Spartan College of Aeronautics & Technology
Spartan College of Aeronautics & Technology is a established in 2013. The campus is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA and hosts students with an endowment of .
Website: www.spartan.edu
Address:
Phone: (no local phone number)
Email: (no public email address)
Institution Type: Unknown
Established: 2013
Campus Enrollment: N/A
Acceptance Rate: N/A
Graduation Rate (6Y): N/A
Campus Endowment: N/A
Tuition (Local): N/A
Tuition (Non-Local): N/A
Tuition (Foreign): N/A
Mandatory Fees: N/A
Housing (Room): N/A
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I think I will qualify since I was definitely misled.
I lost my VA funding because they were losing their accreditation. Instead of helping the vets out they offered a crap scholarship that would cover what the VA would cover, except the final price was about $10,000 more than what I was given before I started here. Also offered school housing instead of BAH but you are on your own for lease contracts or storage for furniture that probably won’t fit in your dorm. Plus having to drive all the way across town to get to flight campus or ride in a van which I’m pretty sure doesn’t run whenever you need it so good luck making to work on time. And I haven’t even mentioned wives, kids, fiance’s that might live with you.
Spartan is a joke I left because I wasn’t taking out loans when I have all but 4 months of my GI Bill left and they’re so greedy they don’t care if you ask if they can wave any of the debt they’re burying you in.
This is a For Profit School that should tell you everything.
No Bonanzas or Barons on the field. Just beat to s**t Cessna 152s and 172s. Back then, they were charging 88 bucks an hour for a 152 solo, 110 with instructor. Commercial and Instrument ground school were ok, simply because the instructor was a burned out old guy with an awesome attitude; he made the classes enjoyable. But the class focused on teaching the test.
When my instructor would schedule me for a solo flight, it would be random. I’d normally have to take off work to get my solo time in, only to show up to the airport to find I was number 5 or 6 on standby for that specific airplane. I think I flew solo at Spartan twice in the three months I was there. But then it was time for the “Stage Check,” which is ostensibly to check your progress in the program. Although I only had about 80 hours total time, they had me out learning chandelles and Lazy-8s. That’s all stick-and-rudder stuff so I was enjoying learning. I go up with a “Check Airman” for my Stage Check, and this guy is acting like he’s the FAA, and this was my Commercial checkride (I’d done Lazy 8s twice so far). Constantly barking because he wanted to get back on the ground, he’d couldn’t help taking the controls and “showing me how it’s done,” while his maneuvers weren’t much better than mine.
Back then, they had this thing called “Red Xing” where they’d Red X you by putting a big red X under your name on the flight status board. This meant your account had dropped below a $1500 balance, and the red X meant you could no longer be scheduled for flights until you’d brought the account back up to a certain amount. I kept going on dual flights and standing by for solo assignments, and one day I found the infamous red X under my name. I still had half of a loan available, but had already decided not to accept the remainder, as I was pretty sure I didn’t want to continue at Spartan. Went to the Financial Aid office and learned that I had somehow flow myself into the red and now owed the school $3000. I had no choice but to accept the remainder of the loan to pay that balance, especially if I didn’t want my training to come to a screeching halt. Well I did continue to fly, but not at Spartan. I got a loan from a hometown bank and finished Part 91 out at Tulsa International, where the same 152 went for a fraction of what Spartan gouges people. It was there that I learned that no one in Tulsa would hire a Spartan graduate. Sure there were some exceptions, but they were not the rule.
The loan company that had given me the loan to attend Spartan didn’t get their money back from the school for upwards of a year. I know this because they kept hammering on me and Spartan both for there money back. I didn’t have it and Spartan wouldn’t release it to them.
For the last 30 years of professional flying, I’ve rarely heard anything good said about Spartan. I feel bad that so many people were misled by their recruiters only to be ripped off in a lousy school that’s hard to escape from, only to find themselves stigmatized when they get out into the professional world, all because of the school they decided to try.
They have more old equipment than new, but I enjoyed learning and actually issuing the equipment that paved the way to where we are now in the industry.
The instructors are very intelligent and proficient in their jobs. From talking with may of them, it seems that they too would prefer a new approach to the material being taught, but when you’re under FAA guidelines, you can’t do much about it.
They have opened two new campuses around the country and have been around for a very long time. Please update the founding year on this site. 2013 was when their name was updated. The college has been around far longer.
I loved my time a Spartan and really miss talking with the instructors and other students.
I moved there from Virginia and after day one I considered packing up and headed home.
North Tulsa is about as safe as Memphis Tennessee. Usually there is at least one string of car break ins twice a month.
