Flight school recommendation

Submitted by arcticmischief t3_11nyzdj in springfieldMO

After a long hiatus (19 years, yikes), I'd like to finish getting my private pilot license. (This would just be for recreational flying; I'm no longer aiming for a career path in aviation!)

As far as I can tell, the local options are:

  • Premier Flight Center (has the contract with OTC's aviation tech program)
  • Fulltron Aviation (at the downtown Springfield airport; seems to have merged with Springfield Flying Service)
  • Sky Adventures (out of business?)
  • Pro Flight Air (out of business?)
  • EAS Flight Training (out in Aurora)
  • Wells Aircraft (Branson West--apparently no longer offers flight training)
  • Aviation Enterprises (apparently no longer offers flight training)
  • Ozark Mountain Aviation (would be nice if it actually exists and actually is in Ozark as Google Maps implies)

Yeah...not a lot there that inspires confidence in competency! The only two that have working websites and external sources that corroborate their existence are Premier and EAS. Premier would be the closest for me (25 mins vs 45 to EAS), but a few folks in r/flying recommended I avoid a university-affiliated school, both because there's a lot of competition for time with aircraft and instructors and also it's kind of impolite to take time away from students pursuing flight training as a career.

[Edit: I mistakenly thought Fulltron was out of business earlier; I've edited the post above to fix that.]

Anyway, am I missing anything? Any recommendations regarding the above options or any I've missed? I'm also up for working with a private CFI with access to a plane outside of a school, as long as they're competent and reputable.

Long shot, I know, since this is kind of a niche activity, but hey, it's Reddit, so you never know. Thanks in advance!

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robzilla71173 t1_jbpza09 wrote

I'm in the same boat, went back a couple years ago after a similarly long hiatus and got close to my checkride, but had some health and financial issues that sabotaged it. I'm looking at going back this year.

I was flying out of Fulltron and I plan to go back there, really enjoyed the small school atmosphere and they were pretty nice and professional. Definitely a very pro general aviation vibe and the owner is an aerobatic pilot, so it's really fun to just talk flying with him. I think the instructor I had (Joseph) may have moved on, which is a shame because he was really good. Overall I was very happy with them and the training environment. I can confirm that they're still open at the downtown airport (saw them flying this morning) and according to their website, they're having a bbq on March 25. If you're interested in checking them out or even just meeting local pilots and CFI's that's a good way to do it, it's how I got to know them originally two years ago. It looks like they probably did buy out Springfield Flying Service, because the website now shows them as managing the whole airport. https://www.fulltronaviation.com/

Sky Adventures is unfortunately closed. I saw that someone had bought their fleet and was planning to keep the airplanes available as rentals.

Premier is still there and is obviously pretty top notch. I think most, if not all of Fulltron's instructors (along with Sky Adventures when they were open) were Premier grads. With them you get the advantage of getting used to the Class C environment. That being said, you can get a lot more landings per hour at smaller airports so it's just up to what someone prefers. I've seen the same advice about sticking to Part 61 schools if it's just a hobby.

Pro Flight is definitely out of business. I don't know much about EAS.

Anyway, I definitely recommend Fulltron. I had a good experience and I plan to go back this summer. If you want to check them out just give them a call or go by their bbq in a couple of weeks and I'm sure someone will give you a look around.

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arcticmischief OP t1_jbpztiz wrote

OK, interesting--I had found a link to Fulltron earlier that was dead, so it must have been an erroneous link or a temporary DNS glitch or something. Glad to see they're an option, and thanks for the recommendation! (Will fix my post above in case anyone else stumbles across this in the future.)

And the BBQ sounds cool. Good opportunity to check them out!

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robzilla71173 t1_jbq12bj wrote

The guy that did their website when I was there wasn't really an employee, just a pilot who hung out at the hangar all the time and helped out with the site and youtube channel, so sometimes the links were hit or miss.

Here's more detail on the BBQ, looks like it's being put on partly by the local EAA. These are fun, they make some fine homemade ice cream for desert. https://www.fulltronaviation.com/eaa821/

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PM_YOUR_PUPPERS t1_jbq3zks wrote

I did some hours through EAS right before the pandemic and I liked their setup. It's smallish, at the time they had 3 different fixed wing single engine you could rent out, didn't really have any issues getting booked and the planes seemed well cared for, no mechanical issues and my pre flight was never an issue.

I know it's a drive but I'd call them up, good group of dudes.

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ibanezartmetal t1_jbqleha wrote

I would suggest Fulltron or EAS. Both are great. I started at Fulltron and moved to EAS due to scheduling issues (Fulltron was down to 1 plane and 1 instructor for a while).

Fulltron requires all PPL students to do spin training, some folks are uncomfortable with that, but I personally enjoyed it. I am really enjoying the structure EAS has and the folks over there, but they are a little more expensive.

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arcticmischief OP t1_jbqp0u9 wrote

A family member (who did flight training 50 years ago, haha) did some acrobatic training, mostly for proficiency and recovery ability, and said it was absolutely worth doing, even though he had to conquer severe butterflies. I’d be in the same boat, but I know I’d be better for it.

Good words. I’ll have to chew on that, though!

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ibanezartmetal t1_jbqsj9o wrote

I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them. EAS is definitely more established, and Fulltron is pretty new and has experienced a lot of growing pains. Them taking over 3DW could help or hurt them in that aspect. Best of luck to you!

As far as the airports go, flying out of Aurora is definitely more relaxing. At 3DW there is a tower in the traffic pattern, pattern altitude is 100’ below the floor of SGF’s class C, and 3DW does have some jet and big boy piston traffic. 2H2’s traffic is definitely calmer.

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robzilla71173 t1_jbrgpes wrote

Aurora is a nice airport. I actually took lessons out of there when I was a kid. Do you by any chance know if there's a flying club called Vicious Goose there now? I know it sounds like a weird question but it's a club I was in a couple of years back that was really affordable. Last I'd heard they were moving from sgf to aurora for a cheaper hangar.

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ibanezartmetal t1_jbrpzbf wrote

I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask next time I’m out there. I’ve been looking for an affordable flying club in the local area for after my PPL is done, haven’t found much so far. I like the planes Aurora has for rent, but Fulltron is cheaper, if you can get on the schedule - and even then a flying club would be much more economical.

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Big-Weed t1_jbqoj0l wrote

If you have the time for a bit of a drive, then try flight training in Lebanon or Bolivar or another small airport nearby. Rental hours, instruction fees, and fuel costs are much cheaper and you aren’t in class B airspace.

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arcticmischief OP t1_jbqoqhp wrote

Good advice. Any particular recommendations for outfits?

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Big-Weed t1_jbqpbzi wrote

The smaller operators don’t advertise much but ask for Jimmy in Lebanon. He is one of the most safety conscious and lives nearby so he is almost always available on short notice. Low hourly rates there too.

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Elios000 t1_jbrzx8e wrote

OTC. full stop your going to pay WAY WAY WAY FUCKING MORE any where else. if your goal is a CPL or ATP

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arcticmischief OP t1_jbt6dyi wrote

As mentioned in my OP, a CPL/ATP isn’t my goal (anymore—it was 20 years ago). This is just for personal fun and utility. Is there still value in going through the college?

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Elios000 t1_jbt9oll wrote

ah missed that. in that case yeah its a wash. i mean depending on how old you are never to late change careers. sadly i cant hold a medical because health stuff in the past. so im waiting for the A&P classes to open up.

but yeah id learn out SGF just get used to being in a class C more.

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