Ardmore Flying School vs. CTC Wings, Hamilton

[FuturePilot79]

Hi guys, I was just wondering if people could please share their thoughts (good or bad) on either of these two training schools. I am looking at doing my pilot training and had heard various comments about where I should be going. If I was going to nail it down to either of these two, AFS or CTC - which would you recommend? I am needing to get a student loan, hence why the aero club options are out. I look forward to hearing from you! Cheers.

[Lew747]

Hi There,


My only experience is with Ardmore when on an Xmas holiday in New Zealand. I loved it! A full fleet of brand new C-172 R's with the G1000 glass cockpit. It was a cut above the rest compared to what I'm used to in England.

There is a lot of activity around the airport and the views on the flight I went on were spectacular :ok:

Lewis

[star21]

Ardmore will get you where you want to go .You will need to study like mad for the five months of theory and pass as many exams as possible so that you can start flying at the end of it.The aircraft seem to be well maintained and the schools has got about 3 brand new cessna 172 aircraft.You will need to pick a good instructor as they can make or break you when it comes to teaching you skills.With Ardmore with the number of students they have ,you may have problems booking a flying lesson as this will also depend on a number of other factors such as finding a free aircraft and good weather to fly.The only bad thing I would have to say about Ardmore is that it feels like a pilot making factory.I have been at the school for close to an year and the CFI as never said a single word to me.Apart from your instructor there does not seem to be anyone you could approach for help.Also if you a full fee paying student from overseas there does not seem to be any program in place to make sure that the students are coping with the studies as I saw a friend struggle through his exams and he only had his fellow students to help him.I hope this helps you get some idea and look forward to seeing you at the school if you ever choose Ardmore.