new heights under our leadership.
Let our team of certified flight instructors elevate your learning experience as you take to the skies. If you’re interested in learning more about Inflight programs, contact us today or call (952) 698-3000.
