How should I prepare for my upcoming training?

Preparation is key for accelerated flight training. As soon as you pay your security deposit and gain access to the training portal, you should begin studying in the lead up to your weekend. Chair flying maneuvers is also a critical preparation habit. I also highly recommend studying the Instrument Approach plates at KFLO in order to be as familiar as possible with them for your checkride.

What happens if I am unable to complete the training because of skills or experience?

We have a nearly 90% pass rate on first attempt with all students endorsed for checkrides. Of those that require a 2nd checkride flight, the causes are usually related to nerves or not having prepared enough in lead up to their training (We will not endorse our students unless they have proven over their training with us that they are capable of performing flight maneuvers to the applicable ACS standards.

Less than 1 student per year has come to us simply unable to complete the training. In the event someone lacks skills, we can either recommend additional flight training time, going somewhere else (eg. tailwheel training) before coming back to finish, or we have the difficult conversation that this type of flying may not be for them. If it’s the last item, we will refund and balance of funds due less the flight training they’ve already done and any applicable cancellation fees.

Our job is to help students be successful in the multi engine environment. We try very hard to identify strengths and weaknesses and help make this happen for every student we work with. We’re proud of our record with that.

Do I get to pick which aircraft I train in?

Unfortunately, that is not an option we can accommodate at this time. Sometimes we couldn’t do that for you if we wanted to due to maintenance schedules with the airplanes. But beyond that, we have to fly each plane in planned intervals to maximize their up time and scheduled maintenance intervals.

What happens If I fail the checkride on my first attempt?

If you fail on your first attempt, we will have to retrain you in the areas stated on your notice of dissapproval. You then will have to be re-endorsed for the checkride and go fly again with the DPE. We’ve never had a student fail on a 2nd checkride attempt.

If after the flight of your first attempt, you have exceeded the flight hours of your course, it is at the discretion of Attitude Aviators if additional costs will be assessed for retraining and flying again for the 2nd checkride. We currently charge $600/hr to cover those expenses, which is a rate lower than actual operating costs, in recognition of you having already paid for the initial course. (NOTE: Less than 20% of our students requiring retraining are assessed additional costs. That’s because most retraining can be accomplished with minimal additional flight time. It’s only when multiple retraining areas make that additional flight time a material expense for us, that we’re forced to cover those expenses)

What is your Payment Policy?

A non-refundable deposit of $1,750 is required before we add you to our training calendar and give access to our Study Portal. Before we invoice you for the security deposit, we need your telephone number, email address, and photos of your Driver’s License, Pilot Certificate (Both Sides), Medical Certificate, and Either your Birth Certificate or Passport (TSA Required citizenship documentation. We are not currently offering training to non-citizens due to the complexities of this regulatory compliance)

The balance of your training costs are due 5 days prior to your starting your training. Nonpayment will result in us contacting other students to fill your dates with someone else, and as stated above, your security deposit is forfeited.

Methods of acceptable payment are Credit Card/Debit Card, ACH (Online Check), or Cash. Each training course description details those amounts as we try our best to help students save money through less costly payment processing. Deposits are always invoiced offering Credit/Debit card and ACH (online checks) payments in order to facilitate speedy scheduling and access to Training Materials.

I am coming in from out of town. What time can I expect to be done on Monday so I can make travel arrangements back home?

It is recommended that out of town students arrive the day before training and not plan to leave until the day after training. More local students have the most flexibility. Students traveling by air should make sure their airline tickets can be changed in the event of weather or retesting.

Can the training dates change?

Yes. Multi engine flight training with pre-determined checkride dates can present substantial logistical challenges. We have to lock-in

What happens if the student has to reschedule?

Rescheduling can be a necessary development for any reason: Student, Instructor, DPE, Airplane Mx, or Weather. It can also happen at any time: Prior to training or during it.

If the student needs to reschedule prior to starting training or during your training dates, and we have enough time to find another student to take your training dates, we will be happy to reschedule you to the next available date at no cost to you. If we are unable to fill your training dates and/or the checkride, a rescheduling fee of $500 will be assessed when moving you to the next available date on our calendar. That fee must be paid prior to rescheduling you.