SCHOOL….IS….A….JOKE
guess what I do for living now? After grduation, I prepared A&P mechanic test on my own. and got the license outside the college then I could applied to ROK armed force and I am currently working as technician. funny thing is that I learned much more skills at the armedforce than at the Spartan.
the instructors were mostly fine. the administration people? totally s**t. they are rude as f**k if you can not speak English with perfect pronunciation and accent. They giggled in front of my face indicating my pronunciation. F**k tards.
I think My english is just fine and none of people outside the college have bothered me for my english.
Overall, This college is great if you are a millionaire and want to waste your money for nothing but associated degrees. DO NOT BE FOOLED by recruiters and associated agencies outside USA. They will just say anything postively to encourage you to apply their shitty as f**k program.
The education Spartan offers absolutely NOT worth money you paid for. average of 4k USD per term.
Thank you for the owner family who want to ruin hundreds of young souls life and passion for their well-being
1. I am an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
2. My professional work with FAA does not involve accrediting aviation schools
3. I am reviewing strictly on my personal experience with Spartan
Now that i’ve gotten that out of the way, I will try to make this review as concise as I possibly can while conveying a message that accurately describes my experience as a flight student in the commercial pilot program at Spartan School of Aeronautics (prior to its name change to “Spartan College…”).
In the summer of 1996, I was 21 years old working a full-time management job that I liked, but knew was not a long-term career for me. One of the employees that worked for me had his private pilot’s license and took me flying one day. Long story short, I was completely hooked and knew as soon as we departed the runway I wanted to become a commercial pilot. On my way home from the airport, I stopped and picked up a FLYING magazine and began to peruse the “flight school” ads, which included a number of schools across the country, including Spartan. In the early years of the internet in 1996, schools had basic webpages, but they didn’t have interactive pages or a way to apply online. So, I mailed the inquiry postcard from the magazine to Spartan and other schools. That’s when my journey with Spartan began.
As with the other reviewers here, Spartan was also very aggressive in responding to my inquiry. Numerous recruiter calls, multiple mailed packages with all kinds glossy information showcasing Spartan’s facilities and capabilities. Really, it was quite convincing for a naïve 21 year old coming from parents who weren’t college educated/experienced. Compared to the other information sent from the other schools, Spartan was the shining star of the group judging from their marketing materials. In hindsight, that should have been a red flag to some degree.
I enrolled, and by January 1997 I had moved 1,200 miles away to Tulsa, OK ready to get my flight career started. I admit, I was very excited to be going to Spartan. Luckily, my parents and I had no problems getting the Student/Parent Plus loans so money for classes never really caused me problems overall. But I will concur with the other reviewers that they were very aggressive in making sure I had tuition money in my account, and didn’t hesitate to let me know if the funds were projected to run low (which is common when flight training is involved). While I didn’t have any particular money troubles, MANY of my classmates did, therefore I can vouch 100% that Spartan does give off the impression that money is first and foremost, and education is secondary, in everything they do. My classmates dropped like flies. One day a good friend would be there, and another day he wouldn’t be. While student money troubles shouldn’t be attributed to Spartan, it goes to show that the 4 or 6 week class setup is vastly different than a university semester program where tuition is paid and the student is covered for the next 3-4 months. At Spartan, student financial stress came around every 4-6 weeks. I can assure that this is not conducive to a positive learning experience, and I can say without hesitation that the expensive classes contributed to a lot of stress to many flight students at a time when flight training in and of itself is very stressful.
I also should mention that I was inspired to go to Spartan because I really did want a 4 year degree, and at the time they were partnered with Phillips University (they said) to provide the “4 year” part of the Bachelor Degree. It is not clear to me if they lied to me about the Phillips University option, or if my timing was just bad, but soon after I arrived at Spartan the PU/Spartan program “disintegrated.” In other words, there would be no 4 year degree. In hindsight, I really believe that the recruiter probably did lie about the Spartan/Philips University bachelors program, but I can’t prove that. Anything to get me there. I truly believe that. Unfortunately, in 1996 there just weren’t the “Google type” research methods we have today. Otherwise, I probably could have easily confirmed through other means, but I did trust the recruiter. In hindsight, that was a mistake.
As far as housing goes, when I attended Spartan, they had arrangements with local apartment complexes. My first apartment was a 2 bedroom. Each of us paid rent for the bedroom and shared the common areas of the apartment. My experience was absolutely horrid. Let’s just say my first roommate was the nastiest, rudest, messiest of people I could have been paired with. Needless to say, I didn’t stay in that arrangement long and went and rented my own one bedroom apartment for the same price. Now I understand Spartan has it’s own apartments, so I can’t comment on that arrangement. But the fact that Spartan would be a party to such horrific living arrangements to so many students for so long speaks (in my opinion) to the lack of care of the overall “Spartan experience.” As long as they got you in the door and you could pay them, that’s all that really mattered.
