THE FLIGHT SCHOOL CLOSED. THE LOAN DIDN’T.

Send us Fan Mail     For aspiring professional pilots and their parents, the dream can require an enormous financial commitment—sometimes approaching $100,000 for a professional flight-training program. But what happens when that money is paid upfront and the school closes before the promised training is completed? The airplanes stop flying. The instruction stops. The school may be gone. But the loan isn't. In this important edition of Plane Talk Live, Jason Zilberbrand of VREF discusses a flight-training failure that left students and their families facing substantial financial losses and debt, followed by criminal charges arising from the situation. The individual story is disturbing. The larger lesson may be even more important. Students and parents considering professional flight training need to understand not only the cost of a program, but where their money goes, how prepaid tuition is protected, what happens if training isn't delivered, and what financial exposure remains if the school fails. Why prepay nearly $100,000 if there are safer ways to structure the training? What questions should parents ask before signing? What protections should students look for? And what warning signs deserve closer examination before the money changes hands? This isn't an argument against professional flight training. Thousands of aspiring pilots need quality schools and financing to pursue their careers. It's an argument for understanding the financial risk before committing a life-changing amount of money. Jason brings decades of aviation experience to a conversation every aspiring professional pilot—and every parent helping fund that dream—should hear. To learn more about Jason Zilberbrand, VREF, and its aviation resources and services, visit VREF.com. Plane Talk Live Real Experts. Real Insights. Real Aviation.  We invite aviation professionals with knowledge to share, to be a guest on our program. PlaneTalkLive is carried on all major podcast platforms and broadcasts on internet radio worldwide 24/7 on our live stream found at:   https://station.voscast.com/5e646d3195ed8/  To learn more email us at [email protected] or phone 702-801-0966 cell / text