This policy has been put in place in response to a rising number of students rescheduling due to factors such as lack of preparation, checkride nerves, and/or attempting to make weather predictions about their weekend. And while we are sympathetic to those factors, there is simply too much cost burden on the flight school and examiners to avoid assessing this fee.

What happens if the Instructor has to reschedule?

Instructor circumstances have never been an issue with our operations because we have multiple other experienced MEI’s that can back up the training when a conflict or illness arises. Attitude Aviators incurs a cost when calling in a backup. We absorb this expense ourselves to help ensure continuity for our students.

What happens if the DPE has to reschedule?

We work with a primary DPE, who happens to be one of the most reliable Examiners in the market. While conflicts and/or illness can arise, our DPE is very responsive to availability and rescheduling needs.

But like all flight training businesses in aviation, we are in the same boat as the others, meaning we need access to the DPE’s more than they need us. Maximum flexibility is required when a situation like DPE rescheduling occurs, since it’s out of control of both the student and Instructor.

What happens if we have to reschedule due to weather?

Weather is the great mystery to all of us. It’s impossible to control, and changes rapidly. Paid professionals get their forecasts wrong more than right. In response to the need to maintain utilization of the available training dates, the decision to reschedule due to weather is solely the responsibility of Attitude Aviators. As aviators, we fly in weather and we fly around it. We do the following to ensure training and checkrides are completed as scheduled as often as possible:

• The student must keep 3 days prior to scheduled training open on their calendar in the event Saturday and/or Sunday have weather we cannot work around. This allows us to fly early to complete training prior to Monday checkride
• Often times Attitude Aviators can fly away from our local area to find good weather to complete training as scheduled
• Attitude Aviators can rearrange the ground and flight schedules to take advantage of good weather windows, then do ground during the weathered out flying.
• Should the weather look bad on Monday (Checkride day), we will still attend the checkride and make the weather decision after completion of the oral portion of checkride.

Trust Attitude Aviators and the process we have in place for this training. This is what we do for a living, and our sole objective is helping you get your training done. As stated above, should a student insist on rescheduling for any reason, including but not limited to weather, a rescheduling fee of $500 will be assessed and must be paid prior to rescheduling their checkride.

What happens if we have to reschedule due to unscheduled maintenance issues with the airplane?

Another factor with providing flight training that is totally outside the control of all parties is an unscheduled maintenance event with the airplane. If rescheduling becomes needed, we will move you to the next available opening at no additional cost to you. We will also prioritize you if an earlier opening comes up. And finally, we work actively with the DPE to find earlier dates than our next available opening and use those when able.

A final note on maintenance issues is our use of 2 Cessna 310L’s in flight training and stocking many of the key components in spare for quick swap. While having a 2nd aircraft and a parts shelf as hot spares has been helpful for us in the past, it is never a guarantee. We do our best to mitigate unscheduled maintenance, since they impact us as well as our students, especially those coming to us from out of town.

What is your Policy on Cancellations?

Cancellations fall into two categories:

• Before paying Balance of your Training Costs; or
• After paying Balance of your Training Costs

If you decide to cancel before paying your final balance due, you will lose your security deposit, but we will remove you from the schedule as requested with no additional fees due.

If you have to cancel after paying the balance of your training costs, we will still honor the cancellation request, but you will be assessed a $400 cancellation fee in addition to the loss of your security deposit IF we are unable to find someone else to fill your checkride date. The fee will not be assessed if we fill the checkride date with someone else. (NOTE: We usually have good success filling spots with another student. Communicating with us in critical)

We know life happens, and try our best to work with circumstances, but we must also recognize checkride dates with DPE’s are the basis of scheduling these courses. We encourage folks to reschedule instead of cancel in these situations.

What is your Refund Policy?

Security deposits are non-refundable for any reason. They cover our administrative costs for scheduling, costs associated with giving access to our training materials, and reserving a spot on our course calendar. Once scheduled, we want you to complete the training and are happy to move you to a future date to help make this happen. Early communication is the key to making things work out well for all parties.

If, however, you decide to cancel, we will provide a refund of the balance of your training costs according to the discussions above. If a cancellation or rescheduling fee applies, it will be deducted from your refund of the balance of your training costs. We are a flight training business. We are not in the business of taking your money due to a change of circumstances. But we must cover our operating expenses related to cancellations and refunds since there are a finite number of checkrides we can accomplish on the calendar.