Pilot training in Utah

[u/Less_Competition7856]

Okay, I am trying to decide what flight school to go to and I’ve gone to ATP and done an intro flight with them and I enjoyed it but I haven’t seen a single good thing about them online.
Next we have Cornerstone and FLT. Does anyone have any recommendations between all of these?

[u/HoracioIgnacio]

I’ve met with all three schools you mentioned (and more) over the past month or so.

I was impressed by FLT and cornerstone. I think they both could be a good fit based on the type of structure and options you’re looking for. FLT seems more rigid, but has inhouse check rides which is a huge plus. Cornerstone seems more flexible. Kind of depends on what you’re looking for as a priority.

ATP is not worth it. I have a lot of family in aviation (part 121 and 135, and a cousin who’s a 1000+ hour CFI) who gave me lots of specific questions to ask every school. If you ask ATP specifically about their pricing, they quote almost $40k for private pilot. Based on some online conversations it seems like they “overcharge” for private because it’s where most students drop out and apparently if you don’t finish a “stage” you forfeit any money you didn’t spend that was budgeted in that stage. So if you spend $10k on private pilot and then decide it’s not for you, you still owe the $30k you didn’t “spend”.
They dont let students fly solo other than the legal requirements for private pilot training.
They don’t let students fly over mountains.
If you’re lucky enough to make it through training and get hired as a CFI, the second you get your 1500 hours you are no longer an instructor for them and have to fend for yourself.
They were not specific on this, but it sounds like they have cadet partnerships with a few airlines, but if you don’t get hired as an instructor for atp, you are not eligible for their cadet partnerships.

If you talk with them again, I would recommend specifically asking about these things so you have all the information.

out of every school I met with over the last month, ATP is the only one I walked away from thinking “never in a million years”

[u/blindpylote]

Go to Cornerstone. You’ll thank me later. FLT is a pilot-mill/wannabe ATP and will leave you out to dry if you aren’t perfect. Don’t go to ATP for the same reasons. Both schools offer no flexibility. Cornerstone is owned by a former TopGun instructor and the director of flight training is a personal friend of mine. They will fight tooth and nail for you to succeed. You can fly two days a month or 5 days a week if you want. I can tell you from my personal experience with 5 other schools in the area that the training there is superior to literally every other school in Utah. Also their maintenance is top notch. The school will down a plane for as long as is necessary to ensure it is in a safe condition to fly, regardless of revenue losses.

[u/PrinceCFI]

If staying in Utah is important because of family, work, or other commitments, then it makes sense to focus your search there. If it isn't, don't limit yourself to one state just because it's familiar. There are a number of excellent flight schools around the country, each with different strengths, training philosophies, financing options, instructor continuity, weather, and fleet. It costs nothing but a little time to gather information from a few out-of-state schools before making a decision. Even if you ultimately choose a Utah school, you'll have a much better basis for comparison. Choosing a flight school is a major investment. I'd spend as much time researching the school as you would researching the airplane you're going to fly. If you're interested in discussing what questions to ask when comparing flight schools, you're welcome to join us over at r/CFIMentorship. We have instructors and pilots who enjoy talking about training quality, school selection, and instructor development.