Anyone thinking of going to this school should think long and hard, and weigh all options. I love aviation, plan on being a pilot, but my parents wanted me to go to school for something, so i naturally chose aircraft maintenance. This school was the only option, after the other cheaper option (Atlanta Area Tech) in Atlanta was closed down
This school is FOR PROFIT, and could honestly care less about whether you succeed, on a personal level. All they want to do is produce AP mechanics to fill their quota with the FAA and keep their accreditation.
I started at the beginning of Dec. 2014, and im scheduled to finish mid July of 2016, and pretty much since Ive started, the school has devolved into a bureaucracy. You're forced to wear the school issued shirts (not really a problem), BUT you cant wear a jacket that isnt issued by the school, despite most classrooms being colder than the arctic, you can only wear hats issued by the school as well...this isnt really a problem, but the reason they claim we have to follow said rules is 'campus security'. In the statements you get when you have to pay the school every month, you'll notice that they charge you for 'campus security', yet there is NO campus security on site. When you question them about it, they claim they are saving up for said security...
The equipment out in the 'hangar', used for projects is completely run down - i wouldnt even donate it to a person in need, its that bad. We did a turbine engine teardown a few classes back and nearly all the wrenches were stripped in their own right, unable to grip stripped out bolt/nut heads adequately, leading to many a personal injury - my hands covered in scars to prove it. We got the job done, but it couldve gone way easier, we focused more on not busting our hands and arms up, than acutally learning the process. The manuals for the engine were all out of order, pages missing even, leading to mass confusion among the class.
The aircraft in the 'hangar' are all shot to hell, having been worked on by hundreds, if not thousands of careless students. The manuals provided for the projects are absolute garbage, most of them written 40+ years ago, for mechanics that already know how to work on planes, not people like me who know next to nothing about aircraft maintenance, and the instructors are reluctant to help the students decipher the manuals during projects.
You would think that with each of the students paying 2200$ a month, that we would have campus security, decent tools, adequate hardware, up to date manuals in good condition, functioning aircraft, and not have to worry about the faculty treating us like children...
Thats another thing. The faculty. What an absolute joke. More often than not you'll hear/see an instructor or coordinator reprimanding a student for having a coat or hat on in the winter, warning them to get off of their phones, rather than actually instructing the student. My current instructor has such a hard on for people on their phones its becoming ridiculous. We PAY to go to this school, 18$ an hour, 120$ a day, 2200$ a month, and 40,000$ overall - if a student wants to waste their time and money playing on their phone in class, let them do it, stop taking time away from students like me who have a passion for aircraft and everything to do with them, who doesnt see the dollar signs at the end of the tunnel, who WANTS to be there and WANTS to learn.
If you are in this for the money, stay away from this school. If there are other options available to you to get your AP certification, go that route and stay the hell away from this corporation. Only, and i repeat ONLY think about going to this school if there is no other option, and you LOVE aviation.
Jack Ruby
Atlanta,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, January 30, 2016
I understand wholeheartedly what you're saying! Thank God that I've only 4 blocks to finish!