PPL Florida or UK

[knockyoak]

Hi All

Am 37 and considering getting my PPL.....my dream was to be a commercial pilot...I now have the funds to do this but wife aint happy and also got 2 kids to think about now...plus think I would be considered an oldie if I went down that route...even though I day dream of doing it....anyhow....has anyone got their PPL from florida at all? Am thinking of florida for 3 reasons :

1 ) More consistent flying conditions
2) Better availability of Planes
3) Quicker to get your licence


Am NW based and if anyone can recommend a school with good plane availability at the weekends then please let me know? I have had 2 lessons with Ravenair but their plane availability is taken up by the universitys or that is what the instructor told me.

Also does anyone know of any good plane syndicates NW based....anything from slow flyers to jet provosts....

Any shared experiences that you think would be useful I would appreciate.

thanks

[cjhants]

add to your list - cheaper.

however, against the "plus" points you should also weigh up a few other considerations. if you are going to use your new licence in the UK is it not wise to learn in UK Met conditions, get a good knowledge of your local flying area and local airspace issues. you are also likely to make friends with other students and pilots at your local airfield, which i have found to be very useful.

if you want to pass your test quickly and cheaply, florida is a good choice, but give consideration to other issues as well.

[Paul Bromley]

I have no experience of learning to fly in the US but have only one observation, a chap returned to our flying club having gone this route and whilst possessing the licence was woefully prepared for UK weather and traffic conditions and regulation, so much so that he undertook a course of instruction here to enable him to cope !. I am sure some schools are much better than others but I do not think he chose a good one !

[gla-lax]

i like you considered the US for my ppl but ended up doing it here. all the way through my ppl i got its better to do it in the uk than the states, thequality of the training isn't as good. i found that arguement weak as the CAA oversee the the schools in the states that you can get your jaa ppl.

the negatives for the states, TSA clearance and a visa which involves a visit to the us embassy in london or the consulate in belfast. 15hr days studying and flying (but not impossible to do)

the positives are as you said plus newer aircraft, brilliant weather and a huge saving on the costs.

the savings you made going to the states might have to be spent when you get back to the uk to get up to speed on UK atc and flying in the weather conditions we get here. atleast you will have more hours in your log book for the same spend and at the end of it be just as good as someone who did it here with less hours in their log book.

remember any school you talk to will tell you not to go to the states, they want your money. if only they would reduce their costs, cut their margin they would get more volume and start making money.

as for the NW a few good schools around blackpool but dont expect to get much change out of £150 per hr for a pa38 or a c152 with instructor (around £8000-£9000 with exams, medical and landing fees) or do it in the states for £5500 inc all the above and flights there and back.

if i had the choice again id go to the states but do the exams before i go that way i wouldn't be putting in study time and just enjoy the flying.

good luck whatever way you go.

[BackPacker]

I have no experience of learning to fly in the US but have only one observation, a chap returned to our flying club having gone this route and whilst possessing the licence was woefully prepared for UK weather and traffic conditions and regulation, so much so that he undertook a course of instruction here to enable him to cope !.

That's not reflecting on bad training, that's just a matter of different airspace, rules, weather etc. If you were to do your PPL in the UK and then go to the US to fly there, you'd be woefully underprepared as well. Regardless of whether your license says "JAA" or "FAA".

In both cases it's a very good idea to read up on the rules and regulations in the airspace you're going to fly in, and get a few hours of "differences" training from a local instructor.

And to be honest, we regularly get questions here on UK trained PPLs that want to fly to mainland Europe, or the other way around. That's really not all that much different. Despite ICAO, every country has its own peculiarities and you have to prepare yourself properly if you're going to fly in a different environment. Of course, the more experience you have, the easier it is to take things "in stride".

[knockyoak]

Thanks so far to everyone that has given advice ...I really appreciate it as its nice to hear other peoples views :ok:

....am still undecided but I think that florida has more positives ...newer planes, better availability, quicker to pass my PPL due to better weather, cheaper albeit might have to book some lessons here to familiarise myself with the local area.....I will check some local schools but at the moment its looking like florida....anyone recommend any decent schools there.....

[BackPacker]

newer planes, better availability,

Not necessarily. I did my PPL in an old PA-28 because I did not like the even older C152. As long as the wings don't fall off, no problem at all. They are checked every 50 yours, engines are changed every 1200 hours and so forth. Flight training is a very marginal business and there's not a lot of money left over for new planes. Plus, there are still plenty good 2nd hand training workhorses such as PA28s, C152s and C172s available in the market so that schools don't have to buy new planes.

In fact, the most common training aircraft in the US is probably the C150/152 and the last one of those rolled off the production line in 1985 or so.

And as for better availability: every school will (should) have sufficient, but not plenty airplanes for the number of students they attract. So availability in Florida is not necessarily better, on average. The advantage of a relatively big school, with lots of students and lots of planes is that one plane going tech has less of an impact on operations compared to a small school.

The one single advantage (other than price, weather and so on) of training in Florida, what I found, is that they are setup for full-time students. So they employ full-time instructors, have in-house maintenance and everything, all setup so that you can complete your training in the minimum amount of time, with minimal delay. Schools that mostly or only have part-time (one lesson a week) students typically do not have the mindset and the procedures in place to get you through the course in three weeks.

Oh, and you did read this one, didn't you:
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/278995-guide-obtaining-jaa-ppl-us-part-1-a.html

[IRpilot2006]

I assume this is a JAA PPL one is going to be doing?

[b.a. Baracus]

Knockyoak check your PM's.

[Rodent1982]

I gave plenty of thought to doing my PPL in Florida or here. On face value it's cheaper in the States, but as mentioned, there are other things to consider, flights over there, a visa, plenty of studying before actually flying.

I decided it was a better idea for me to study here. Main reasons, it fits around my work life, it allowed me to go flying regularly while under training, I will be prepared for UK flying and wx conditions.

IMHO spending a few months, or a couple of years to get your PPL is great. It allows me time between lessons to digest and reflect. Next time round I've already spent a week hammering the flaws in my head out and am keen to make less mistakes (Don't turn the damn control column when turning, 33 hours later and I still find myself tempted to do that :=). I spend the time inbetween on the normal aviation forums. It all helps with the 'experience' which you'll lose out on in a 3 week course.

[englishal]

This one comes up a lot. Met is the same the world over - I was flying in California a couple of weeks ago and there was rain and thunderstorms around....Florida is even worse with regards TS...

I did my PPL in California in 2000, now fly regularly in the USA as well as own an aeroplane in the UK. Airspace is not that different and if you did learn somewhere like LA then you will have no trouble coping with UK airspace and RT. I didn't anyway and then went on to fly from Bournemouth.

In the UK you'll experience more grass strips though, but they are no big deal, my "grass" checkout was one landing at Compton Abbas and then I was signed off. Equally somewhere like the SW USA you will experience other things, for example density altitude, mountains, and learn how to lean properly ;) - swings and roundaouts. I personally think that Florida is too sweaty, boring and flat.

Regarding friends - I was flying in Cali recently with a mate I met while doing our PPLs back in 2000. We still go to California a couple of times per year at a minimum for some flying (and drinking!) fun. most of us still keep in touch and meet up from time to time, and are planning a reunion next May.

The main reason to do it in the USA is that it is indeed cheaper. A DA40 (G1000) 180 lycoming can be rented for $99 per hour dry (add $32 per hour for fuel as an average). Taking all things into account, hotels, flights etc....you could reasonably expect to have a PPL in 4 weeks and save probably £3-4,000 on UK prices.

Regarding too old - I know someone who jacked his job in at 45, retrained as a pilot from scratch and now flies for Netjets.