Atlanta Non-Sexist CFI/Flight School Recommendations

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Avelyn

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Avelyn
Hi, I'm new to this board and am excited to start training in Atlanta for a private pilot's license as soon as possible. I'm trying to narrow my list down to 3-4 CFIs to meet with but so far have found surprisingly little in the way of feedback/reviews other than people saying that a particular company is good because it has "good guys" or because it is less expensive. I would really appreciate any specific feedback/recommendations based on my profile:

  1. I want to fly as a hobby and for recreational travel.
  2. I live and work in Midtown and the only options are PDK and FTY. I understand PDK is expensive and busy but I am willing to pay up for convenience.
  3. Would prefer an experienced instructor who does it for teaching rather than the hours and who won't leave midway through the process. I would value someone who is timely and has prepared for each session.
  4. I am a female and finding an instructor who is truly not sexist is very important. Not someone who is pretending not to be sexist or has the "girls are different learners - you need to treat them more delicately" mentality. I don't mean to suggest that all or even a majority CFIs are this way but the field is male-dominated and I have found that in my other hobbies such as golf and shooting, a certain clubby macho attitude carried on by a few individuals still exists (which can be perpetuated by the women involved as well), which is very off-putting to me.
  5. In terms of personality I will settle for professional. However, I generally get along better with direct, methodical types rather than laid-back good 'ol boys or Buckhead Betties.
  6. Have a full-time job; would need to train on weekends or early mornings and would want to fly 2x per week such as Saturday and Sunday (so CFI not being able to work with me on Sundays due to a regular church commitment would be a dealbreaker).
  7. Prefer more self-study on the ground school portion to more regimented/classroom setting.

I figure if I'm shelling out over $10K for a hobby then it can't hurt to ask around to try to find someone I would enjoy working with. Some of the company names I have heard of based on "my father in law got his certificate there" recommendations are Skybound Aviation, Fulton Aviation, American Flyers, and Advanced Aviation, with no specific instructor recs.

Thanks in advance for sharing your advice/experiences.
 
There's going to be chumminess/male camaraderie wherever you go in aviation. However, more women fly/teach out of the airport I'm at than any other in the state (I think). It's impressive and refreshing.

Anyway, I got lucky in that my first instructor is easy to get along with and she was there the whole time. Granted, I'm also super easy to get along with so that helped. If you have a hard time getting along with people right off the bat, then you might find spending an hour or two crammed in a plane with someone to be a bit trying. Every instructor is different, so you may have some that are laid back, some that are strict, some that are friendly, and some that are just jerks. The ones at my school all have different methods and approaches but are all extremely friendly. I would fly with any of them. They will eventually catch on to your style and morph their ways to fit yours.

I have a full-time job, so I only trained on the weekends. This will really test your patience. You are much more limited by only going on the weekends. It's not bad, though. I finished up in nine months doing mostly weekends. I had some days where I would go after work. I would recommend this come summertime, because there will be plenty of time after work to go fly. At least, if you live within a reasonable proximity and get off at a reasonable hour. However, if you do solely weekends, prepare to have some cancellations due to weather. It happens more often than you think.

You can definitely self study all you want. No harm in that. Your instructor will always give you a pre- and post-flight debrief, and these are invaluable.

Edit: I forgot to mention something about airports. I don't know much about the ones you're thinking of training at, but keep in mind a big towered airport may not be the best option and even a small towered airport may not be the best option. This is because you don't want to spend .2 or .3 on the Hobbes just taxiing or holding short for takeoff. That is the worst. Sometimes you can't avoid it. Just keep that in mind.
 
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I know the owner of Advanced Aviation. He has a location at PDK and at LZU. I do not know anything about his PDK operation or Instructors. I know he has one or two female Instructors at LZU so he may one at PDK.
 
My experience with CFIs, both male and female: I don't THINK I've run across any who were sexist or condescending, but I'm not female. Take the time to talk with or interview several and see what you think. You are hiring the CFI, not the other way around, so you get to do the job interview.

All CFIs that I've met do have a self-confidence that might seem like a macho attitude, but there's not necessarily anything wrong with that. Flying is an equal opportunity money-taker, there are no special rules for boys or girls - either you can learn how to do it safely or you can't.

And you are not particularly unique - many of us trained and carried full time jobs and a tight budget. Make sure to talk to your prospective CFI about it.

The key is to do a good job up front of communicating with each other.
 
Don't necessarily limit yourself to PDK or FTY. Assuming you have a car, driving to a non-towered airport on weekends wouldn't be a big time consumer. It's a lot cheaper and more productive to drive a few minutes more than to sit on the ground with the Hobbs running waiting for a tower clearance.

If you'd do that, I can recommend a freelance instructor that would meet your other requirements. Send me a PM if interested.
 
I would highly, highly, highly recommend Michael O'Neal with skybound aviation out of PDK. Michael has something around 30,000 hrs of dual instruction time (no, that's not a typo). I also know that Michael had a number of female students during the time I did my PPL training with him. He is one of the few CFIs who teaches just to teach (not as a means of getting a job with the airlines).

Michael is a class act, a tremendous instructor, and very well known in the area. I know that when people have asked for recommendations on other boards and I've suggested Michael, there were always a number of endorsements for him from other members.

Also, skybound has a nice fleet and their pricing is definitely the best on the field. They've also recently hired a full-time mechanic just for their fleet.

PM me and I can get you his info.
 
deltafox said:
I flew out of KRYY in Cobb County...not too far to go. The people at Superior Flight School are great...
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Yes, what he said! I know there's a lot of different faces than when I trained, but the chief instructors are good people who run a good company.

Keep in mind that you want to train twice a week, Saturday and Sunday, but there will inevitably be weeks when it rains all weekend and you can't go up. It really helps to be able to fly during the week from time to time, otherwise you risk two or three week gaps in your training.
 
Is there a local chapter of the ninety nines you could talk to, too?
 
dwalt said:
I would highly, highly, highly recommend Michael O'Neal with skybound aviation out of PDK. Michael has something around 30,000 hrs of dual instruction time (no, that's not a typo). I also know that Michael had a number of female students during the time I did my PPL training with him. He is one of the few CFIs who teaches just to teach (not as a means of getting a job with the airlines).

Michael is a class act, a tremendous instructor, and very well known in the area. I know that when people have asked for recommendations on other boards and I've suggested Michael, there were always a number of endorsements for him from other members.

Also, skybound has a nice fleet and their pricing is definitely the best on the field. They've also recently hired a full-time mechanic just for their fleet.

PM me and I can get you his info.
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Yeah...With 30,000 hours he is well past the time building phase of his career :D.
 
Thanks for the info. Looks like there is a substantial OTP presence on this board and I know there are some great schools out there (unfortunately just not a possibility for me).

Doesn't look like the ninety-nines are very active in Atlanta but WIA appears to have a chapter; I'll ping them for suggestions as well.

Appreciate the rec for Michael O'Neal and will definitely give him a call.
 
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