But, I did get my Private Pilot’s license at Spartan. And to be honest, I can’t really complain about any of my instructors. Being at the airport every day is exactly what I wanted and enjoyed. Traveling to the main campus for history and math courses was a drag, but not too bad overall. But, in the end, I couldn’t get over the fact that there was no path for me to get a bachelor’s degree, and it started to become more and more clear that the credits I earned at Spartan would not transfer. In fact, when I left the school in 1998, not one single credit transferred to the 4 year state university I transferred to that year. Talk about a disappointment. To this day, my mother is bitter about the fact that she took out (and paid off) a Parent Plus loan for schooling that wouldn’t even transfer to a reputable university. Luckily, by the grace of a persistent academic advisor at the University, and 3 years of effort on my part as well, the Dean of the aviation program finally relented and let a whopping 6 credits transfer. Of course that’s not many, but it kept me from having to repeat two courses that I took at Spartan and allowed me to graduate on time. But, I was lucky. Spartan credits are not transferrable to most (if any at all) universities. So don’t be fooled by the recruiters who tell you differently!
My advice would be to attend Spartan at your own risk. Go in with your eyes wide open. If I had the option to do it over again, i’d skip Spartan and go straight to a 4 year university with a reputable aviation degree program. There are many universities that cost as much, or perhaps even less, than Spartan and it will look much better on your resume and will provide you with a greater education and opportunities without question. “For profit” schools are on the downward spiral….I see no good reason to waste your time and money with these schools when there are other more viable options.
As for me and my career, Spartan was the first stepping stone, but it was a very shaky stone. I have been very successful in my aviation career…..10 years after graduating from a respected university with a bachelor’s and a masters degree in aviation….I now work for the FAA. People have asked me which school I went to….I don’t even mention Spartan. No need to. Other than my private pilot license, I can’t really attribute my success to the school. But, in my mind I know that Spartan did provide a start, so I can’t completely bash them for that.
Most of the instructors are nice (some are stereotypical arrogant pilots). The instructors somewhat try to tell you (as best as they can without losing their job) that the place isn’t worth it. I wish I would have listened to their advice earlier.
I regret my decision to attend here every month when I have to pay my student loan.
I initially went to join the professional pilot program but was told I only had enough financial aid for the Aviation Maintenance Technician program on South Campus as far as the type of student that I dealt with I ended up being robbed by one of them as well as stabbed in my face and in my arm while I was living on East 41st Street and Garnet the administration was the worst and I’m just now coming out of the financial aid hold two years later if you really have attended this school it’s easy to tell what postings are true and what posting or falls but for the most part all the negative postings I don’t give a 92 98 percent accuracy right she’s really sad because they catering two people that would otherwise get accepted into college is for the most part we included leaving on a good note I would like to give myself props because I just now got my a at Portland Community College in Oregon and have came a long way from Spartan and would like to like to advise that I will not be coming back.
Education: decent. Much more hands on then other schools.
Administration: total s**t
student aid: excellent if your lucky crap if your not
Overall not a completly bad school other then the accreditation i got a good job before i graduated and it is a very good name to have behind you if you stay in this region of the united states. S**t housing since some room checker don’t locke your doors after they are done
Answer is simple, this school is a scam built to ripoff recent high school graduates who do not know any better. When you arrive you are forced to rent from their housing company at $400/month for one room if your lucky. Then what they don’t tell you is that before you can get your class schedule you have to take the TABE (Test of Adult Basic Education) which will remove 1/4 to 1/3 of your class. Then the fun begins if your lucky enough to pass. 3 to 4 hour classes of nothing but note taking about FAR-AIM FAA law.
Don’t go to this sham of a school black cat with 13 says it all. Save yours, your parents, or even your scholarship money and go to a real school. Don’t get scammed
Now to begin with the housing. I got set up with this company called RnR real estate that was working with the school to provide housing for the students. They would stick four people in a two bedroom apartment, and charge every person 400 dollars a month to live in a apartment that would cost normally about 600 dollars if you would rent straight through the appartment complex. Now the company issued a 60 day notice to vacate because the company is pulling out of the college.
I attend all of my classes in a trailer house next to the airport. Which has crappy computers and horrible server so there is never any internet to use to do any research. Not to mention that their entire flight scheduling system requires internet to opporate.
