What You Should Consider Before Selecting a Flying School

A school is where one spends the major part of their childhood and teenage. However, a flying school is where an individual spends the initial part of their career in aviation. It is a dream of many to be a part of the aviation fraternity and fulfil their desire of flying. However, one should be cautious while choosing a flying school, as many schools lure their prospective students with advertisements proclaiming themselves as the ‘Best Flying Schools’ or using other attractive means.

A student, while evaluating flying schools, should consider various parameters. Some of these are the infrastructure of the school, the type of aircraft used for training, the instructors, and the support systems provided by the school. One should ensure that the flying school has well-defined systems for training and progress.

They should evaluate the training structure of the school. The school staff should be able to effectively explain the training structure to the students. The students should feel at ease in interrogating the staff of the school about various aspects of training. This should be done before the students make any commitment to the school.

Evaluate the Quality of the Instructors

The quality of the instructors is crucial to the student’s training experience. Students should scrutinize the instructors and evaluate if the instructors are equipped to impart training to students and fulfil the requirements of the flying school.

When choosing a Best Pilot Training School, focus on the teachers rather than the institution. The name of the school isn’t as important as the teachers’ experience and whether they can address students’ needs individually.

The best way to judge teachers is to ask students, so try to get the contact info of students that attended the school recently.

Flying Experience

One of the most important parts of a Best Pilot Training program is the flying experience, so find out how the school schedules flying lessons, and what methods the school uses to inform students of their academic progress.

Find out what kind of aircraft the school uses and what procedures are in place to plan flying lessons considering the weather and other conditions beyond the control of the school.

Location and weather conditions can also affect the pace of flight training. For example, schools operating in areas that experience prolonged fog, heavy monsoon conditions, or other periods of poor visibility may lose more flying days than schools operating in areas with more favourable flying conditions. Students should therefore understand the local weather pattern and how weather-related disruptions may affect the expected training schedule.

Finally, students should know and accept that there are things beyond the control of the school which may prevent flying lessons from happening and may require last-minute changes to flying schedules.

Classroom Training

An aviation pilot training school should provide flying experience, theoretical training in various aspects of aviation, and provide guidance in all areas related to flying and aeronautics. Before joining a pilot training school, evaluate what kind of classroom training is provided.

Top Flying Training Schools in India provide both good flying experience and classroom training.

While it is important to evaluate multiple aspects of a flying school, a few key components can help prospective students significantly narrow their options and feel more at ease with their selection.

Safety Procedures

Safety must be integrated at every step of pilot training. It should not be something relegated to a space on a web page. Prospective students should ask flying schools how procedures are communicated to students and what kind of operational information is provided.

Facilities

In addition to describing the kind of facilities flying schools provide students, prospects should inspect the kind of classrooms and training aids available to students.

Campus Visits

Prospects should go on a campus visit to evaluate the kind of learning environment flying schools provide.

Regulatory Information

During their inspection of flying schools, students should verify the regulatory status of the organisation before enrolling. Students should check whether the flying school is an approved Flying Training Organisation (FTO) under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and verify its current status using the official DGCA information.

Students should also check the school’s grade in the official DGCA FTO ranking. DGCA introduced its FTO ranking framework in 2025, with the first ranking implemented from 1 October 2025. The ranking is published periodically, with the next ranking scheduled for April 2026. Students evaluating a flying school should therefore refer to the latest available DGCA ranking rather than relying only on information provided by the school.

Regulatory information, approval status, and ranking information can change, so students should check the latest information available from DGCA before making a final decision.

Student Support

Requesting assistance in such matters as form understanding and scheduling must be simple for students. Prior to joining a flying school, students must ensure that assistance in scheduling and other aspects is provided by the chosen flight school.

Fees and Contract Terms

Fee is an important aspect that must be considered while choosing a flying school; however, students must not only consider the total fee quoted in an advertisement or a brochure. Before signing the contract, students must request the school to offer the breakdown of the fees involved.

Students must find out if the quoted fees include the cost of flying hours, fuel, instructor’s fees, landing fees, exams, uniforms, accommodation, among other training costs. Where such costs are not included, it is important to know how much will be charged as additional costs.

Where extra flying hours will be needed by the student, students must also inquire about the fee for an additional flying hour.

Refund policies should also be known prior to making the payment. Students must find out about the time when a refund is possible, possible deductions from the fee and the procedure itself if he or she is not satisfied with the training.

What if the training period is prolonged due to some problems on the side of the educational institution? This situation should be specified in the agreement and whether there will be some extra expenses for students.

Agreement should be read thoroughly prior to its signing. Students should make sure that everything which was discussed during counselling is stated in the relevant documents.

Talk With a Counselor before Taking Action

In most cases, personal discussion helps to solve many of the doubts.

Student: I don’t know what I should investigate before joining a flying school.

Counsellor: Firstly, you need to have knowledge about the general layout of the training. Secondly, you need to talk with the trainers and trainees, see the training facilities and amenities, look into the training documents, and know who will be managing your training.

Student: Will it be sufficient if I compare the fees while making this decision?

Counsellor: No. You should also analyse the training process and check if the overall programme meets your expectations. You should also understand what is included in the fees, the cost of additional flying hours, the refund policy, and how delays are handled.

There are several other aspects that you need to evaluate while taking a decision and these discussions can assist you in that regard.

Five Common Questions before Admission

1. How can I evaluate the flying school’s training?

Ask for the school’s training documentation and check the regulatory documentation yourself. You should also verify that the organisation is a DGCA-approved FTO and review the latest official DGCA FTO ranking.

2. Should I have a tour of the school?

It will help to learn how the school is being run and what facilities it provides to its students.

3. What questions should I ask about the teaching staff?

You need to know about the experience of the teachers, evaluation process for the students and whether the teachers are accessible.

4. Why is there flying in the training program and what is the purpose of the aircraft?

You need to understand why there is flying in the schedule and what part the aircraft plays in your training.

5. What should I ask about fees and existing students?

Ask existing students about their experience with training, scheduling, instructors, and support. At the same time, ask the school for a complete fee breakdown, including flying hours, fuel, instructor charges, landing charges, examinations, uniform, accommodation, additional flying-hour rates, and refund terms.

Make an Informed Decision

When you are considering flying schools, it should not be a case of looking at brand names and making rash decisions. Look at as much of the school as you can, including the training structure, the instructors, the school’s resources and support, regulatory status, weather conditions, fees, contract terms, and the school’s commitment to student welfare, and then make your decision.

Most importantly, do your best to understand what you will be paying for and what you will be getting before you sign any agreements. Ask about the cost of additional flying hours, refund conditions, included and excluded expenses, and what happens if training is delayed. It never hurts to ask as many questions as you want. You have the right to visit the school of your choosing and do an inspection.

70Knots Aviation is always happy to meet students interested in their school and will provide additional information.

For more information contact 70Knots Aviation

70Knots Aviation

E-529, Near MCD Office, Ramphal Chowk, Sector 7 Dwarka, New Delhi – 110075

Telephone: +91-9560019676

Email: info@70knotsaviation.com

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