An SSH Student Finally Speaks

[Linc]

If you could really measure an individual passing rate for all aviation schools in the U.S., you can count on that it is in the 10-20%. That is just the way it is.

The only difference is that SSH figured out how to rape them as they try to leave.

[Five0]

alright... im sorry...

P.S. i never said you were an idiot. the WORST i said was that it was dumb to sign up for something you KNEW would be a scam.... as far as being out of line? i dont think i was.. i can have an opinion. and as far as coming to to Tampa FL so you can "break my mouth" while i try to explain, i would say that reminds me of kindergarten..... "im gonna beat you up for saying that!!! haha.. have a great day!

 

 

I'm sure his CFI would love his personality.

 

I agree with you. Why would anyone go in to that agreement already knowing SS's reputation?

And what's up with that picture? Did Vanilla Ice join the forum without telling anyone?

 

5-0

[clay]

I'm sure his CFI would love his personality.

 

I agree with you. Why would anyone go in to that agreement already knowing SS's reputation?

And what's up with that picture? Did Vanilla Ice join the forum without telling anyone?

 

5-0

 

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! man.. i've been outta town a few days, plus not trying to post on this topic anymore, but that was hilarious too! maybe if his CFI doesnt sign him off in time, he'll break his jaw too.

[wannabe heli pilot]

Clarity at least sounds like he's got a pair. You two sound like some recip pole smokers. I doubt you take him up on his offer.

[wannabe heli pilot]

Clarity at least sounds like he's got a pair. You two sound like some recip pole smokers. I doubt you take him up on his offer.

Did I just say that out loud?

[Worldcrime]

First off, I must say to the original poster of this topic, you are an idiot. Don't go bashing a company that you signed up for just because you didn't read the contract. When you sign up, Silver State is not only paying for supplies like books that will be given to you right away up front, but they are taking your word that you will fill a spot in a ground class, and fill a spot for a CFI. So not only are the ground instructor and CFI being paid to teach you, but it takes a hundred other people behind them, including HR department, accounting, Insurance, managers, maintenance setting everything up for you, all because you decided you wanted to make a career out of flying helicopters. Yes it is very expensive. So are ALL OTHER FLIGHT SCHOOLS! And lets put it this way, there is no career in this country for a private helicopter pilot under a couple hundred hours. So unless you plan to do this for pleasure, your going to need your commercial/CFI. Silver States passing rate isn't perfect, but it is on par with the Aviation world. If you could really measure an individual passing rate for all aviation schools in the U.S., you can count on that it is in the 10-20%. That is just the way it is. But I can tell you something that would increase that figure. Idiots who don't sign up for something they do not intend to finish. People not motivated to work hard and make sacrifices in order to fly the necessary 2-3 times per week, and spend the hours studying at home. If you can't live up to that, then none of this business is for you. Stay out of it. Just because you couldn't hack the training, and it was too hard and much for you to understand, don't go whining about it looking for pity. SSH is the best paying job for new CFIs. Your lucky to make 10-15 dollars per flight hour anywhere else, when SSH pays flight, ground, and pre and post instruction. If you show motivation to be a CFI, and willing to work hard, I can assure you there is a CFI, and many others behind him, at your location willing to work hard for you.

 

Ponzi scheme

defined

 

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that involves paying abnormally high rewards to investors out of the money paid in by subsequent investors, rather than from net revenues generated by any real business.

[IFLY]

Ok, time for my 2 cents worth.

 

If your willing to spend $70,000 dollars for your CFII you should be dying to fly for a living and make a real commitment to flying and studying. If your just in it for the money your looking in the wrong place. That new job offer from the FAA, is it something you want to do for a living or is it just a way to make money faster to spend on flying? Your answer to that should tell you if you really want to be a professional pilot.

 

Do you want to fly now or later? Later... save your money for years, Now...then take a loan. Works just like buying a house, if you sell it after a month your going to lose quite a bit of cash-more than you did on leaving the flight school contract.

 

SSH provides a contract that locks in the hourly rate for 2 years while the traditional schools raise their rates if the price of gas goes up. It also includes unlimited ground training and simulator time, handy for the instrument rating. If you need to move they might have another school nearby to transfer to without changing the contract, they are very flexible for students that are active.

 

About those 1700 students and 500 jobs, the students take 1 1/2 to 2 years for their ratings (while most work full time) and the instructors leave for other jobs in about a year or so. Life happens and some students and CFI's have to drop out so the bulk of the new CFI's do have a job at 200 hours, most without having to move. Most other schools hire some of their graduates to fill vacancies so they have the under 500 hour instructors teaching too, it's not just SSH that does it.

 

I have flown with about 30+ instructors in everything from hanggliders to helicopters and experience does help but it isn't everything. I'll take a good inexperienced teacher over a mediocre experienced teacher everytime.

 

Everybody that hasn't flown and thinks they want to do it for a living should find a school and try if for at least a few hours. SSH isn't the place to find that out, you should know that before you sign anybodys contract. IF you find that you REALLY want to fly all the time then SSH is a school to consider.

