Anyone heading to Naples in December

[too_sleepy]

Hi

I'm heading to Naples in December for my JAA PPL. If anyone has any advice about the area or the Naples Air Center I'd love to hear from them.

I've completed my written exams already; is there any other work I could do before I get there?
Also, would anyone know where I could get approach charts for the airport?

Thanks

[CAT3C AUTOLAND]

Mr/Mrs Sleepy,

I have posted on NAC before and so have a number of people here, therefore it may be worth doing a search, for the wealth of experience that exists here.

I have been to NAC twice now, and on both occasions, have thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I have only recently returned from finishing off the CPL hour building requirements.

With regard to the area of Naples, it is a nice clean town with lovely beaches, nice bars and great places to eat. Whilst I was there I stayed in the Condo's, which suited me, the area is nice and the people I have shared with have been great which has been a bonus. Cruise on down 5th Av on a Friday and Saturday night, for an enjoyable evening out :)

With respect to things you could do in preparation, I think you have pretty much covered it. If all your writtens are done, all you will have to do is concentrate on the practical side. It may be an idea to buy a 1:500,000 Miami sectional chart to start to familiarise yourself with the area and the surrounding airspace. You will find the airspace and the ATC service for VFR pilots, quite alot different from what you have studied in the UK. These charts are available from Transair pilot shop. It may also be an idea to get hold of the POH for the aircraft you will be doing your PPL on, just to get used to the speeds, systems and performance data. However, on saying that, they do tend to be quite expensive, and the school will have one which you can read in the evenings, once you have thrown the television out of the window, for having 83 channels of crap :D.

With regard to the approach charts, I am not sure what you mean? If you are not doing an instrument rating, you will not require approach charts. If you are referring to airfield information such as the Pooley's, you can buy a Airport Facility Directory from the pilot shop at Naples Airport. This is similar to the Pooley's, in the respect it gives you all the necessary information on the airfileds you are likely to fly to in Florida.

Have a good time!:D

[My names Turkish]

Too_sleepy, I will be doing my Atpl Exams the first week in December but will be a free man for the following two weeks until I get the dreaded results... Be sure to look me up when you get here, and just for a change I'll take you to a nice Irish Bar......

[ShenziRubani]

Abdullah! You say "a nice Irish bar" ???!!! yes yes yes, nice waitresses, nice breasts:ok:

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi,

There's also a nice English Bar on the opposite side of Davis Blvd to Wellesley Inn, so if you're missing Sheppard's Pie's and/or mixed grills you know where to go... Irish Bar.... oooh! ;-)

5th Avenue for a night out, its only a ten minute walk (staggering) to / from Wellesley Inn, probably a good half an hour extra for the closest of student condo's.

One thing that is very niggling about Naples Airport.... its right on the edge of the Miami Sectional, so if you want to go north you have to immediately turn the map to the other side... :-)

One thing to note, if you have all of your exams finished then you'll have a great time doing the practical side of the course, if you're going to do the exams over there then the pressure will be quite high, no time for going out etc... (we went out once a week on the weekends whist I was there for the month).

Have a great time at Naples Air Center, give my regards to Nikki, Richard, Bea, Jatin, Heather (my instructor) and everyone else. She got me through the FAA CPL/IR.

Best wishes,

Richard.

[too_sleepy]

Thansk for all the advice.
I've just found out that my written exams won't count. I did my exams in Dublin ubder the IAA, but I need to do the CAA writtens. Shouldn't be too different.

Is there a better route to Naples from Dublin/London? I'm travelling to Miami, waiting around for 4 hours then hopping on a bus for 3.5 hours.

Maybe I'll see some of you next week.

Mr. Too_sleepy

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi Mr Too Sleepy (that's me at the moment!),

Anyway, you may find the CAA Nav exams will be based on the Southern England and Wales Chart. Try and obtain a copy before going to familiarise yourself.

The Greyhound bus depot at (just outside) Miami Airport. Hmmm... what can I say about it? Er well make sure you have everything hidden and don't show any valuables etc...

Although it was very light and about 6pm when I was at the bus depot waiting for the link bus to the airport terminal (on my way home), I felt a little out of place and very glad the bus came.