The training at the flight campus I have been very happy with. It is very difficult but has been really good training. I have learned alot from my flight instuctors, and the insructors have taught the classes. From a learning aspect it is not a bad school, but the management is terrible. Students do not come first at all. They will do everything they can to run you out of money. I got denied the four hundred dollars i requested in excess funds to take my commercial check ride. I find this interesting because I have plenty of money in my account to pay for both the airplane and the four hundred dollar fee, and also it is illegal for a school to with hold the students money. It is the student’s money and they should be able to use it how they need it. I would advise any body and everybody to not go to the Spartan’s flight program. Sincerely a screwed student.
Recruiter lied… Management were 2 faced back stabbing slime.. Instructors were in competition with one another and with new graduates for positions and promotions prompting talking negatively about one another (again more back stabbing)… housing was dangerous, tests for licenses lined the testers pockets with cash… although I wasn’t competent at each phase of training I was passed anyway and told point blank “If you have the money we will pass you and that is all”. After spending 10’s of thousands of dollars on training/housing I never flew an airplane again because I learned the hard/expensive way that I hated flying and my experience with the staff at Spartan School contributed to this feeling of hatred for flying.
I’m just saying
I am in my later 40’s now, and went to Spartan back in the day. I think it was a crappy school back then as it is today, but I made it work for ME. At the end of the day and all there BS sales pitch the only thing they are really offering is a License, nothing more, nothing less.
Graduated Spartan School of Aeronautics
2000 Hour Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Maintenance Training.
Licensed Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic (A&P).
ASNT (American Society Nondestructive Testing) LEVEL II Nondestructive Inspection/Testing (NDT) – Ultrasound, Eddy Current, Radiography, Magnetic Particle, and Dye Penetrate.
Job offer 2 weeks before graduation.
Career overview SO FAR
1.) General Electric (35K year)
2.) Bombardier Business Aircraft Learjet (37K year)
3.) Airborne Express (40K year)
4.) The Nordam Group (48K)
5.) Dassault Falcon Jet (52K)
6.) Honda Aircraft Company (60K)
7.) General Dynamics Gulfstream (62K)
8.) Sikorsky Global Helicopters (72K)
All but two jobs, relocation was paid for by employer.
All but one job direct (Not Contract).
All $$K straight time (No Overtime by Choice).
I’m currently getting calls from Bell Helicopters, Dallas/Fort Worth
Rolls Royce, Indianapolis and Virgin Airlines, San Francisco
My advice, it is just a License, it doesn’t make you Mr. /Mrs. Aviation, so go get it at the cheapest and most comfortable place you can.
I’m just saying
Again, I drive B757/767, I am very happy about what I do, and I could CARE LESS what is said about others. I am only trying to HELP prospective students understand that other choices exist, and gather all of your facts and information before you make those choices.
The review made by STUDENT on May 18 is SPOT ON, and very will written.
Also, did anybody notice the web page? The pilot program is NOT LISTED!!! Why? They are not accepting new flight students at this time. Go figure.
This could be a good sign, maybe the school can focus on the real issue (Training and not $$$$$$) and get back on top of the way they were in the 1960’s and 1970’s. They were great back then, it all slipped away.
Until these changes get done, I would avoid this school.
Fly Safe!!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/767
During the process of getting in to Spartan College I came across an issue of accreditation and transfer of credits, in the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology catalog, P.30 paragraph 10, states that transfer is up to the specific school, and to contact the “Registrar’s Office” of Spartan College for known schools who accept the ACCSC accreditation. I specifically made note to ask the recruiter about the transfer issue and he seemed oblivious to any problems whatsoever but promised to look into it. The next day he had an answer, and gave me a list of colleges that would accept the credits from Spartan. At this point I dropped the issue.
After completing my first 6 week term at Spartan College I was already amazed at the fact that Spartan was considered a professional school of higher learning, while working as a cashier at Sears Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa, I was having a conversation with a former student of Spartan who advised me to look deep into the accreditation issues and other issues. After long investigation I found that the Colleges in which my recruiter advised would accept all my credits, would not. University of Tulsa, Oklahoma State University, and Oklahoma University all refused to accept anything other that general education classes which would transfer as zero level courses.
Infuriated at the untruths I took it upon myself to investigate further among the student body, to quickly find out that I am not the only person to whom the recruiters were dishonest, or stretched the truth to promote enrolment. I have a written paper stating “Having signed this paper I confirm that my recruiter for ‘Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology’ was dishonest, avoided difficult questions or stretched the truth in any way.” With nine student names and signatures, willing to vouch for these facts.
