Complaint Review: US Aviation Academy - Denton Texas

I willl never go to this flight school or give them my money. Thanks for the warning!

US Aviation Academy (USAA) specializes in training professional pilots from around the world using a rigorous curriculum. Our academy does not rent aircraft for recreational purposes. Due to the nature of our business and clientele, safety is paramount.  USAA has enacted a number of rules and guidelines, all made to further our goal of safe and efficient flight training. The FAA also has rules and guidelines which we are bound to follow. When entering into a training agreement, Eric Men agreed that USAA reserves the right to terminate the training relationship due to “Noncompliance with USAA Rules and Regulations” or “Any act which adversely affects the safety and integrity of the flight training program.” US Aviation Academy believes Eric Men’s actions mentioned in his complaint deserved termination on these grounds.

Weight and balance’s as well as flight plans are critical to safe flight. According to the FAA:

“…aircraft balances is also a significant factor in determining if the aircraft is safe to operate. An aircraft that does not have good balance can exhibit poor maneuverability and controllability, making it difficult or impossible to fly. This could result in an accident, causing damage to the aircraft and injury to the people on board. Safety is the primary reason for concern about an aircraft’s weight and balance.”

We operate many aircraft and although the student may continue to fly the same or similar models, every aircraft has a unique weight and balance that should be double checked.  Failure to do weight and balance calculations could endanger the pilot and instructor. This sort of rigorous double checking will be expected of our professional pilots throughout their career.

Flight plans likewise give US Aviation Academy a record of where our students are flying. If students are leaving the local area and plan to be gone for a significant period of time, USAA wants to know where they plan to be at each point in time. Flight plans also force the student to thoroughly think through his flight to ensure safety. They can be used to track them in case of an accident. I reference an article in Flight Training magazine, a well-known industry publication, which highlights the importance of flight plans. Flight plans are critical to maintaining safety in cross-country training flights.

The inability to self-schedule is a US Aviation Academy rule, not associated with any federal guidelines. However, that does not lessen its salience in addressing this complaint. USAA, like most companies renting out expensive equipment and scheduling staff, do not allow customers to unilaterally schedule. The company may have another use for that aircraft, need for the instructor, etc. An administrated system also results in more efficient scheduling, allowing all students to fly more as a whole, even if they may not fly at the time they wish. By self-scheduling, Eric Men violated USAA rules and adversely affected our training environment. This method of scheduling is also not unusual to our professional pilot who will be given flights and routes without their input by future employers.

US Aviation Academy deeply regrets our inability to meet Mr. Men’s needs, but feel this is the result of an incompatible match of business and client. Mr. Men may be able to find a more relaxed, unstructured training environment elsewhere that better fits him. All funds remaining in Eric Men’s account have been refunded and USAA wishes him the best of luck in his endeavors.

 (I have not attached the actual signed documents to this reply)

Supporting Documents and Links:

http://flighttraining.aopa.org/students/crosscountry/articles/4779.html

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/amt_handbook/media/FAA-8083-30_Ch04.pdf