Schools in Utah

[Daniel]

So I've finally got my credit, finances, etc. in order and I'm ready to start seriously looking for a flight school in Utah. I'd prefer a school either in Utah Valley or in the vicinity of Salt Lake. I understand that SSH is one to stay away from, and I've heard similar things about Universal (though no specifics were given). There's also UVSC, which is an accredited school that has a pilot program - though I'm not sure whether it offers helicopter training or just fixed wing.

 

Can anyone offer input on which schools around here are good?

[67november]

don't limit yourself to your local if you have the funds to support your schooling and housing, there are lots of good schools around the country, get used to traveling as you'll probably do lots of it during your training and job search.

[bossman]

UVSC is a good program. It is a bit more knowledge based than the typical flight school. They do not have many helicopter schools approved. I don't know how many or where the others are located. You take all their courses on line and fly with the approved school. It's not a bad deal. PM me and I'll give you an idea of the program and what's involved.

bossman

[DeezNutz]

So I've finally got my credit, finances, etc. in order and I'm ready to start seriously looking for a flight school in Utah. I'd prefer a school either in Utah Valley or in the vicinity of Salt Lake. I understand that SSH is one to stay away from, and I've heard similar things about Universal (though no specifics were given). There's also UVSC, which is an accredited school that has a pilot program - though I'm not sure whether it offers helicopter training or just fixed wing.

 

Can anyone offer input on which schools around here are good?

 

 

Utah Helicopter!

 

We have a location in west jordan at the Salt Lake #2 Municipal Airport...

 

we operate R-22s and an R-44, feel free to give us a call @ 801-794-2480

[danter]

So I've finally got my credit, finances, etc. in order and I'm ready to start seriously looking for a flight school in Utah. I'd prefer a school either in Utah Valley or in the vicinity of Salt Lake. I understand that SSH is one to stay away from, and I've heard similar things about Universal (though no specifics were given). There's also UVSC, which is an accredited school that has a pilot program - though I'm not sure whether it offers helicopter training or just fixed wing.

 

Can anyone offer input on which schools around here are good?

 

Heres the specifics about universal. When I trained with them they advertised that they can get anyone finished in six months or less with your cfii, there are no finance charges, no interest until six months after you graduate, they have the best instructors, they keep you up to date on your account etc.

 

This is how it actually is at universal... they now advertise that they can get anyone done in 7-9 months, but no one did when I was there, there are $9,000.00 in finance charges, interest is now $500 a month alone, the instructors came to work and flew with a hang over, well one missed a couple days because he got so drunk, the instructors also overcharge the students just for conversation. On several occassions I was charged 50.00 an hour and on the very same day I was charged $65 an hour. I was also overcharged for flight and ground time that I never received. The total that I calculated that I was overcharged just by the instructors is over $5,000. The first loan of $80,000 was gone in five months. They never had the time to print me out a statement until the money was all gone then they found the time. The next loan was gone in three months. They hold the ratings in front of you saying give me another $20,000 and then you can start working for me. A month after I started I had my pri. Five months later they said I was out of money the week I was to get my ins. and comm.

 

If you would like more info let me know.

[hovercarl]

So I've finally got my credit, finances, etc. in order and I'm ready to start seriously looking for a flight school in Utah. I'd prefer a school either in Utah Valley or in the vicinity of Salt Lake. I understand that SSH is one to stay away from, and I've heard similar things about Universal (though no specifics were given). There's also UVSC, which is an accredited school that has a pilot program - though I'm not sure whether it offers helicopter training or just fixed wing.

 

Can anyone offer input on which schools around here are good?

 

I did go to school in Utah Valley, and I did go to SSH. I would recommend them, but only if you are serious, and understand that every flight school out there is in it to make money. Any school will let in people that shouldn't be pilots, and SSH did do that. I feel that I got an excellent education. I didn't finish it as fast as I would have like, but that was my own fault (for the most part). It took me 25 months to complete everything, and I am now an instructor working for them. I do have some students that should be done in about 12-15 months, but most will take longer (only because of their own schedules).

 

What you need to do is interview with a couple of schools, as well as a couple of private instructors to see if they feel you have the potential to be a pilot. I would love to be in on the interview process for new classes, as I would turn down more people than the company would.

 

If you have any other questions about SSH I would be more than happy to answer them.

 

Happy flying!!

