U.S. Aviation Group - Denton, Texas - any good?

[vivekh]

Hi all,

This is my first post on PPRuNe.

I'm an Indian aviation enthusiast who wants to get his CPL as soon as possible! For this reason, I'm exploring US flight schools as an option, since they tend to finish the entire course in less than a year, against the typical 12-13 months it would take in India, and also it tends to be cheaper in the US.

I am doing some research on Flight schools in the US. I've started with Texas, since I know a couple of people who got their CPL there.

So far, I found 2 possible schools:
1) US Aviation Group in Denton, TX ( Flight School Texas Aviation School TX Flight Schools in Texas (http://www.usaviationgroup.net/) )and
2) MVP Aero Academy in Conroe, TX ( MVP Aero Academy - Part 141 Certified Top flight training school in Houston, Texas (http://www.mvpaeroacademy.com/) ).

MVP seems to be very expensive - USD 50K + accommodation and other expenses
US Aviation group on the other hand seems to be the more viable option, costing just under 40K with limited accommodation costs included.

What i really need to know here, is whether USAG in Denton is genuine and worth studying at? There is only so much you can find out or trust from a website. Are there people out here who have studied there? Anyone with any kind of experiences? I've tried to look for testimonials and reviews, but only found the testimonials which are on their own website!

Sitting 1000s of miles away in Mumbai, its hard for me to judge such things. I would appreciate any such information from members here.

If anyone knows anything about these schools, would truly appreciate it.

Also, if anyone can recommend a good, financially viable, FAA approved flying school (which wont shut down anytime soon :) ) which is suitable for international students, please do enlighten me.

Thanks!!

[B2N2]

A decent school will get you done in 6 months from zero-CPL.
Word of caution; don't budget for the minimum hours mentioned on a website. Assume that you will exceed those numbers by 20-30%.
That's pretty normal.
You get what you pay for, if you are in this for career I would be very careful by only looking at prices.
Do you have to pass assessments once back in India?
Do you need glass panel experience yes/no?
A low budget Instrument rating will sink you in a Sim assessment.

[vivekh]

hey B2N2,

yes the Indian FAA CPL holders do have to pass certain assessments to convert their license into an Indian CPL. The worst of those papers is the RTR examination, which is extremely notorious out here. They dont require glass panel hours though.

Any idea how much a good school would end up costing for the entire course? Back home it costs on average USD 45,000 till you get the CPL. Although it will take you 12+ months to clear papers, complete formalities, et all...

Know any good schools where you are?

[batman123]

the school in denton seems OK, I know them a little.
But i would pay after the flight or not spend over 2000$ at once in case they are busted.

[ryanbarker747]

STAY AWAY FROM MVP!!!
The owners are a Dutch couple, the husband an elderly man is absolutely amazing! however the wife is a total :mad:, everyone is having a relaxed time in the crew room looking at weather talking about aviation chatter, enjoying a coffee and doughnut, then as soon as she comes in everyone goes silent and you can feel the tension, she is very against the personal relationship you have between your self and your CFI, she wants you in and out A.S.A.P. At first when you enter you think that all the CFI's are stuck up but when you get to know them better when shes not around there fantastic. The only reason i stopped flying was becasue of that :mad:, now i fly out of Sugarland.

[vivekh]

lol, looks like youve had some experiences out there! my friend finished his CPL from there a few years back, said it was OK...

found another school... this one in florida... Aeronautx ( AeronautX (http://www.aeronautx.us/) ) - they have some courses tailored to the indian audience... yet to find out their pricing and detailed course structure.. will update if possible

[bryan1978]

We had a student ,from India, transfer from that school to ours because that school in Denton start to train Chines and paid more attention to them rather the Indian students, so she left.
Goodluck

[ONCALL]

I live in dallas, tx so I know the school in Denton. I have taken a few writtens there, checked out the operation, but never had a chance to talk to anyone. from the looks of it, it is ran well. everyone is very professional and helpful. however, they do have a high number of chinese students. a couple of good schools to check out would also be skymates, inc. and american flyers-addision. good luck!

