American Flyers - Opinions?

[GB403]

Can anyone share their experience attending flight training at American Flyers Academy? Particularly the SMO training site. I'm specifically looking for information about their CFI pool and their availability; full time training; condition of their fleet; weather delays; attitude of management; structure of the syllabus for training, etc.

Also external influences: I've read the City of Santa Monica is trying to disrupt FBO(s) and Flight School operations by limiting services, no renewing leases and having private security inconvenience people who patronize those establishments. If this is the reality then I probably want to avoid AF all together. Any information is helpful.

 

[labbadabba]

I interviewed them at Morristown NJ. I liked the program but was a bit pricey. I ended up going with an independent flight school.

That said, their online resources are awesome. (You don't have to enroll in the flight school to use them, tho I think the package is about $80)

You get coursebooks, test prep, online instructional videos. But my favorite part is they have a simulator course you can plug into Microsoft FSX. You can fly instructed lessons in your home sim and drive home what habits you're learning in the air.

 

[Ravioli]

The city's disdain for the airport shouldn't be an issue for you. If you go the AF route you can finish your ATP before anything will change. (exaggerated)

There are other threads about AF here, search them out. I've done 2 of their written prep weekends. One at KSMO and one at KADS. I find them well documented, organized, and useful.

They do what they do pretty well, but they are by no means the least cost provider.

 

[rwellner98]

I did my instrument with them. Liked the program. Liked the pool of instructors (had a personality mismatch with one of them, they swapped him for someone else without any complaint). Didn't have problems getting planes.

I had previously started with a private CFII and we had managed to fly like three times in as many months. With AF I was able to knock it out in five weeks. For me that was about perfect. Long enough to actually learn the material (unlike then ten day super-accelerated courses) and short enough to be able to actually get it done.

 

[GB403]

The city's disdain for the airport shouldn't be an issue for you. If you go the AF route you can finish your ATP before anything will change. (exaggerated)

There are other threads about AF here, search them out. I've done 2 of their written prep weekends. One at KSMO and one at KADS. I find them well documented, organized, and useful.

They do what they do pretty well, but they are by no means the least cost provider.

Very helpful information...thanks.

 

[GB403]

I did my instrument with them. Liked the program. Liked the pool of instructors (had a personality mismatch with one of them, they swapped him for someone else without any complaint). Didn't have problems getting planes.

I had previously started with a private CFII and we had managed to fly like three times in as many months. With AF I was able to knock it out in five weeks. For me that was about perfect. Long enough to actually learn the material (unlike then ten day super-accelerated courses) and short enough to be able to actually get it done.

I see...how much did your instrument training cost at AF? What acft did you train in? Five week is great...did you study the knowledge test material before you started the instrument training?

 

[rwellner98]

I see...how much did your instrument training cost at AF? What acft did you train in? Five week is great...did you study the knowledge test material before you started the instrument training?

Price: Couldn't say exactly, it's been 5-6 years. From memory, between 7K and 9K and, perhaps equally importantly, no surprises.

Aircraft: C172's

Study: Yeah, I studied. I used the Sporty's online courses as well as study guides. I also took the AF written test bootcamp, which was a two day class that I found *very* useful. Just heads down plowing through the material, asking questions and understanding the quirks of the test itself.

 

[GB403]

FAA Moves Swiftly to Halt Santa Monica Airport Evictions.
The agency issued a notice of investigation against the city’s plan to shut down the airport’s FBOs.

In its notice of investigation issued to Santa Monica city manager Rick Cole and city attorney Marsha Moutrie, the FAA criticized the city for a series of actions that “may be causing, and appear intended to cause, impairment of the airport including but not limited to, a de facto closure of the airport in violation of applicable law.”

Reference: Pia Bergqvist September 29, 2016 flyingMag.com: http://www.flyingmag.com/faa-moves-swiftly-to-halt-santa-monica-airport-evictions