I wanted to share my experience with Paragon Flight Training school in Fort Myers for anyone who may be considering this school.
I spent a significant amount of time researching flight schools before choosing Paragon Flight Training in Fort Myers, so I wanted to share my experience for anyone who may be considering training there. I completed my training from private pilot through CFII at Paragon and was a full-time student who was available to fly seven days a week. In total, the process took me approximately two and a half years.
My private pilot training took roughly 110 flight hours and about 65 hours of ground instruction. At the time, I was disappointed with how many hours it took me to finish. However, after talking with other students, I learned that many students at Paragon were finishing their private certificates at around 100 hours, which seemed unusually high compared with what I had expected.
The instrument rating went more smoothly. I completed it with approximately 50 flight hours and 35 hours of ground instruction. My instructor told me that this was fairly typical for students at the school. Since Paragon operates under Part 141, I was able to complete the commercial certificate requirements with 100 hours of flight time and approximately 30 hours of ground instruction. By the time I earned my commercial certificate, I had accumulated around 260 total flight hours.
After that, my commercial multi-engine add-on took approximately 18 flight hours and 20 hours of ground instruction. The CFI course required around 30 flight hours and 45 hours of ground, while the CFII took approximately 25 flight hours and 8 hours of ground.
One of the biggest issues I experienced was a sudden change in the cost of ground instruction. Without any advance notice that I received, the rate went from $75 per hour to $150 per hour overnight. Since I had moved from the Midwest specifically to attend this school, I was extremely concerned about what that could do to the overall cost of my training. The school commonly scheduled two-hour ground lessons, so the increase would have made a significant difference.
Fortunately, about a week later, the rate was changed back to $75 per hour. When I asked my instructor what had happened, I was told that the owner had received numerous complaints about the price increase and decided to reverse the change.
Checkride scheduling was another major frustration. For my private pilot checkride, I waited more than a month after being fully prepared before getting a date. Then, just two days before the scheduled checkride, the DPE who was commonly used by the school canceled. I was not given much of an explanation. It took another three weeks to get a new checkride date. For my other checkrides, the typical wait was around two to four weeks. I also heard from other students who had waited several months for a checkride.
Weather cancellations were another concern. Whenever weather prevented a flight from taking place, I often felt pressured by my instructor to complete a ground lesson instead. When I brought this up, my instructor explained that the school strongly encouraged students not to cancel and would often push for a ground lesson even when one was not necessarily needed.
I also would not choose Florida simply because of the reputation that it is a great place to learn to fly. There are certainly advantages, but there are also significant challenges. Weather can be unpredictable, the amount of air traffic can be very high, and my experience with the tower at Page Field was not particularly positive. Additionally, flying out of Page Field meant that it could take 15–20 minutes just to reach an area suitable for practicing maneuvers, which added considerable time and cost to training.
Looking back at my training experience, I would personally choose a different school if I were doing it again. Based on my own experience and conversations with other students, I just don't feel like Paragon provided the level of efficiency or value I expected from a flight school, especially considering that I was training full-time.
The entire process ended up being significantly more expensive and time-consuming than I originally expected. Going into training, I anticipated spending approximately $100,000 and hoped to complete everything within about a year. Instead, the process took roughly two and a half years and cost significantly more than $100,000.
After completing my training, I also applied for a flight instructor position with Paragon but never received a response. I spoke with several other students who had also applied and heard similar stories. When I brought this up with my instructor, he told me that the school had primarily been hiring instructors who completed their training somewhere other than Paragon.
Obviously, this is based on my personal experience, and other students may have had completely different experiences. I don't think Paragon is necessarily a terrible flight school. There are good instructors there, and you can get the training you need. My biggest issue was the overall cost, efficiency, and amount of time it took to get through the program. From my experience, it often felt like there was always another expense or opportunity to spend more money, and those costs added up very quickly.
One thing that honestly surprised me was how few negative reviews I found on Reddit and Google when I was researching the school. Based on my own experience and the number of current and former students I spoke with who had similar complaints or poor experiences, I expected to see a lot more criticism online. That was actually one of the reasons I wanted to write this review. I think people considering the school should have access to more than just the positive experiences.
If you are considering Paragon, I would strongly recommend researching other flight schools before making a decision. Visit multiple schools, talk to current students and instructors, compare training costs and checkride availability, and make sure you understand exactly what you are getting into before making a major financial commitment.
I hope my experience helps someone else make a more informed decision. Best of luck with your aviation journey.