After doing the math of my own financial aid from my statements, I found that I should have had around $400 in excess funds after the first term. I requested access to these funds at this time and was denied, and told that I could not collect excess funds until I am within 6 months of graduation. I thought nothing of this at the time. later to find that Federal Law states that excess funds have to be released to the student. Apparently in 2005 a student filed a complaint against Spartan, citing Federal Student Loan Fraud because Spartan was keeping excess funds from student accounts.
In the Training Agreement form of the application on the second page under the section marked “Termination or Withdrawal after Commencement of Classes” it states “Withdrawal after the first week of the academic year (30 weeks of class) but within the first 25% of the academic year the College will retain 25% of the academic year’s tuition plus $150.00.” On the 37th day, 7 weeks 2 days, (24.6667%) I requested an official transcript from the school and was denied by the student accounts, ****** ******* who would not explain the issue in a concise professional manner and became increasingly angry, to the point of raising her voice when I did not understand.
I unknowingly owed money to the school, therefore could not receive the transcript. It took 6 class days until I was told exactly why I supposedly owed money. Not only did they tell me that I supposedly owed because the financial aid disbursements were “weird,” I was also told that I fell into the category of withdrawal after 25% of the academic year but within 50% of the academic year; the college will retain 50% of the academic year tuition plus $150.00.
After bringing up these issues to an administrator I was told that regardless of what I were told I need to read what I had signed and was talked to as if I were a middle school child who been sent to the office for swearing, I spoke with the Dean of Education on Wednesday April 25th and was told that I would hear back from him the next morning however I did not hear anything until I contacted them on Monday April 30th.
Bottom line- avoid this school! it is not professional at all, its a money scam. they will not help you deal with any issues, nor will they keep their word with much of anything they personally promise to you. if you come to them with an issue that is difficult for them to answer, they just won’t, they will basically tell you that you are crazy. I’ve had more issues than what i have written here. Again, do yourself a favor and avoid this school.
OR EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, the person who is working on the aircraft that I fly, THEY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT!!!!!!
If it’s in the Air, MAINTENANCE PUT IT THERE!!!!!
To the people that are there and unhappy, or complain about problems… YOU BETTER LISTEN TO THEM!!!!!!
I don’t need some A&P working on my aircraft with poor training and a lack of passion about what they do.
So yea, since a lot of A&P/NDT/QC people come out of there, you want to make sure that you have the best. When I sit it that cockpit and fire that plane up, I want the A&P’s who are the BEST at what they do, At 37,000 feet, do you want stuff falling off, or things going wrong? What if that was over your home, your relitives home, your family and friends…….
Do you think I have no life? Go ahead and try to get in that job in that field, I took jobs all over the WORLD to get where I am today, and I am PROUD to be a 757/767 driver.
I WISH TO GOD somebody would have told me the truth about this school whem I went there. Will all fail, no, of course not, but when the majority of reviews here are negagive, Don’t you think something is wrong somewhere?
Look at the one review from the person who used to work in admissions and how they manipuliate the system to show graduates…. THAT IS WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!
And like I said, to those who think that I have some sickness, or have no life, I drive 757/767, they drive Toyotas, I could care less. I am in the field, and trying to help, they are parents or whoever else, and they are trying to help as well.
Like I said, I am proud to be a 757/767 driver, and I will put my 2 cents in where I can to help others, what makes this country great is that we have a freedom to speak about what is on our mind, and our experiences. Some truths can hurt, some can help, but at least we have the opportunity to hear both sides of the coin, and make our decision from the information that we are given.
Fly Safe!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/767
Again, if you took the time to read the ENTIRE POST LISTING, you will see that I did leave Spartan and go somewhere else and finished up. I’m not trying to help others? Right…… When I was there, the flight program was horrible and the Tech side was so-so, now I see that both sides have gone to the toilet. I am trying to let people know that for flight, look elsewhere, for tech, look elsewhere too. The training that you receive compared to the amount of debt that you will be faced with is not worth it. And as for some sick Vendetta, consdering 80% of the reviews here are negative, and I have the issue? Who do you work for? They they help your kids get through Spartan through speical treatment? Did you go to Spartan? The truth is this, Spartan has lost it’s passion for an aviation school, it is all about money and greed. 30+ years ago it was excellent, one of the top 10, but no more. There are accrediation issues, financial aid issues, student housing issues….. the list goes on. And as for getting a life? HA!!!! I am only a Boeing 757/767 Driver, what do I know!!!! LOL!!!!!!
