Checklist – Choosing the Best Flight School

The Essential Questions You Need to be Asking Every Flight School

“Effective planning yields favorable outcomes”: this fundamental principle is crucial in aviation, as any pilot will attest. While commonly applied to preflight planning, its relevance extends to the initial private pilot training, influencing the safety of all future flights. Recognizing this, the significance of choosing an optimal flight school becomes evident. Additionally, you are entrusting your aspirations of flight, along with your time and financial resources, to the selected pilot training program, making it a pivotal decision in your journey as an aspiring pilot.

However, as a novice without pilot experience, navigating this decision-making process can be daunting. Distinguishing between commendable training programs and others, and identifying crucial factors before committing can be challenging. Thankfully, there exists trustworthy advice and information to guide you in making an informed decision.

To approach this decision with confidence, it is essential to pose relevant questions based on insights and experiences from the flight training industry. To facilitate this, we have created a concise checklist to assist you in asking pertinent questions when evaluating a flight school. Regardless of the school’s strengths or weaknesses, they should be capable of providing candid and direct responses to your inquiries.

01

 Curriculum

  • Does the school us a curriculum for private pilot training?
  • Can you have, or at least see, a copy of the syllabus?
  • Do they use an online ground school or in-person classes?
  • Is the school certified and validated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) or in case of USA FAA under part 141? If not, why?
  • Does the school actively use advance simulators?
  • Can you use the simulators by yourself?

02

 Instructor

  • Does your instructor have a professional appearance and demeanor?
  • How many hours total time does your instructor have? Dual given?
  • What is their first-time pass rate?
  • Is your instructor planning on leaving in the next few months?
  • Could you see yourself spending many hours with this person?
  • If your instructor left, who would you work with?
  • Are the instructors salaried or paid by the hour?
  • What is the school’s management structure?
  • How much experience does the chief flight instructor have?

03

 Equipment

  • What type of aircraft does the school use for private pilot training?
  • How many of these aircraft are available for scheduling?
  • Does the school have simulators?
  • Do the aircraft have modern, glass cockpit avionics?
  • Does the simulator match the aircraft avionics and performance?
  • Do the aircraft and simulators look clean and well maintained?
  • Who does the maintenance on the aircraft?
  • Do they have computers and other support equipment you can use?

04

Facilities

  • Are the facilities clean, neat, and professional?
  • Are the facilities adequate for the number of customers?
  • Is there space for studying, flight planning, and debriefing?
  • Can you access the facility without an instructor?
  • Is there a restaurant, canteen, storage, or other support services? 
  • Does the school provide lodging facilities?

05

Other Factors

  • How long has the flight school been in business?
  • How many customers have graduated?
  • What is the overall success rate of a first-time flight test?
  • What were the reasons for any failures?
  • Are you required to sign a long-term contract? 
  • According to the school, what separates it from other operations?
  • Can you talk to current and past customers?