Carl

[hpelton]

I did go to school in Utah Valley, and I did go to SSH. I would recommend them, but only if you are serious, and understand that every flight school out there is in it to make money. Any school will let in people that shouldn't be pilots, and SSH did do that. I feel that I got an excellent education. I didn't finish it as fast as I would have like, but that was my own fault (for the most part). It took me 25 months to complete everything, and I am now an instructor working for them. I do have some students that should be done in about 12-15 months, but most will take longer (only because of their own schedules).

 

What you need to do is interview with a couple of schools, as well as a couple of private instructors to see if they feel you have the potential to be a pilot. I would love to be in on the interview process for new classes, as I would turn down more people than the company would.

 

If you have any other questions about SSH I would be more than happy to answer them.

 

Happy flying!!

Carl

 

 

Carl, which SSH did you go to?

 

SSH San Diego

[fry]

I did go to school in Utah Valley, and I did go to SSH. I would recommend them, but only if you are serious, and understand that every flight school out there is in it to make money. Any school will let in people that shouldn't be pilots, and SSH did do that. I feel that I got an excellent education. I didn't finish it as fast as I would have like, but that was my own fault (for the most part). It took me 25 months to complete everything, and I am now an instructor working for them. I do have some students that should be done in about 12-15 months, but most will take longer (only because of their own schedules).

 

What you need to do is interview with a couple of schools, as well as a couple of private instructors to see if they feel you have the potential to be a pilot. I would love to be in on the interview process for new classes, as I would turn down more people than the company would.

 

If you have any other questions about SSH I would be more than happy to answer them.

 

Happy flying!!

Carl

 

I have a question, if a student signs up with SSH today and has his $70,000 in student loan proceeds paid over to the school in the first few months, how is he guaranteed that the company will be be around for the 12 or 15 or 25 months it takes to finish training?

 

Like a poster a JH said, "The major issue with SSH is probably not the training (although aircraft availability does seem to be a problem), it is the risk the student is taking by allowing the company to get all the loan money long before the training is done. Students borrow $70k, for which they are on the hook whether they get their CFI or not, and hand it over to a company that does not escrow the money. The company can spend that money any way they want. Every company has business risk; the customers can dry up, the costs can go up or management might just make stupid decisions. Will the company be around for the 18 months it takes to complete training? That's too big a risk."

[rotor wing]

Heres the specifics about universal. When I trained with them they advertised that they can get anyone finished in six months or less with your cfii, there are no finance charges, no interest until six months after you graduate, they have the best instructors, they keep you up to date on your account etc.

 

This is how it actually is at universal... they now advertise that they can get anyone done in 7-9 months, but no one did when I was there, there are $9,000.00 in finance charges, interest is now $500 a month alone, the instructors came to work and flew with a hang over, well one missed a couple days because he got so drunk, the instructors also overcharge the students just for conversation. On several occassions I was charged 50.00 an hour and on the very same day I was charged $65 an hour. I was also overcharged for flight and ground time that I never received. The total that I calculated that I was overcharged just by the instructors is over $5,000. The first loan of $80,000 was gone in five months. They never had the time to print me out a statement until the money was all gone then they found the time. The next loan was gone in three months. They hold the ratings in front of you saying give me another $20,000 and then you can start working for me. A month after I started I had my pri. Five months later they said I was out of money the week I was to get my ins. and comm.

 

If you would like more info let me know.

 

 

This is the same thing that universal did to me. Did they also overcharge you for books, books you did not need and for your headset like they did to me. I complained to the dept. of comm a while ago and they said that universal is protected so no one can touch them. I only think it is a matter of time before they fall. Also, uvsc says that they have no connection with universal, but they do. I talked to someone the other day who knows that I trained at universal. He has a friend that is signed up to train with them in June of 2007. After talking to this guy on the phone about universal it looks like he will not be training with them. I think this is the sixth phone call that I received from propsective students. I am not sure if they did train with them or not, but if they did not just think of how much I have taken from universal. I will continue to do so until I get what I am owed and they change their business practices.

[hovercarl]

Carl, which SSH did you go to?

 

SSH San Diego

 

I went to the Provo location. The had just moved from SLC, and we had a big class with not enough helicopters, but they worked everything out. Now I know and trained with most of the CFI's there and would recommend it to anyone looking. The only people that did not finish, were the ones that never showed up (there were a lot of them) and the ones that were overweight (they said they could lose the weight).

 

I really like SSH and would recommend them to anyone looking for a school, but like I said, you need to make sure you are a good cantidate to be a pilot before jumping into such a big comittment.

