Flying Schools Comparison
So . . . I decided to re-evaluate my choice of flying schools, and here's what I found. There are several flying schools in the area, but for now, I'll just mention two schools that operate out of Page Field in Fort Myers, FL. The two schools are Paragon Flight School and Beaver Aviation.
Paragon Flight School has impressive facilities, an up-to date livery of mainly Cessna 172s (glass cockpit), young but experienced flight instructors, and its own maintenance hangar. The facilities are clean, modern, and instill a sense of confidence.
Beaver Aviation is quite a bit different. It is a small operation with only a couple of aircraft in its livery, but features different types of planes. In addition to single engine high-wing configuration (the Cessna 172), but also low-wing (Piper), and aerobatic rated aircraft. There are no glass cockpit equipped planes, just traditional flight instruments. The flight instructors are very seasoned, and the owner has a huge bank of knowledge (including a Ph.D. in physics).
There are great advantages to both organizations, and no real price difference in the training process. One big factor in favor of Paragon is that they already knew me, and had records of previous flights. So I decided to do a test flight with a new instructor, just to see how I felt about things. This test flight went well, and I quickly figured out that the areas I really need to work on are radio procedures and landings.
I dropped by Beaver to talk with the owner, who is a real personable and knowledgeable. He spent a bit of time with me, and explained how he runs his training program. What he described is good for someone who has some experience, and perhaps wants to gain certification in IFR (instrument flight rules) or become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Beaver is a definite choice if learning aerobatics!
But alas, I am an aviation newbie. While my flying skills are generally pretty good, there is a bit of uncertainty with respect to landings. When flying in the pattern around the runway, it's just about pitch perfect. Landings are generally okay, except when the wind kicks up, and that's still a handful. Given my history with Paragon, and excellent rapport with the instructor (Harry), I decided on Paragon as a final choice. I know it's probably a minor issue, but I felt much better with the in-house maintenance staff, equipment, and a strategic partnership with Cessna.
As it stands, I need to polish the radio procedures, and nail the landings to take a solo flight. One other consideration is that ground school for Paragon is a comprehensive online curriculum, provided via Jeppesen. The fee for the ground school software is around $250, and training flights of about 1.5 hours will run about $250, fuel included. All insurance is carried through Paragon, and they are very thorough making sure each student is where they need to be for the next step of training.
That's it for now. Here's a pic of one of the Paragon Cessna 172s. Have a great flying day!
Paragon Flight School has impressive facilities, an up-to date livery of mainly Cessna 172s (glass cockpit), young but experienced flight instructors, and its own maintenance hangar. The facilities are clean, modern, and instill a sense of confidence.
Beaver Aviation is quite a bit different. It is a small operation with only a couple of aircraft in its livery, but features different types of planes. In addition to single engine high-wing configuration (the Cessna 172), but also low-wing (Piper), and aerobatic rated aircraft. There are no glass cockpit equipped planes, just traditional flight instruments. The flight instructors are very seasoned, and the owner has a huge bank of knowledge (including a Ph.D. in physics).
There are great advantages to both organizations, and no real price difference in the training process. One big factor in favor of Paragon is that they already knew me, and had records of previous flights. So I decided to do a test flight with a new instructor, just to see how I felt about things. This test flight went well, and I quickly figured out that the areas I really need to work on are radio procedures and landings.
I dropped by Beaver to talk with the owner, who is a real personable and knowledgeable. He spent a bit of time with me, and explained how he runs his training program. What he described is good for someone who has some experience, and perhaps wants to gain certification in IFR (instrument flight rules) or become a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). Beaver is a definite choice if learning aerobatics!
But alas, I am an aviation newbie. While my flying skills are generally pretty good, there is a bit of uncertainty with respect to landings. When flying in the pattern around the runway, it's just about pitch perfect. Landings are generally okay, except when the wind kicks up, and that's still a handful. Given my history with Paragon, and excellent rapport with the instructor (Harry), I decided on Paragon as a final choice. I know it's probably a minor issue, but I felt much better with the in-house maintenance staff, equipment, and a strategic partnership with Cessna.
As it stands, I need to polish the radio procedures, and nail the landings to take a solo flight. One other consideration is that ground school for Paragon is a comprehensive online curriculum, provided via Jeppesen. The fee for the ground school software is around $250, and training flights of about 1.5 hours will run about $250, fuel included. All insurance is carried through Paragon, and they are very thorough making sure each student is where they need to be for the next step of training.
That's it for now. Here's a pic of one of the Paragon Cessna 172s. Have a great flying day!
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