If you've attended more than one flight school...

[Whirlwind]

I've had the opportunity to train at more than one helicopter flight school and I find that being able to compare them is very enlightening in that I have begun to see the strengths and weaknesses of each school. (This also happens when flying with more than one instructor).

 

I know there are many in this forum who have trained at one school and feel strongly that their school is the best. Though it may truly be an excellent school, they do not really have anything else to compare it to.

 

I'd like to hear from those that have trained at more than one helicopter flight school and feel that one of them is really better. I'd also like to know why you feel that the school is superior (without necessarily cutting down the other schools). Some areas that could be factors are: number of instructors and/or helicopters; maintenance; professionalism; weather; consistency between instructors; genuine concern about your training progress...

[coanda]

I've trained at two. The best.....probably the part 61 school. They just seemed to be closer to the students on a personal level. It seems like after a flight at the 141 they just shoe you out and move on whereas the 61 there was a lot more learning after the flight. Also a lot of BS-ing but thats also a great way to learn. Hanging around quizing and challenging other students was fun and informative (for me). Each school had/has it's up's and downs, but most of that can be boiled down to location, typical weather and aircraft availability. I felt more motivated to succeed at the smaller 61 school. The 141, not so much.

Ps-I'm returning to the 61 after the next cert.

 

It's a couple of minutes later and I felt I might want to let everyone know that I am aware of the fact that most 141's are also 61's and I just used the numbers because thats what kind of program I was flying at each and I changed over for VA benefits (Very Absent Benefits). Let's not open that book.

Edited January 31, 2007 by coanda