Got burned - Don't go to Lansing Jet Center.

When I was in Los Angeles several years ago, I wanted to rent a plane for a
couple of hours, just to check out the area. At the time, I had well over 1000
hrs in type and
all my documents in order, etc.

OF COURSE, I expected a checkout.

I went to Van Nuys Airport and picked an FBO (it's no longer there). My
checkride was 3 hours long. I understaood the airspace orientation and the
local protocol checkout . . . but the checkpilot made me fly the pattern and do
more than a dozen landings (every kind you can think of--short field, soft
field, power off, no-flaps, full flaps). It was ridiculous. I could feel him
just ripping me off and watching the Hobbs click off like a cash register. It
was completely unnecessary. By the time I was finished and signed off to rent,
I was too damn tired. I just left and never went back.

OTOH, when I was at Peter O Knight in Tampa getting checked out in their Arrow,
my checkpilot was about 80 years old, I did 3 circuits around the pattern while
he slept the entire time.

In Vernon, BC, Canada, my checkride was ONCE around the pattern . . . took
about .3 for the entire checkout.


www.Rosspilot.com