Hi All,

I have been thinking since May that I would go to Florida to train for my PPL, and after having filtered through and researched the best place for me to go, and doing other necessary bits and bobs, I managed to leave the visa too late. Unfortunately, I only have July to fly, and it seems that America and the visa implications are now out of the question.

I am keen to get this done this summer as there will be little other time to put aside a month throughout the next year. I know this is an extremely vague question, but is there one or two outstanding schools which will cater for a student only wishing to do a PPL, which has a good quality of teaching (in english!), and that has a good reputation?

I do apologise if this has been answered before on this forums, but if at the very least someone could point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance,
Toby

What do you mean you have left the US visa too late?, the London embassy is currently quoting 7 days wait for an interview for student visas.

He cannot get a visa till a all the pre-reqs has been completed first.
Not least of which he has to select a Flight School who will take him during the time he wishes to train. They have to sponsor his Visa application.
Only then can he go to the US Embassy and queue up etc. Then get his TSA sorted etc.


So bearing in mind it is July next week which is his only window - then yes I would say he has left it too late..

Still possible on that timescale, he implies only the visa is left to do,

"that I would go to Florida to train for my PPL, and after having filtered through and researched the best place for me to go, and doing other necessary bits and bobs, I managed to leave the visa too late"

He makes no indication that he selected a Flight School and was confirmed on a course.
They have to initiate the Visa process being the Sponsor.
He has to initiate the TSA clearance.
Chance of getting accepted with a Flight School by end of this week, getting a Visa completed and him on a plane by Monday and have TSA approval completed before he can start... low.

I was talking about the overall timescale, he has all of July, it's possible to do a PPL very quickly in Florida so even if it took a second week to finish all the paperwork that would still leave 3 full weeks for the PPL, very achievable with hard work.

I see no mention of whether he has started his studies for the written exams. If he has not, then the chance of completing everything in that timeframe would be low.
Also, he cannot commence any flight training till he has TSA approval to do so and that can take a couple of weeks.


So with all this in mind, somebody from the UK should try to answer this chaps questions on where he can get this done in the UK as per his original request.

Toby

You will have to work very hard to get everything done in a month.
I have just got a student through in 2 months in the South West UK. He was at the airfield at 08:30 every day - if we couldn't fly he did ground school. If we could fly we flew 2 or 3 hours each day. He was working more or less 6 hours a day (ground school + flying), 5 days a week. This was in April/May - July is often much kinder weatherwise.

If you have the commitment to work hard, study each and every evening, fly when we can then the course could be completed within a month (weather Gods permitting of course). This would mean flying on average 2 or 3 hours each day - which is really hard work.....

I charge £35 per hour (both ground school and flying) - aircraft hire is an additional £100 per hour (C152) - you could complete your PPL in the UK within a month if the weather is kind, the cost will be around £7000 (depends on how much groundschool you need).

I also have accomodation at reasonable rate

You need 45 hours flying of course, if this can't be completed because of weather you would need to extend beyond July.

Please send me a PM if this interests you.

BW

Socol App you are incorrect: -

Extract From: https://www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/afsp2/?acct_type=c&section=FQ

Candidates in Category 3 may begin training as soon as AFSP receives all the required information, including the Candidate's passport*, fingerprints, and fee. You and the Provider will both be notified once AFSP receives the fingerprints and you have permission to initiate training


A Jar PPL falls under category 3.

I have been looking at doing flight training in Januarary in florida - the schools advice is not to arrive on a friday/saturday as that would delay the AFSP confirmation of receipt - best to arrive on a weekday.

There is nothing to stop Toby from generating the TSA account today ready for arrival in the states. You cannot create the training request until you have been accepted at a flight school but even so once you have that its just a case of updating the website account and paying the fee.

As for the M1 Visa requirement - it would be worth calling them tomorrow to see how quick they can do it - if they are able to expidite it to a week/10 days it would then to find a school that will accept you on short notice - in the current financial climate you will probably find it possible.

I think I would not write off going to the USA for training until you have the timescale involved from the US Embassy - they may be able to help you but you will have to be flexible as to when you can turn up for the interview which is more of a formality by all accounts.

So my advice is call the embassy tomorrow and see if it can be done within your timeframe and if so get the ball rolling by finding a flight school that can accept you and lodge the paperwork as soon as possible.

Regards,

Jof

Jofm5
If you are going to dispute what I have written - then at least be 100% accurate - as it sounds like you have never actually gone through this process. .

I stated

Also, he cannot commence any flight training till he has TSA approval to do so and that can take a couple of weeks.
Where exactly are you suggesting I am incorrect?

A PPL student cannot commence flight training until he has TSA approval to do so and that includes getting his fingerprints taken and submitted.
His Flight School also have to be informed by the TSA that they are cleared to commence his training at which point they will photograph him and update his profile on the TSA system to indicate training has commenced.