 

How you finance your flying is up to you, I have a house with equity that I used. I can almost afford the payments on a CFI salary and i'm not defering any payments to keep the interest costs down. I am saving enough money to make up a shortfall for at least a year because it will take about that long for me to break even after pay raises (I think its about $20 per hour after 500 hours).

 

Most of the SSH bashing seems to come from people that didn't do ALL of their homework and decided to quit without knowing the consequences. Yes they are flooding the market with new pilots...all the other schools wish they could do it too and make more money...its a business. The CFIs that leave with their 1000 hours+ don't seem to have trouble finding work so their flying must be up to par with other schools.

 

Clarity I hope you find out what you really want to do, I have always wanted to fly for a living and I finally can at 50.

[fry]

Everybody that hasn't flown and thinks they want to do it for a living should find a school and try if for at least a few hours. SSH isn't the place to find that out, you should know that before you sign anybodys contract.

 

SSH provides a contract that locks in the hourly rate for 2 years while the traditional schools raise their rates if the price of gas goes up. It also includes unlimited ground training and simulator time, handy for the instrument rating.

 

Good advice. And another way to put it, SSH provides a contract that advances all of the student's loan monies to the company within six months of starting the two year program and, it makes it that money non-refundable at a rate of 10% a month. In other words, after ten months the student is fully committed to twenty years of payments whether or not he ever gets a job flying helicopters.

 

Paying $70k in advance to any company just seems to be a awful risky thing to do.

 

As far as a cost of goes, SSH's one-price program is currently $12k to $15k higher in price (for 200 flight hours and all the ground and sim time necessay) than some other flight schools in the same markets. That covers a lot of gas price increase.

 

Most of the SSH bashing seems to come from people that didn't do ALL of their homework and decided to quit without knowing the consequences.

 

I gotta agree with you there. But why is that? Why would so many people make such a huge committment in future loan payments and then not go all the way? They're making an upfront decision that is very expensive and non-reversible after a short time.

 

I've read that SSH's completion rate is in the 10% to 20% range and that's broadly consistent with their figures (4,000 students since inception, 1,700 currently, and 500 jobs...personally I think it is at the lower end of the range). That means 4 out of 5 folks who sign up and make that big upfront committment lose some or all of that $70k...plus interest. That many "people that didn't do ALL of their homework"?

 

For so many to risk and lose so much I've got to believe SSH is not making the risks clear to their prospective customers. But then, why would they.

 

And that's my two cents.

[betr_thn_Icarus]

Clarity,

 

I went to a very small school to start and some of those students were screwed out of more than you when the school took the big flop, some up to $20,000. They even screwed the helicopter leasing companies, yes plural, don't you think those guys reviewed the situation? They also owe the airport, I saw them screw CFI's and business partners. Some things in life require risk, scratch that, EVERYTHING in life but some morre than others. The thing about con-men is they seem so damn trustworthy...otherwise would they really be a con-man if nobody ever trusted them in the first place? It can happen to anyone. Sometimes people just have to trust people...shame on the ones that take advantage of that. I trusted and got taken advantage of, then I persued it and didn't stop untill I was even.

 

People who drilled it in to Clarity that he made a mistake.. everyone makes mistakes. If your mistakes or secrets were exposed you wouldn't be so cocky.

 

Clarity, for making physical threats, grow up man. I was on your side untill you did that crap.

[betr_thn_Icarus]

You should also be happy if your new boss never reads this.

[clarity]

Clarity,

 

I went to a very small school to start and some of those students were screwed out of more than you when the school took the big flop, some up to $20,000. They even screwed the helicopter leasing companies, yes plural, don't you think those guys reviewed the situation? They also owe the airport, I saw them screw CFI's and business partners. Some things in life require risk, scratch that, EVERYTHING in life but some morre than others. The thing about con-men is they seem so damn trustworthy...otherwise would they really be a con-man if nobody ever trusted them in the first place? It can happen to anyone. Sometimes people just have to trust people...shame on the ones that take advantage of that. I trusted and got taken advantage of, then I persued it and didn't stop untill I was even.

 

People who drilled it in to Clarity that he made a mistake.. everyone makes mistakes. If your mistakes or secrets were exposed you wouldn't be so cocky.

 

Clarity, for making physical threats, grow up man. I was on your side untill you did that crap.

 

 

Dear Sir,

 

I have never, nor will ever be afraid to stick up for myslef and/or others that are being harassed by another individual. (Something my father taught me.) And I do think if you re-read this entire thing, from start to finish, my reaction becomes easily justifiable. I came on here to try to help others and was unexpectadly blasted. but, done deal.... it is what it is.

 

my apologies if my attitude offended anyone.

[clay]

Dear Sir,

 

I have never, nor will ever be afraid to stick up for myslef and/or others that are being harassed by another individual. (Something my father taught me.) And I do think if you re-read this entire thing, from start to finish, my reaction becomes easily justifiable. I came on here to try to help others and was unexpectadly blasted. but, done deal.... it is what it is.

