Factors When Choosing a Flight Academy

What are you looking for in a flight school? What kind of training do you need? Either way, there are some factors for you to analyze.

A) Cost

The cost of courses is usually the factor most considered by most aviation beginners. But, you need to have an idea of the balance between price and quality. IFA is one of the schools with the most affordable course in Portugal, maintaining the best quality of teaching and with advanced resources available.

The most important thing is not the money itself, but what the school offers. Our academy includes all the materials necessary for the student to complete the course successfully, from theoretical, practical and medical exams to materials such as headsets, iPad, among others. The payment method is also important: will you pay in full or does the school offer the option of paying in instalments?

B) School Environment

You can choose an academy that has been operating in the industry for years. The training school should have training facilities with all the necessary equipment (classrooms, briefing rooms), qualified personnel to cover the training requirements, where you can learn everything in a calm and familiar environment. A great moment to assess the environment is in the Open Days, where you can actually visit and evaluate everything you need. (Sign up at ifaopenday.com)

C) Fleet and Simulators

You can look for modern-equipped, new and well-maintained airplanes and flight simulators. At IFA we have 15 state-of-the-art airplanes and 2 advanced flight simulators for courses such as JOC, MCC and APS MCC. Different systems and avionics for the student to practice are relevant key pointers in this decision. Our fleet includes analogic gauges and glass cockpit.

D) Instructors

The flight academy needs to have qualified theoretical and flight instructors. Of course, it's normal to have freshly graduated instructors. We all have to start somewhere. Ideally, there should be a mix of ages as long as they're knowledgeful. Instructors are a huge part of your training and also, with years of experienced there are also lots of stories and lessons to learn.

E) Location

Where will you study? Where will you fly? Where will you best learn all about aviation? At IFA, we have 2 possible locations: Cascais and Viseu, both in Portugal, which especially makes the flight phase easier, as there is no dependence on a single infrastructure.

F) Course outline and training

Are you looking for a normal-track course or do you intend to finish as soon as possible? We offer options between 16 to 36 months, so the student can decide their own study-pace.

G) Qualifications/Certifications

Is your school officially certified by the aviation regulatory company and a national entity? What partnerships do they have? What kind of training or ratings can you get from them? We have more than 16 pilot programs and over 6 different Type Ratings, so you can complete all of your education with us.

Our partnerships help to give wings to pilots, thus helping the professional future of our students.