[Sotilgan]

Do NOT go to MVP in Houston. School has gone under. They just lost 7 planes to repo action from the bank. They have been mismanaged school forever. Maintenance is catastrophically bad. Find yourself another place, ask about New Orleans school, there is one on the Lakefront Airport there, they work with future FAA-to-DGCA-convertees, citizens of India. Ask around in Hindustan and you will hear MVP's reputation from others. Ideal way to get it fast would be to join one of the so called "airline" training schools. They charge you arm and a leg, but they do it, you get the licenses and you get them fast. But ideal way to get it done the right way is to come to this country with intention on staying for some time and do it through more relaxed program, take your time to do it. Remember - fast does not mean right.

[Sotilgan]

Yes, anyone considering MVP - stop now! MVP Aero Academy lost their airplanes to the bank repo action just a couple of days ago. Back in 2008 they changed membership. Older Dutch couple sold the school and stayed for a while as managers but because they did nothing but damage, the new owner (lady from India and her assistants) let them both go. There was almost no maintenance, the so called Director of Operations (quite frankly I think he was not right in his head) actually said that malfunctioning elevator trim builds pilot's character. The former owner, when told that the glideslope on one of the twins shows erroneous indications while on ILS approach, said: "oh, that one does it too? that's weird." No fixing it. After new owner fired the old owners, she did not do much better on management. She had a chance but series of mismanagement actions killed it all. She has had several people run the school, who had no idea what they were doing. There was a rumor that old owners sold the school for a large amount, basically selling ton of problems and few broken airplanes. During 2008 the school had constant problems with the government and lost their 141 status. After she fired the old owners, the new owner hired absolutely useless chief pilot and staff. Shortly speakling - this school was very quickly and successfully run into the ground. Do not consider it, do not waste your time and money, and most of all - do not endanger your life flying their airplanes.

[euindkan]

I was with US flight academy for a month. they were highly professionals. If you were serious abt your stuff there, they would get you done soon. I know things changed there after chinese students arrived and in huge numbers.
PM me for any specific info on USAG.

[aviator_hyd]

Check your PM

[Ethan_shaw]

i'm a chinese student who will go to USAG to get my fly training.so i want to contact with you and maybe we'll be good friends!
i want to know your email!
my email:[email protected]

[thornycactus]

Ethan_shaw,

I do not understand why you wanted to go there.

Kindly check your private message inbox. :)

[sunny441]

VivekH:

Greetings! I am also an Indian citizen currently in the United States and also an aviation enthusiast. I have just started my flight training and plan to pursue it on the side.

There are many schools out there, some that cater more to Indian students and are quite familiar with the DGCA rules. They will make sure that you are being trained on the right kind of aircraft and will get you done in less than one year.

One thing to watch out for is the "safety pilot" time that schools employ. Also stay away from the big name academy type schools. If you are still interested in training in the US, send me a PM and I will be more than happy to help you!

Cheers
Sunny

[Ethan_shaw]

I'm sent by my company and i do not know why you say so.whether the academy is good or not.may i know your real name and are you trainning there?

[Ekta]

hi...im also planning to do my training from us flight academy. would u reccommend that school or not?

[Airmagnet]

Hi Vivekh,

Have a look at SKYMATES in Arlington TX.

Good look,

AM

[FLT86]

Hello,

I do confirm, have a look at Skymates Inc located at Arlington (TX).

I was there and it is a great school and the management is there to help you...seldom to see it.

If you need informations, PM me.

C u!

[Avi25]

Hi,
I´m an Indian(female) and I wish to join a flying school in the US asap...can anyone advise me on an economical(since I´m taking a loan), but good flying school??
I really need this info. urgently...can anyone plzz help!

[TomCat81]

Hi there,
I saw you suggested on a thread the "skymates" school.
I'm currently looking for an affordable school to get my CPL/frozen ATPL.
I saw the prices they offer and it seems a bit cheap.
Can you please tell me more about this school, or any other school you might know that is reliable and affordable?

[HRZ]

I as well would like to know more about Skymates..

Thanks

[Transsonic2000]

For all those people looking for info regarding flight schools, flight training in the US. I suggest checking out the following link:

Jetcareers (http://forums.jetcareers.com/)

just scroll down until you see the header "Flight Training"

[Sad11]

Is skymates good or U.S aviation acadmey