Flight Training Atlanta area information requested

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I have an inquiry from a person interested in flight training in the Atlanta/Buckhead area. I'm not familiar with any of the airports, FBOs or flight training schools in that area. I don't believe they have any small GA experience and are at the point of just checking it out to see if it's something they want to pursue. Any relevant flight training info (for the Atlanta area) is welcome. I'll pass on the typical medical pitfall warnings as needed. I will probably just point them at this thread and see where it goes.

Thanks,

Jonathan

edit: I am really just looking for Atlanta area info for training ie airport/fbo recomendations near Buckhead area. Not looking for general flight training info.
 
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Not sure of the current school situation, but I'd lean to looking at McCollum (KRYY) in Kennesaw if your friend is in Buckhead. PDK is much closer, but there is a ton of traffic there and you can spend quite a bit of time on the ground waiting to take off. The former Superior Flight School got taken over by PEA and not sure if they do Part 61 anymore. Tower there is great and it's easy access to some other airports for non-towered procedures and XC's.
 
I'm an Atlanta-area flight instructor and fly out of PDK and FFC (arguably among the busiest towered and non-towered GA airports in the country). Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) is the closest to Buckhead has a bunch of flight schools. You can spend some time waiting on departure, but it's not terrible and the tower does a good job of sequencing traffic out of the airport.

Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK, 20 minutes from Buckhead):
* Aero Atlanta is based at PDK and has a nice fleet of Cessna 172s and Cirrus SR20/22s (more of a "gold plated" experience, and I'm friends with a bunch of folks here)
* Lanier Flight Center (I know some instructors here; good group of folks, with some newer Cessna 172s for the bulk of the training fleet)
* Skybound Aviation (more of a "typical" flight school experience, with an assorted fleet of lots of different aircraft)

Cobb County-McCollum (RYY, 30 minutes from Buckhead)
* Superior Flight School (I rented from here in the past, but don't have any recent experience.)
* LGE Flying Club - More of a "hands on" experience, but it could be a better way to learn because you're more involved with the aircraft than a "full service" flight school

Gwinnett County (LZU, 45 minutes from Buckhead)
* The Flight School of Gwinnett
* Advanced Aviation

Gainsville (GVL, 60 minutes from Buckhead)
* North Georgia Aviation is a school where I've heard really good things.

Peachtree City - Falcon Field (FFC, 60 minutes from Buckhead)
* Atlanta Flying Club - All-Piper fleet, with good availability and instruction
* Flyt Aviation - A "formal" flight school that is more geared towards the aspiring professional pilot
 
Thank you all very much. I think that was just the information I was looking for.
 
My best friend's son got his PP through Superior at RYY. Completed the ticket very recently. I thought they fleeced him, with ever changing instructors driving many "two steps forward and one back" instructor switcharoos. Basically, the instructors were changing every month or two and he was having to do multi-hour sessions with each new instructor to demonstrate/redo what he'd already demonstrated to the last guy.

They also had tons of scheduling SNAFU's which cost time and frustration.

His PPSEL took twice as long as it should have and cost 50-100% more than it should have.

Me? I'd look to Phoenix at VPC or the guy who teaches out of CZL. IMO, both seem to be dedicated to training pilots, rather than letting 22 year old's play "flight instructor" while building hours for the next job. Yeah, probably farther from home than you want, but you'll have a better experience with someone who wants to be a flight instructor versus someone who's got his/her eyes on the next job, regardless of how far you have to drive (within reason).
 
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kyleb said:
My best friend's son got his PP through Superior at RYY. Completed the ticket very recently. I thought they fleeced him, with ever changing instructors driving many "two steps forward and one back" instructor switcharoos. Basically, the instructors were changing every month or two and he was having to do multi-hour sessions with each new instructor to demonstrate/redo what he'd already demonstrated to the last guy.

They also had tons of scheduling SNAFU's where a lesson was scheduled and the school "lost" the reservation, or the airplane had a mechanical and nobody at the school communicated that the lesson was cancelled, or the instructor couldn't make it but nobody let the student know. Tons of lame excuses.

His PPSEL took twice as long as it should have and cost 50-100% more than it should have.
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This really disappoints me. Having worked there 16 years for the original owners, when I hear stories like this, I really wish the new owners would have changed the name.
 
I just finished my PPL with All2Fly at PDK and I'm planning to start my instrument there in late spring. It's definitely a no-frills school. The planes are all about 50 years old, but they're kept in good shape for 50 year old trainers. I've never felt unsafe either from my instructor or from the plane.
 
Resurrecting this thread. I just got my 1st class issued (waiting on the mail now). I’m in Alpharetta.

PDK has the most schools, but they seem highest $. Is it worth the extra 20 mins to go to GVL?
 
Sure, ish. Gainesville is untowered and less busy than PDK, so the 20 minutes of additional driving could save you time and money when you’re in the plane, on the ground, with the engine running.
 
cailloux said:
Sure, ish. Gainesville is untowered and less busy than PDK, so the 20 minutes of additional driving could save you time and money when you’re in the plane, on the ground, with the engine running.
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This. Might even be worthwhile to look at Cherokee County, depending on where JacksonHandy lives in Alpharetta.
 
JacksonHandy said:
Resurrecting this thread. I just got my 1st class issued (waiting on the mail now). I’m in Alpharetta.

PDK has the most schools, but they seem highest $. Is it worth the extra 20 mins to go to GVL?
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Did you include traffic in your Alpharetta to PDK time? You might consider RYY. Been a while since I was there, but it's about 45 min from Alpharetta. LZU is another possibility.
 
kyleb said:
This. Might even be worthwhile to look at Cherokee County, depending on where JacksonHandy lives in Alpharetta.
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Well, the form response it got was $205/hr plus instructor at GVL. Website rates are lower at PDK, so it’d have to be a lot of time savings it would seem.
Hang 4 said:
Did you include traffic in your Alpharetta to PDK time? You might consider RYY. Been a while since I was there, but it's about 45 min from Alpharetta. LZU is another possibility.
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Yeah, I used to work in Tucker, and even at 7 am, it wasn’t too bad if you do the Holcomb to Peachtree Ind. thing. I’m exit 10 on 400, on the border with John’s Creek. 400 is a nightmare.

I’ve not looked at LZU yet.

Thanks y’all
 
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