Fly Safe!!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/767
F/O Bert Here Again. At another airport, there was an “Aviation Day” a few weeks ago and this time we had our 757 out and open for tours. A bunch of people came up to us and just wanted to talk, and see what the aviation field could offer them. Spartan came up. I flat out told them, after what I went through for flight, and now finding out what the Tech side is too, DO NOT GO HERE!!!! They all looked at me with disbelief, but I told them the truth. One prospective student even had an appointment made for the school. He only paid a $100 non refundable app fee, but that is a small loss for not going to this waste of time and money. As for the rest, my younger cousin is about to graduate high school this year and wanted information about Spartan, I laughed at him and said stay away, I even said if they call you, give them my name and E-mail and have them contact me and I will tell them what I think. I would love to hear a response to this one.
Fly Safe!!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/767
*What kind of college requires a $3,000 tuition prepayment?
*Application fee = $100. Scam?
*Associate’s Degree in Professional Pilots = $74,309? I think is ridiculous just to get an associate’s degree.
*Notice of Cancellation included in the “Training Agreement”? Possibly sales reps?
Having said that, I’m happy that I found this forum that shows previous students’s experience with Spartan. I’m happy that I haven’t spend a dime on this piece of Sh*t!
It makes me wanna call Tommy V. “Enrollment manager” right away to tell him that I won’t be available for the telephone so he could use that time to try to get a commission somewhere else cause it ain’t gonna get one out of me.
As Bert said,
Fly safe.
P.S. My ratings are not legit. i was told “You must leave a rating”
You obviously did not read the entire post listing. I went There for a a period of about 6 months and finished up somewhere else. My first warning sign was the fact that I had an A.A Degree, PPL, 12 IFR, and 80 Hours, and they wanted me to restart the IFR training, and take all the Bulls**t classes like College Algebra and Physics…. I already had my AA degree from a community college and DID NOT NEED all of that. During that 6 months, I did not even get an IFR rating and only flew about 1 or sometimes 2 days a week. The IFR classes were a joke. That is when I packed up my stuff and left. Keep in mind, I had a college fund set up and I did not have ANY loans, so they should have loved me…. Nope they did not. I suggest that you read all of the posts FROM THE BEGINNING, and then make your judgement, but like I said before, I am only a right seat 757/767 driver….. What do I know………….LOL!!!
Fly Safe!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/767
Fly Safe!!!
Bert M.
F/O B757/B767
Enjoy.
After contacting this school with questions about their programs I received a phone call in which my inquiry turned into a very uncomfortable and unprofessional discussions about when I “needed” to apply and when they should be “expecting” my application as well as a way to pay for the school. I explained I was shopping around for different schools around the country that best suited mine as well as my family’s interest to which I was told that I wasn’t going to find a better place and I was wasting my time. I ended the phone call only to be texted, called, and emailed from a representative from the school pretty much harassing me and telling me how “unsuccessful” I was going to be because I was not choosing their school. I have never in my life encountered a staff from a school that was as rude and pushy about committing to a program. I currently hold a BSN and was only interested in expanding potential career fields and for them to tell me I would be “unsuccessful” is disgusting.
It cost me 21000 dollars to get my Private Pilots License where the normal going rate is only about 10,000. This was not due to my inability to fly as I went to a different school and got my Single Engine Instrument Rating and Multi-Engine rating in shorter time than my private! If you are debating on going here please reconsider! You will thank your self later I ASSURE YOU!
This school is on even par with shady car dealerships and overnight check cashing services. I am ashamed that this school is associated with Tulsa and the State of Oklahoma.
PLEASE listen to the reviews and STAY AWAY from this travisty of an “educational institution”. Fact check for yourself by contacting state and federal accredidation boards and agencies. Contact the Tulsa BBB and review the VAST complaint log. Contact the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office and examine public records regarding this school.
The Department of Veterans Affairs no longer classifies this school as an “institution of higher learning”.
Research the facts and listen to the vast number of complaints…avoid this school at all costs!
You have been warned…….
Fly Safe
Bert M.
F/O B757/B767
Since 2006, they have only received 27 complaints about any private vocational school not just Spartan. My guess is no one knew they could complain to them.
