Flight Training Schools Part 61 or Part 141 Flight Schools

Helicopter Flight Information

Flight Schools, Flight Schools, which is best?

Part 61, 141, or JAR; which school should you choose? I am not down on 141 schools, I am down on lying to, and misleading people. If I were to open a flight school today, I would definitely seek 141 status, but I would neither lie to, nor mislead people.

There is no doubt that achieving Part 141 status is a great achievement for a flight school, and for that they deserve recognition. BUT, that absolutely does not mean that your training will be one bit better than it will be at a Part 61 flight school, and it does not mean that your finances will be any better looked after than it will at a Part 61 flight school either, rather quite the contrary. The biggest rip-offs in flight training have always been by a part 141 flight school. Why? Because being part 141 allows them the largest funding sources where you do not control your own money!

I would choose the smaller part 61 school every time, but then that is just me. They are more deserving of your money, and will usually look out for your best interests more than a large school because your best interest is what is in their best interest. They will be more interested in retaining you as a student, and you will have more direct control of your money. A small school is more eager to do what ever it will take to get you to where you want to be whether you have hobby interests, or a career goal. At a smaller school, a persons word still has meaning, like business on a hand shake. When you get financing at a large school, you lose control of your money, and you have very little say in whatever becomes of it in the end. At a large school you become a number rather than an individual. You are strictly bound to whatever contract the school has had you sign if there was any contract at all. If you do sign a contract, make sure that there is wording in it which binds the school to fulfill their obligations to you besides extending your flight training for an indefinite period of time. At a large school, your training is going to take much longer than it should simply because of aircraft scheduling congestion. Don't even get me started on foreign owned flight schools doing business in the United States, you talk about the FAA on the take, this is where it is. Foreign ownership of US flight schools simply should not be permitted in the first place.

Part 61 schools:

These schools operate under part 61 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Many people believe that part 61 schools are less qualified than a part 141 school, or more likely to close or stiff the students in some way. This is not the case at all. Take into account the ATA fixed wing school based in Orlando that ripped many students even the day before they closed. Silver State Helicopters is another example, this is not unique to these two schools either. Due to the fact that they were a large school with large numbers of aircraft, and part 141, students were eager to hand over their money, and many lost it. It happens, and there is no assurance that it won't happen to you no matter where you go. The best thing you can do is to ask for references, and then call a couple of them.

A part 61 flight school has slightly higher hour requirements for a given rating which in essence means that the training is conducted under the certificate of the flight instructor. This does not mean that it will take you longer to obtain your rating than if you attended a part 141 school, quite the contrary, you will likely finish sooner. In a part 61 school, the instructor has a lot more flexibility to tailor the training as he or she feels is necessary for a given student. They can personalize the training quite easily.

The required times for a rating under part 61 for example are 40-hours for a private rating, 150 for a helicopter commercial rating, 250 for an airplane commercial rating, and 40-hours for an instrument rating, etc.

There are many very good part 61 flight schools.

Part 141 schools:

These schools are more commonly referred to as FAA approved schools. It means that they have met stringent FAA requirements. The FAA's intentions are commendable in this case, however the results are not always as they intend, i.e. the ATA closing mentioned above, and the great rip-off that Silver State Helicopters orchestrated without penalty.

A part 141 school has the option of training you under either part 61, or part 141. For example, you may accomplish your private rating under part 61, while you accomplish all advanced ratings under part 141.

As stated above, the times required to obtain a rating is less under part 141. This does not mean that you can, or will, obtain your rating within those times; nor does it mean that you are immune to failing a check ride.

The required times under part 141 are somewhat reduced as stated above, for example, 35 hours for a private pilot rating. Now let me say this about 35 hours for a private rating. There is only one way a student will complete this rating in 35 hours... an examiner on the take. Yeah, that is right. Many part 141 schools have examiners on the payroll, they call it 'on-site examiners', but you know what...?

JAR: This is a foreign rating, and not relative to this discussion.

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