How to pick a flying School

Deciding which bush pilot training to use is difficult because before you've actually started learning to fly you probably don't have good criteria to base your decision on.


When I began comparing schools I looked at three things: price, time and groundschool. I didn't want to pay too much, I wanted to get a license as soon as possible and I wanted convenient times and locations for groundschool.


Looking back I think I can say that, of the three criteria only bush pilot training emergedas a lasting quality on which to base a decision. Groundschool will teach you whatyou need to pass the written exam. There are different options available. You can take it online, one on one or in a classroom setting. Location can be on or off airport and they can be offered during the day or evening. If you're a mature student with a full-time job an off airport night time class can be very advantageous. On the other hand, if you're young and can devote full days throughout the week to learning to fly then an on airport daytime setting is likely more practical.


If you have an optiogon do not depend on an online course. The material is too dense and technical to lend itself easily to self-study. A lively and experienced pilotwho can bring flying experience and practical application to the subject matter.



The amount of time required to learn to fly varies with each individual. If you flyonce a week you'll need more hours than someone who flies everyday; younger people often pick up the motor skills required to fly more quickly than older people. What this means is that it is difficult
for a flying school to accurately estimate how long it will take a given individual to learn how to fly, and so comparing the inaccurate estimates of different schools isn't likely to lead to a good decision.


What's more, sometimes schools will provide unrealistic timeframes, and that brings up costs. An
unrealistically short time estimate translates into a lower cost, except that the estimate is unrealistic.

The fact is that learning to fly, like flying itself, is expensive. Don't try to save money on the education - save it in other areas instead. If you can buy a share in a plane, for example, you could spend the same amount of money as renting, but end up owning a share of an airplane by the time you earn your PPL.


If only one of my three initial reasons for bush pilot training is a good one, what others can you use? To begin with, choose a school that doesn't begin by misleading you about how long it will take or how much it will cost or how easy ground school will be. It's a good sign when a school is honest about cost, time and difficulty.


Another way to compare schools is the number and quality of aircraft . A school with a single aircraft might mean that you're grounded when it comes time for maintenance or repair. At the same time, maintenance is important. A multi-aircraft school wih a maintenance facility is a great sign. Age of the aircraft isn't critical, but they should be well maintained and cared for. Ask the school operator about maintenance and repair policies. The things that you hear can be instructive.


Staff is another thing to compare. Its sometimes easier to learn with a consistent instructor, so try to find out about turnover, and how long instructors have been with the school. It's natural for instructors to move along in their aviation careers, but excessive turnover can be a sign of poor management.


Learning to fly is an involved process, and perhaps the most important thing for a school to have is a systematic approach to the process.


When I was shopping for schools I checked out several. While all the operators seemed like great guys several seemed as if they were trying to pull off more than they could handle. The school I eventually chose was very clean, well organized, was run by a non-instructor, had multiple planes and instructors, and an onsite maintenance facility. The staff also allowed me to use my own plane and combine cross country training with business trips.Soon after beginning my training I realized that cost and time were not important considerations. Safe planes and quality instruction were. I recommend that you choose your bush pilot training on the same basis.