 

 

 

I have a question, if a student signs up with SSH today and has his $70,000 in student loan proceeds paid over to the school in the first few months, how is he guaranteed that the company will be be around for the 12 or 15 or 25 months it takes to finish training?

 

Like a poster a JH said, "The major issue with SSH is probably not the training (although aircraft availability does seem to be a problem), it is the risk the student is taking by allowing the company to get all the loan money long before the training is done. Students borrow $70k, for which they are on the hook whether they get their CFI or not, and hand it over to a company that does not escrow the money. The company can spend that money any way they want. Every company has business risk; the customers can dry up, the costs can go up or management might just make stupid decisions. Will the company be around for the 18 months it takes to complete training? That's too big a risk."

 

I think I would trust a large corporation like SSH before a small one that only has one location. SSH has been around since 1999, and doesn't show any signs of closing shop ever.

 

If you don't like the way they do the loans, why don't you just go get financing somewhere else?

[fry]

I think I would trust a large corporation like SSH before a small one that only has one location. SSH has been around since 1999, and doesn't show any signs of closing shop ever.

 

But SSH is not "a large corporation", it's a limited liability company owned by one person according to the filings with the Nevada Secretary of State. One person can make all the business decisions and the company does not account to anyone for its spending. So if a customer borrows $70k and then turns it over to the company doesn't that mean they have made an unsecured non-interest paying loan to one person who is shielded from liability by the LLC? If you were looking for a flight school now...with interest rates higher and the cost of the training $20k higher than when you went through...would you still be so trusting?

 

As for "signs of closing shop", would you recognize them? The students and employees at Airline Training Academy in Florida didn't know the company was in trouble until they came in one Friday and the doors were locked.

[hovercarl]

Just because I have just registered does not mean I haven't been reading this web site for the past 3 years. I have never cared about what most people say. When most everyone says that SSH is bad, and that they are luring in people and then kick them out of school, I find that to be very offensive. From what I have seen, most of the people who drop out (not get kicked out), are just not the type to finish something they started. They are usually uneducated and can barely hold a job down. Then there are the people that are educated and think they should be put ahead of everyone else because of their education.

 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but the people that I have seen leave school have done it for their own reasonings. If they did not know what was in their contract, that is their own fault.

 

Just so you know I will not be adding to this thread any more. Enough has been said.

 

Provo SSH is a great training facility in a mountain environment with great instructors, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to fly helicopter.

 

Carl

[fry]

Just because I have just registered does not mean I haven't been reading this web site for the past 3 years. I have never cared about what most people say. When most everyone says that SSH is bad, and that they are luring in people and then kick them out of school, I find that to be very offensive. From what I have seen, most of the people who drop out (not get kicked out), are just not the type to finish something they started. They are usually uneducated and can barely hold a job down. Then there are the people that are educated and think they should be put ahead of everyone else because of their education.

 

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but the people that I have seen leave school have done it for their own reasonings. If they did not know what was in their contract, that is their own fault.

 

Just so you know I will not be adding to this thread any more. Enough has been said.

 

Provo SSH is a great training facility in a mountain environment with great instructors, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to fly helicopter.

 

Carl

 

It's not that SSH is "luring in people and then kick[ing] them out of school"...it's that their business is built on luring in people who will drop out and then keeping a big chunk of their money. Yes, of course, it is the customers' fault for falling for the sales pitch and SSH targets these folks in their marketing. If less money were involved I'd say these folks got a lesson in finance and leave it at that. But, to end up with $70k or $80k in debt and paying another $100k in interest for a PPL or less just too high a price to pay for poor judgment.

[Voluptuary5]

Hey, easy kids,

 

There is nothing wrong with someone posting that they had a great experience with SSH and I don't think they should have to justify it or fear making such a statement. There are ALWAYS two sides to every story and we should be willing to hear them both before passing judgment.

 

Fry and dslmtrcle, you both make valid points but the fact of the matter is that no matter what you think of SSH's business practices, it is a free, capitalistic society and any business can be run however the owner (or board, etc.) wants it to be ran. The question is whether or not SSH practices are legal or not but it sounds like that will be sorted out soon enough in the courts. Where you all and others have provided a service is letting others know that you question the integrity of the business practices of SSH and hopefully others at least heed the warning. I guess I tend to be less sympathetic and live under the notion of “buyer beware”. After all, every student at SSH has/had to sign a contract where all of this is written up front, right? What role does personal responsibility play in all of this?

 

-V5