Did you know that OSU has an aviation program? Here’s the link, https://education.okstate.edu/index.php/academic-units/school-of-educational-studies/space-and-aviation
i tried again to change the program where they insisted that it would cost me $100 to change my program, WTF?
i later took my boyfriend at the time, nathan p, who was well liked at the school, on the student council as well as other interests, he walked in and said to change my program and they did it without question and with out charge. sounds like they just want the money and have a select few that they actually can trust and that is only for publicity.
after changing my program i started doing good in the school. than i started to notice that my student loan funds dwindled to nothing in 3 months, they were threatening to kick me out of the landing because they would not accept the money from my private loan to pay for my housing. 6 months after starting the school i decided to leave, went to the admin office, where they hated me, and put in the papers to disenroll myself from the school, upon my arrival to that office i was told that i was removed from the school roster 3 weeks ago but continued to pay tuition up to that point, upon leaving the school i was also charged a break of lease for the landing for 640$ but they refused to accept my money again,
half the students at the school are awesome, only a couple of professors that come to mind were equally great, Birdesong and Clark, awesome, everyone else doesn’t give a s#!^ unless you give them money $16,600 every 6 months
stay away if you value an education that wont leave you stranded without a job
Fly Safe,
Bert M.
F/O B757/B767
Spartan has so student flight team, almost lost their 141 Training certification, and most majors know what kind of pilots they end up being.
For tech, TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY, for Flight, good luck with that.
And yea, even at my company, Spartan pilots are not usually hired.
Fly Safe.
Bert M.
B757/767 F/O
Talk to many pilots about what schools they find best. So far Iv been told ATP is the best. I grew up around the airline. I found out Airlines like Delta and American will NOT hire students from Spartan. Spartan is considered a joke around airlines. I did some more re-search, Spartan is not even aloud to show up at Air shows to get kids to go to their school. So save your times and money.
I wont even go into detail on the awful reps who show you around. They know NOTHING!
WARNING to the men who go to this school. I talked to some of the students. The poor guys are roped into marring the local OK Tulsa girls. (I’m a female pilot my self and watched to know about the girls at the school. I found out Almost 95% of them will drop out) Parents do not send your son here unless you want a daughter in law or child along with your son’s bad degree.
I’m sure at pone point this was a very good school. But from the many pilots Iv talked to they all said go to ATP. Even Riddle is losing its good rep.
ATP has 2 programs. The fast track and the 141 4 year. The fast track is the best if you are age 22 or older. If you are 18 and just picking a school GO with the 4 year.
Read all the reviews on schools. Talk to pilots dont be scared to ask questions.
Good luck
I left Spartan and went to school in Florida (No, not ERAU) and have not looked back since.
Spartan has a good tech program, and a HORRIBLE fligt program. I know many A&P’s at my company that came from there, and most are pretty good. I have met one pilot from there and he said it was the biggest mistake of his life.
Being a junior pilot, I do a lot of Maintenance and Ferry flights, but even to take a 767 from maintanance or a test run, and have two maintenance guys Jumping is a great feeling.
Fly Safe,
Bert M.
B-757/B-767 F/O
Ryan
If you are going for flight, such as I did, you are about a 2 out of 10.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS!!!! FLIGHT AND TECH!!!
I went there right after I graduated with my AA from a community college, while taking flying lessons part time for a few years.
I went there with my Private License a total of 80 hours, with 12 hours IFR training under my belt.
Now keep in mind, I already had an AA degree, and a PPL with 80 Hours and 12 IFR training hours.
They wanted me to take all of these BS classes such as College Algebra and Physics…. Along with a TOTAL restart of the IFR program, not even an evaluation flight to see where I was in training.
#1, I ALREADY HAD MY AA DEGREE, WHY WAS I TAKING ALL OF THE BS CLASSES FOR “Their” Program?!?!?
#2 I Had 12 hours IFR logged time, 10 in the air and 2 in the Sim, you tell me that you can’t take ANY of that into consideration? Seriously?
I had found a job through a different source working in an Data Entry job overnight, $11/hour 32-36 hours a week, not bad for 1995 and being 21 years old. The school did NOTHING to help.
Housing? Yea Right. Burns and Burns was a JOKE!!! Everything was broke, they came in and did random “inspections” and pretty much took our $225 a month a ran to the bank. There were 4 of us in each unit, the place was a DUMP!!!
Some of the Instructors were excellent, as some of the CFI’s, but most were there just for a paycheck, no morale, no extra help without paying, and it showed.
I spent 6 months there and said Goodbye….. Yea, I spent good $$$, but I went else-ware and finished up my program. I got my Bachelors degree as well as far better training, even got a F/E Turbojet rating (B727) while in school.
I think the best part was the fact that I actually was one of the few that got an exit interview. I think it was because they found out that I did not have a loan, and had a college fund that I was using to pay for my Schooling. They tried everything. I told them I would think about it over Christmas break when I was home. I packed up my car, sent the big stuff home UPS, and said goodbye to Tulsa…. BEST CHOICE I EVER MADE IN LIFE!!!!!
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR….IF YOU WANT TO BE A PILOT, DON’T GO HERE!!!!!!!