He cannot get a Visa till he has a Flight School signed up and prepared to sponsor his visa to train him during the dates that he desires.
Likewise, he cannot get TSA approval till he has a Flight School identified. So the US Embassy are not going to be able to do much for him without any supporting paperwork.

I have just got a student through in 2 months in the South West UK. He was at the airfield at 08:30 every day - if we couldn't fly he did ground school. If we could fly we flew 2 or 3 hours each day. He was working more or less 6 hours a day (ground school + flying), 5 days a week. This was in April/May - July is often much kinder weatherwise.

But there are seven days in every week, and FIs are not that maxed out at some flying clubs.....

Toby - choose a school with plenty of well-maintained aircraft, good numbers of keen (and hungry?) instructors and you could crack much/all of the course in a month, with good luck, a good approach to the learning, and good weather.

FWIW I flew 44 hours of my RN EFT (FW in Bulldogs) course in Yorkshire one June, and only got airborne on 19 days, all Mon-Fri 0800-1700. Add in the longer evenings and weekends and I think it's do-able - close, but worth going for.

Toby,

You need to look outside of the UK, you just won't get the weather. It will be frustrating not completing the course and then having to go back at weekends etc which are the busiest times in the UK when you are pushed to the back of the queue for trial lessons whilst your skills are becoming more rusty by the day!

Pack your bags, leave the miserable UK behind and get your PPL somewhere in the sun!

SoCol, I am disputing the couple of weeks your claiming it takes to get TSA approval to start your training. Also you imply my writing is not 100% accurate and I dont see why. No I have not gone through the process as yet, I have researched the process thoroughly from not only the sticky here, the US TSA website and from what 2 different flight schools documents.

So with regard to the TSA process and where you are incorrect on 2 weeks....

Taken from the downloaded pdf from the "Download More Information Link" on this page Ormond Beach Aviation, Inc. - PPL - Private Pilots Licence (http://flyoba.com/ppl.php)


The registration fees for TSA and SEVIS are paid by you directly to the agencies. The TSA required photograph, fingerprint collection and transmittal is completed by OBA upon your arrival.

And in the same document it states...


Packages operate year round, we only close Christmas Day. We normally require 14 days advance notice of your start date. Plan to arrive in the USA on any day except a Friday or Saturday, as we cannot have fingerprints taken on a Saturday or Sunday.


It would be pretty silly of a flight to school to suggest that you fly over to them, then they take your fingerprints and you wait two weeks for the TSA before you can fly - the information is transmitted to the TSA and achnowledgement of receipt is obtained same day at which point you are permitted to commence your flight training.

My suggestion was to see if the US Embassy was able to issue in the reasonable time frame. I am fully aware to actually apply for the visa you will require acceptence at a flight school and issue of an I-20 however there is no point going through the acceptence process if the visa cannot be issued in time so best to check that first.

If the US Embassy can complete the formalities within time (most embassies I have dealt with in my business travels have accelerated processing for a fee) then it would make sense to then find a school, get the required paperwork emailed and submit a visa application.

Regards,

Jof

I have been through the visa process a couple of times for US flight training and I can tell you that there is no way that he will complete the formalities within the deadline given.

Better to start training at home and just get on with it or delay the dates to allow time to complete formalities. Theory and practice are quite different when it comes to US visa processing.

Why not do both ?

Interesting that belowradar as I have been through the process many times and the times quoted on the embassy website have always been very accurate.

London is quoting 7 days for interview, 3 days for issue, Belfast is quoting 7 days for issue and 2 days for issue.

I don't think it is possible in 2 weeks.

You have to find the school which is Part 141 and in SEVIS, and get an I-20 from them. This is a week at very best, assuming the I-20 is sent to you by DHL etc. Then a trip to the embassy.

In parallel with that, one has to do the TSA/fingerprints stuff.

In theory, the critical path would be under 2 weeks but in practice this is much too tight.

Been there, done it, wrote a nice long checklist for it all :)

Jofm5
Reread my initial statement:

Also, he cannot commence any flight training till he has TSA approval to do so and that can take a couple of weeks.
Your comments indicate that you are focusing only on the Fingerprinting aspect of the approval process. The Flight School will have required that you have completed all the pre-req TSA work long before you arrive in the US.

The quote you specify stating that Fingerprints cannot be taken on a weekend is incorrect - you can walk into a Sheriffs department or Livescan center and get prints taken.
Also fingerprinting can be done before arrival in the US at both Oxford and Farnborough.

The TSA not only want receipt of the paperwork and fingerprints - they also have to process them. Processing of prints can be as quick or as short as the TSA deem necessary.

I go back to the Original poster who stated that he has decided to conduct his training in the UK and was requesting information to help him achieve that.

Try nearlyheaven: Flying Lessons (http://www.nearlyheaven.com/flying-lessons.html)