 

my apologies if my attitude offended anyone.

 

I got my feelings hurt

[doanut99]

your immediate attack on someone who is a new-comer to this industry does not look good... and if you maintain your current level of professionalism it will not help you get into the stable and better paying jobs in this industry... in fact it is detrimental to the industry on the whole.

 

 

You, Sir, are in no position to criticize another person's professionalism. Throughout this entire thread you have demonstrated your immaturity; i.e physical threats/animosity. You have every right to "stick up" for yourself, but I would advise you to do that by making good arguments, not acting like a high school student.

 

I am sympathetic to your situation, but the fact is you knew what you were getting into, and did it anyway, stop blaming people for pointing out your mistake.

 

-doanut

Edited September 15, 2007 by doanut99

[clarity]

your immediate attack on someone who is a new-comer to this industry does not look good... and if you maintain your current level of professionalism it will not help you get into the stable and better paying jobs in this industry... in fact it is detrimental to the industry on the whole.

 

 

 

doanut99,,,, yeah buddy, you might wanna check this forum again... the above is not what i personally said,, i quoted another member... soo your right, i am in no position to "criticize another person's professionalism" hence why i didn't.... u might wanna be sure of things before you go running of a reply based upon things that someone did not even say themselves..... just a thought.

[clarity]

your immediate attack on someone who is a new-comer to this industry does not look good... and if you maintain your current level of professionalism it will not help you get into the stable and better paying jobs in this industry... in fact it is detrimental to the industry on the whole.

doanut99,,,, yeah buddy, you might wanna check this forum again... the above is not what i personally said,, i quoted another member... soo your right, i am in no position to "criticize another person's professionalism" hence why i didn't.... u might wanna be sure of things before you go running of a reply based upon things that someone did not even say themselves..... just a thought.

[Guest No Bad Days...]

Clarity

That's to bad to hear about your loss, I don't know anybody who does the research on a Company & Signs up with the intention of not going through with their contract. I am sure your intentions were true to complete the schooling & get a job flying.

 

I'll be Honest...SSH has a great presentation & advertising side to them. I live in Southern California and it's hard to ignor their Commercials on the radio about learning to Fly and how they hire you right after you Graduate. I have been to their Presentation, and you get a warm fuzzy feeling about how many locations they have, how big they are, all the contracts they have and the security of the Big Corporate Umbrella.

 

I think the main Purpose of this Topic was to inform us about the Fees that arise & about the Contract that everybody signs when going with SSH.

 

I would like to hear more about personal experiences with SSH if anybody would care to share them. Especially if they are about lack of schooling or their instructors.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks,

-No Bad Days...

[Five0]

Clarity at least sounds like he's got a pair. You two sound like some recip pole smokers. I doubt you take him up on his offer.

 

 

Hey dumbazz......if you're in training then you're flying recips. Or do you just use the term without actually knowing what it means?

 

...and speaking of pole smokers, how is your mother?

 

Take another drag on your bong and go back to sleep.....it's not noon time yet.

[Hovergirl]

Will someone please close this thread?

[Helo-Pilot]

Agreed. This needs to be shut down and moved to JH.

[slick1537]

Agreed. This needs to be shut down and moved to JH.

 

lmao

[hotrodturbo7]

I should tell some "Why did your mom cross the road" jokes.

[Sparker]

This is ridiculous.

 

Sum up:

"I got ripped off"

"Idiot, haha"

"Why are you a jerk"

"Why are you dumb"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot, thats it, I'm done with this thread... seriously, I'm never checking it again... not even joking"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Im gonna bust your mouth in"

"Thats rude, idiot"

"Come to florida"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Jerk"

"Idiot"

"Dude you can't threaten people like that"

"My Dad told me to stick up for myself"

 

"Vanilla ice... HAHAHAHAHAHA, I called him vanilla Ice!!!

 

Seriously, this is funny, not that clarity lost money, but the whole deal. Clay didn't try to offend anybody.... you guys really need a vacation. Florida's nice this time of year.

 

BTW Clarity, as a site where employers might figure out who you are, put on a shirt.

Edited September 25, 2007 by Sparker

[Helo-Pilot]

This is ridiculous.

 

Sum up:

Seriously, this is funny, not that clarity lost money, but the whole deal. Clay didn't try to offend anybody.... you guys really need a vacation. Florida's nice this time of year.

 

BTW Clarity, as a site where employers might figure out who you are, put on a shirt.

 

Not only that, but an employeer will look and see that you tend to stir the pot, and/or are hot headed. No one wants to hire someone who is going to come in and start making threats the first time they get offended. I have noticed that in this industry, you really need some thick skin.

 

If they have your money, then grow up, go to classes and get the training you paid for. You made the decision, now commit to it.

[clay]

dont lock it!!! it is humerous and we should all laugh... it makes the world a better place

[zemogman]

.... you guys really need a vacation. Florida's nice this time of year.

 

Florida's got enough to deal with...