Fly Safe
Bert M.
F/O B-757/B767
In short, if you’re just after certification (A&P), then it’s right for you. Beyond that (avionics, flight, or a degree), don’t bother. Take the advice from someone that’s been there and learned the hard way.
Beware Spartan School has screwed every single one of their students with threats lies and extortion.
Copy of above review:
MICHAEL A MOLZAHN SAYS:
November 5, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Let me be the first to say that Spartan College is an excellent School. You get out of Spartan exactly what you put into it. For 18 months I had the blast of my life having some really good classmates as well as on the downside teh few that are in Spartan to use someone else’s money. The negative people that were there are the ones who were late to class, disruptive in class and generally disinterested in being there and “hell bent” on making everyone else miserable. Once those people weeded themselves out of classes the learning environment got better. You have great instructors that come from all aspects of the industry to teach what theyhave learned through their years in the industry.
Aviation is an occupation based on desire and passion, if you lack these then aviation will be just a job to you and you paint yourself into a corner. Frankly myself, I enjoy the opportunity to watch that regional jet that I did an inspection on and put back together just hours before the passengers arrived at the terminal take to the air and get those passengers to their destination. I’m the guy they will most likely never get to see unless its the chance meeting when I’m on the same plane going to a destination.
Spartan is a college that requires interaction and participation, which in turn translates to what you put into your future is what you get back. The ciriculum is mandated by the FAA which is the same government agency that regulates the industry, and yes they tell every aviation school what they will teach.
Spartan has excelent instructors and even since graduation I go back to the campus bringing new information back to help the instructors and students. As an alumist I go back and answer questions for students and help with open house giving tours and answering perspective students and their parent’s questions.
Aviation is a Passion not a Job.
Mike
Pround Spartan alumnist.
Half ass promisses, half ass judgemental rules and poor/nill job placement help. And at over $25,000 avg per course, go buy yourself a nice new car or used luxury, you’ll be a lot more satiafied.
although the staff will lie to get you in there, claiming this to be IT, and this IS a great school,… once you’re in a class with one of them, you can tell that students and staff think that place is a lame joke, at best.
burn your money and hump a splittered piece of wood, you’ll feel less screwed!!!
I can tell you that you will not be happy with the housing, or your education, which by the way is very over priced.
Its your choice, and I say go to google, and put in the word Aviation, then look at all of the schools, and even check out the small Schools in your area, odds are they have newer equiptment, as Spartan is still using some equiptment in thier avionics program from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Very few pieces of the latest equiptment. A newer school will have newer stuff.
MIke
The school started as a manufacturing facility back in 1926. I am not basing my decision on just the cover of the facilities, but rather quality of education and job placement. With over 80 years of tradition, spartan college graduates would have instant name recognition with 1000’s of aviation employers.
By the way, I saw glass cockpits in planes and the g-1000 in a classroom. And I liked the flight school where you are learning on a fairly busy regional airport. It was pretty impressive.
My son is leaning toward the tech programs and I want to learn more about the financial aid programs. As far as tuition approaching $40K, go look at some of these 4 year schools and see what they run. There are auto schools with fancy facilities that can up over $40K with add on elective programs.
Pros
Fast flight time building for new flight instructors.
Cons
Working 12 hour days and only getting paid for 6 hours.
Most of the airplanes are over 30 years old and worn out.
Ancient flight simulators.
High levels of stress and fatigue.
Extremely poor morale of the employees.
Extremely high student drop out rate.
Flight school is located in an old trailer.
Instructors are pressured to fly in dangerous weather conditions.
No pay for the overtime.
Unaffordable medical insurance.
Very busy airport.
“If you don’t like it – there is the door” policy.
Advice to Senior Management
Please sell the school to someone who knows what they are doing.
The campus is horrible, if you enjoy being around a small campus where your classes are held in trailer looking facilities then go for it.
The fleet that Spartan has is not up to date. Where all other schools have glass cockpits you will not see this at Spartan. They have a fleet of 152’s 172/172 RGs and only 4 Seminoles. Usually planes are undergoing maintenance so its a fight to get a plane.
If you are considering going to this college I suggest talking to the students instead of your representative which is feeding you bs.
Spartan has a few excellent Instructors and professors but what is around those few is everything else that matters. Most professors will read to you ONLY out of the book. Some will even disregard a question stating that they will “get to that” or “don’t worry about it”. But some of them can carry on a class with a great discussion.
I went into this school blind and had no idea what was coming. Now I am working on transferring if I can find a place that will accept credits from this place. Don’t believe what the faculty tells you about Spartan.