Thinking...

[stuart1044]

Well i have been thinking about learning to fly and possibly joining a flying club or something similar.

[C]

In these cases only so much can be learnt from each companies website. Firstly I'd visit all of them if you can and see what you think of them, and let them tell them how much it would cost you. Avoid something like Delta, as they are primarily interested in ripping off those who purchase the "Red Letter Day" type packages  on the high street.

I'd be wary of trial flights too. You'll see that LAC charge

[Brett_Henderson]

There is no best deal, when it comes to flying

[stuart1044]

[quote]There is no best deal, when it comes to flying

[C]

Just an afterthougt, despite my advice about trial flights, there may be no way of avoiding them as such, as that may be the way you "have" to have your first lesson (unless you pay upfront for "xx" lessons).

As Brett says, whichever way will be expensive!

[beaky]

It's worth repeating that you will not know if a school or club is right for you until you go there in person.

Many clubs in the US offer free rides to prospective members- I've "bummed" rides in three different planes that way, either going to a fly-in breakfast or just taking a joyride. I'd look into that if I were you.
You see the planes, you meet the people involved... and it's fun.

As far as school intro lessons go- they're usually at a slightly reduced rate; better to pay for a few of those at more than one school than to dive in and lay a deposit down at one school only to find you're unhappy there... in which case you will inevitably end up doing some review flight at the new school (once you find one) and this will cost more in the long run.

In short, don't hesitate to invest a bit in finding the right situation... that time and money will not be wasted.