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VECTOR THRUST
20th Dec 2004, 16:46
Has anyone come through TRADE WINDS Flight school in florida.
The weather hacs me off in this country and i just want to get that licence.
Oh yeh, its loads cheaper as well:=

scraglad
20th Dec 2004, 18:41
Hi there,

I done my PPL with Ernie in trade winds in 2002. Fort pierce airport is a real gem,i loved it.

On the other hand,the price that you were quoted is b*llsh*t.

I paid (i think) $3200 for the flying but that did not include books,written exam,checkride accom etc;

It is a family owned school and Ernie is really professional and he will get you your "ticket" at the end of the 4 weeks.

Another downer to the school is the examiner he uses,he is a real tough cookie and will push you to your extreme limits.

To sum it up,I would go back there in a flash,if you need any more advise,dont hesitate to contact me.

Good luck :ok:

VECTOR THRUST
20th Dec 2004, 20:40
Thanks for that mate thats a bit of re-assurance. Looking forward to going in the early part of the new year. There was one other worry though. Could i find it a problem when i come back to Sunny England to do some hours, is that different that i will have to go back to basics again.

scraglad
20th Dec 2004, 21:25
Hi again,

not a problem. You can fly anywhere in the world with an FAA PPL.The only difference i found is the r/t is a little different. I find in the UK its,,,,,once upon a time there was a pa28,im outa cov with 2 POB etc; In the states it's who you are,where you are and what you wanna do.

You will be sh*t hot when you finish over there,the states is a different world when it comes to flying,its free for all and no landing fee's :ok: .

Fort pierce has ILS NDB VOR the works,you will love it. And check out the pilot controlled lighting,it's cool.


And one more thing,stay away from Ernie's daughters,he will put you into a flat spin if you make a move on them!!

VECTOR THRUST
21st Dec 2004, 12:18
Cheers again scraglad you have been a big help.
What you said about RT is exactly what i meant. Looking back at my post i now see that i made that clear as mud.
Anyway you've sold it to me and im booking for as soon as poss in the new year.
Oh yeh, any heads on the daughter situation would be most appreciative, obviously so i know who to avoid that is
( hair colour, age, vital statistics e.t.c)
:=

TheProPilot
6th Apr 2005, 15:16
Hey Scraglad. I just found out about this website a few days ago. I went to TradeWinds in Ft Pierce, FL as well. It was great. I have no complaints with the school. I am from south of Ft Pierce, in Stuart, FL. The price that Ernie mentioned to me was exactly dead on. He did mention to me that there would be a lot of books to be purchased, as with any other school. He told me that the price he quotes is the minimum requirements for the FAA, which makes sense. Who is going to quote higher than FAA minimums? I'm not from England, but I have seen the British GA magazines and you guys get a huge break! I paid $4,500 USD plus books and supplies! That was for minimums back in 2000. In pounds, right now, the price has everything included, even the medical and examiner costs, of $2499.00. That is a superb deal, as you would spend at least $10,000.00 USD at Flight Safety, which is NOT including books and other hidden costs! :ouch:
Those prices are obviously for minimums. If someone comes over here with a real mindset to do well and not goof around, they will pass with the minimums that are quoted. :ok:
I'm now getting my CFI at Flight Safety, in Vero Beach, and I have spent a boat-load of USD. I still keep in touch with Ernie. Remember Pan Am? They are leaving Ft Pierce! Closing down! :D They got so much damage from the hurricanes, and so much of a loss of business that they went under. That means clear skies over Ft Pierce! While I was training here, I watched about 4 Englishmen go through his school at that time, passing on the first try. So how did this website come about? Very interesting website. Just for anyone that might be interested in Steve Fisher, I almost went to his school in Stuart, and he ran off with a bunch of people's money. :mad: He went to Melbourne, then ran off from there as well, then came to Ft Pierce, and then ran off again to Stuart. He is a scam artist! Anyone who mentions the name "Steve Fisher" just go ahead and remember that man is a crook! At TradeWinds, Ernie is an honest man and works hard to make us happy. TradeWinds has a great environment with a lot of positive atmosphere and friendship. I found my experience at Ft Pierce itself to be very enjoyable. Anyone interested in posting a reply, I'm interested in how this posting stuff works!
Best Regards,
Jason Leonard

MacGriffyn
6th Apr 2005, 23:24
Pan Am didn't go under, mate...but they are leaving Ft. Pierce. They're moving the whole flight training academy to Arizona...they have three flight schools and they're downsizing the Ft. Pierce campus.

They're not all leaving Florida...they will still run the SimCom in Orlando, as well as the typerating training in Miami. But now there will be less "Papa Alphas" zinging around at all hours.

And the St. Lucie Int airport is one of the bast small airports that I've ever come into. ILS 9, GPS 9, 14, & 27, NDB-A into 27, and the controllers are outstanding. Great flying and a fun one to come into...been there many times to & from the islands.

Cheers,

K

capleym
4th May 2005, 19:39
I'm working on my complex sign-off with Erine, He keeps his appointments and I've found no hidden cost's. He is quite an enjoyable indivudual to fly with (no yelling and lots of patients). The aircraft are clean and in good shape.

Tradewinds is the kind of FBO that wants to turn out safe pilots, not just collect a paycheck.

LightningIII
31st May 2005, 15:50
I have also just come back from flying with Ernie in his Arrow Yes I did my PPL in an Arrow) which flys like a gem ! Passed first time too, which I never thought I could do.
If you have the dedication he will match it , 3am to 8pm if required - yes for real. He owns the planes so anything that needs to be done he does (not like many USA flight schools - heard some stories there OFT ! ) .
I have never seen someone work so hard to make sure that all went ok. Thanks Ernie,family and Jason for making it happen. I will be back for more ( twin ! ).