Flight schools come in all shapes and sizes. The right flight school should inspire confidence that your success is their highest priority. Finding a school that meets your needs, and fits your personality is vital to ensuring you finish your training on time and on budget. Not sure what to ask? Here a few things to consider.
Are they Part 141 or Part 61?
The FAA rule book is divided into sections referred to as “Parts.” Parts 141 and 61 are the two areas that govern flight training. The essential difference is FAA oversight. Any Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) may proclaim themselves a Part 61 school; there are no requirements for oversight or record keeping. Although the FAA has the right to inspect the instructor’s aircraft and personal logbook, in practice this rarely happens. More than 90% of all flight schools operate under Part 61 regulations. If a school doesn’t say that they are Part 141, they probably aren’t. Being certified means that Horizon is FAA-approved to offer many licenses with fewer flight hours because we meet their stringent requirements. This is a cost savings to you (possibly thousands of dollars of savings) made possible because we offer a guarantee of quality instruction – audited and certified by the FAA.
How many airplanes do they have?
Airplanes are machines that need regular maintenance. This is a normal part of operating airplanes and something each flight school needs to do. When an airplane goes in for maintenance it will be unavailable for training for a day, sometimes weeks depending on what needs to be done. If your school only has one airplane of the type you are flying and it goes in for maintenance, it may mean that you won’t be able to fly for awhile. Your flight school should have some redundancy in their fleet of airplanes to prevent unnecessary delays in your training. Horizon Aviation has 3 Cessna 152’s and 12 Cessna 172’s available for primary training. [/toggle][/togglegroup]
Airplanes are machines that need regular maintenance. This is a normal part of operating airplanes and something each flight school needs to do. When an airplane goes in for maintenance it will be unavailable for training for a day, sometimes weeks depending on what needs to be done. If your school only has one airplane of the type you are flying and it goes in for maintenance, it may mean that you won’t be able to fly for awhile. Your flight school should have some redundancy in their fleet of airplanes to prevent unnecessary delays in your training. Horizon Aviation has 3 Cessna 152’s and 12 Cessna 172’s available for primary training.
What is the average time to complete a license?
How a school answers this question will tell you a lot about them.
The FAA mandates that a person must have at least 40 hours of flight training logged before they may take the final test for their license. This is a minimum requirement, not the average. If a school tells you that their students average 40 hours to get a license, they are not being honest with you. The national average to complete a Private Pilot license over 70 hours.
Horizon Aviation students average about 58 hours to get a license. We have had many students complete the training in the minimum amount of time required (40 hours) and we always strive to complete training as quickly as possible. More on this in Step 3.