Beware! Please Read this! Save yourself some time and money, and possibly your safety!
I am pursuing my private pilot's license and started with Front Range Flight School with enough hours to solo. I transferred from a school in Florida, and would have solo'd within a week had I stayed. However, after many weeks of lessons, and thousands of dollars spent, I still haven't solo'd and after spending a lot of time with Brendon Love, a new flight instructor at the school, I feel more confused than prepared.
My biggest issue is not that I have fallen behind, or even the perpetual need to spend time and money on the lessons, it is the safety. On many occasions the older planes at the school, which are in poor condition, had several gauges, indicators, seat belts, seats, windows, wheels, and other items that either didn't work, or were in bad shape. A good example of the "shoot from the hip" attitude of this school is that on at least 3 occasions Brendon and I flew a plane that had just been purchased and didn't have any papers in the plane, and we were unable to do the weights and balances because they were missing paperwork, or something. Brendon, and the school made light of these perpetual deficiencies and in direct contradiction to everything I have read and studied for the written exam, all of these gauges and systems are important and a plane should not be flown until they are in operating condition.
Even though I am disappointed with all of the money I have spent, and I feel like I have been cheated (I requested a refund of my money to which the owner Brian told me to go fly a kite), the primary reason for me terminating my relationship with this school is an event that Brendon Love told me on 17 September 2019. He told me that the day before he had completed a cross country lesson with a student and before they had even arrived at their first destination, the gas gauges were on empty. He told me when he returned, and checked the fuel, he had half a tank in both tanks. The problem with this scenario is not just the poor condition of the planes, but is more the fact that the instructor continued to fly the airplane with the fuel gauges on empty! Almost every plane I flew in at this school had gas gauge issues!!
Another instance of concern is when I flew with the owner's father (logged in my logbook) who related a story to me how one of the planes earlier in the week had gone down, and rather than retrieving the plane in the proper manner (his words), he boasted that he drove to the plane and flew it out of wherever it had the emergency landing due to engine failure, instead of having it towed back. He told me it was dangerous, but they didn't want to spend the money to bring it back on a truck. When when we landed the plane, I landed a bit hard on the runway and he told me that my airman skills were ok, but my landings sucked. I told him that I was just learning the landing part (soon to solo) and apologized. He was surprised. I asked him if he read my log book to determine my experience to which he replied, no!
In my opinion, the haphazard manner in which this school conducts its business and operates its planes is dangerous and might lead to a tragic end. I relayed my concerns to the owner, Brian, to which he told me I was wrong that all of his planes are 100%. He completely ignored and disputed any of my concerns about his planes equipment.
Don't let the cheap prices fool you. They are cheap because things aren't quite right at this school. An airplane is not as forgiving as a car. If you do go to this school, just keep in mind my comments as you climb in to his old, worn out planes.
I am not bashful. Please call me at 303-906-8944 if you would like to hear more.
Alan Marley read more