It is one place I would definately not like to be at 10pm at night, waiting for the 10:30pm bus to Naples. That is what I was going to do when I got to Miami airport but it had been a long trip (via Atlanta) and so I just paid $200 for a taxi to take me directly to Wellesley Inn, Naples.

Try and get yourself a car for the journey over, it'll be a lot simpler and cheaper. Ask Bea/Nikki for rental company recommendations.

Also the bars in Naples are very very stringent on I.D. for beer / getting into pubs etc. Make sure you have your passport and you need to be at least 21.

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[My names Turkish]

You would be better off hiring a car(If your are over twenty one). If you think that "Bus-a-saurus" in Dublin is rough late at night wait till you get to Miami. Its cheap enough to rent cars over here, add that to it being a lot less hassle over the bus and I know which one I'd choose.

If you can find a cheap ticket, you could go Dublin-Atlanta-Ft Myers. This is the best route but the cost has put me off in the past. You also get to clear immigration in Dublin, which is worth its weight in Gold....

[too_sleepy]

Thanks again for the good advice. I've asked a few people in work, one of whom has used the Greyhoumd terminal late at night and swore never to return.

I'm about to book a Dublin-Atlanta-Fort Myers ticket, not a bad price of 650 considering the Miami option would have been 570 anyway.

I arrive in Fort Myers at 19:19, after the last Greyhound, any suggestions on getting to Naples? I'll probably just rent a car for that trip.

Thanks again for all your good advice.

Hope to see some of you soon.

[My names Turkish]

There is a special deal you can get in Ft. Myers, ask around about it. I think there is a flat rate fee of $25 dollars or so. Which is really very cheap as its a decent journey. Plus tip of course. That was a very good price on that ticket, especially for that route.

[Charlie Zulu]

Hi Too Sleepy,

One word of warning about transfers in Atlanta.

My Delta flight from Gatwick arrived half an hour early, so I had nearly three hours to wait until my connecting Delta flight to Miami.

However I still managed to only just make the Miami flight by literally 5 minutes until the gate was closed.

The reason? Immigration. Flight School Students on Student Visa's (M-1's and the like) have to go through "Special Screening Process". This takes place in the "deportation" room in immigration.

However when I was there even though there were about five people on duty only two people seemed to be working. The only guy who was there when I arrived got deported and still they were going through paperwork. I was getting a little worried about my flight so piped up asking how long it would take. The immigration guy said not to worry as if I were to miss my flight then the airline would put me on the next available flight for free.

In the end, it took the guy about five minutes paperwork on my file before stamping my passport and admitting me. This was now half an hour to my flight. As this was two hours after my Gatwick flight landed my suitcase was all by itself waiting for me to pick it up, but the baggage hall was hectic and I couldn't find it... took about ten minutes.

Then about five minutes to queue up with the bag to put it on the next carasoul and then another five minutes to go through security once again. Ten minutes until the flight closed and I was going through Atlanta airport transit system to Hall "A", the International flights arrive in Hall "E" the other side of the airport...

Then a frantic dash to gate A2 - the furthest one along the pier... just making it.

And my suitcase actually arrived in Miami on the same flight - miracle!!!!

Have a great time...

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[My names Turkish]

Charlie Zulu, As I stated before if he/she is going direct form Dublin, because we are a very important race of people:p, we get to clear immigration in Dublin(Or Shannon) Airport. That means you dont have to do any immigration stuff when you get to Atlanta. However when we travel through GB we have to do it when we get stateside, geddit?

[Charlie Zulu]

My Names Turkish,

"Oops, I did it again". Didn't remember reading that post! ;-)

Sorry! But it does suprise me that you Irish people can clear American Immigration on this side of the large(ish) pond.

And there is Bush saying yesterday that "The United Kingdom is the closest friend of the United States of America in the World". Hmmmm.

:O

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[razzele]

BIG thanks







to NAC grounschool their help in module 1 ATPL...

[too_sleepy]

Thanks guys

I'm off on Sunday to Naples. To be sure I've checked that I'll pass immegration in Dublin, I only have two hours between flights so it would have been a problem otherwise.

You can find me in the Irish bars if any of you are around in December.