U.S. Flight School Points of Comparison If you take the time to and shop, you will soon discover that all flight schools in the U.S. are not alike. You will find many schools make all sorts of claims and promises but fail to deliver. Don’t be disappointed. Take the time and compare. The following are some important questions you should ask and points of comparison you should consider before choosing a flight school: Q: Does the school guarantee its course prices? A: MFS guarantees all course prices for the length of your program period with the exception of unforecast fuel price increases which are charged to students in the form of an hourly aircraft fuel surcharge when applicable. This allows for a fair up or down adjustment to your course price based on the actual pump price of our fuel.   Q: Does the flight-training package include housing? If so, is it included in the course price or is it an additional charge? What are the actual living conditions in the school provided housing? A: Most MFS flight training courses include school provided housing at no additional cost. All our apartments are furnished, clean, air-conditioned and conveniently located. Q: Are students actually completing their flight training courses in the time quoted in the school's sales literature? A: An average or better student at MFS that studies, attends class, and maintains a regular flying schedule can complete a training course on schedule. Ab initio Professional Pilot Courses are being completed in 6 to 8 months or less. Q: What are the actual year round flying conditions at the school? How many days a year are completely lost to poor flying weather? A: Fresno, California enjoys 10 months of sunshine and good flying weather each year. Fresno has a temperate Mediterranean climate with beautifully mild spring and fall weather. Warm days, cool evenings, good visibility, and low humidity characterize summer weather. December and January are our only poor VFR flying months due to winter rain and local morning fog. But these months are normally excellent for acquiring actual IFR instrument flying experience. In an average winter, no more than 10 to 14 flying days are lost to poor weather. Q: What is the ratio of students to training aircraft? Can you fly as often as needed, or will you be limited by instructor or aircraft availability? A: MFS maintains an average balance of 3 to 4 full time students per training aircraft and 3 to 4 full time students per instructor. If desired, this ratio allows students to fly twice a day and 5 to 7 days a week. But Actual flying frequency will depend largely on the student's place in the training syllabus and lesson preparation. Q: What is the actual mechanical condition and reliability of the school's aircraft? A: All aircraft maintenance is performed in our own service department by our own full time staff of FAA certified mechanics. All avionics and aircraft discrepancies are given priority handling. All training aircraft at MFS receive 50 and 100-hour inspections with special attention given to preventative maintenance. Mazzei Flying Service has not had a maintenance-related accident in over 29 years and maintains an excellent record for service reliability.