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View Full Version : Need some advice where and how to start !!!


Skylinekid77
5th Mar 2010, 14:57
I have about 8 grand stashed away and am starting the long and arduos task of (attempting) to start and complete my frozen atpl.

I decided to go the modular route due to funding circumstances, which will begin by completing my PPL over the next few months. I'm looking to start with Cabair and get my ppl thru them as i live 10 mins down the road from blackbushe. Firstly does anyone have any opinions or experience with cabair or blackbushe and how was it??

And i hear a lot of ppl mention hour building in florida? surely after flights, accommodation and hourly a/c hire rates the saving would be not existant??

anyway i was planning on throwing about £8000 the way of cabair for the complete PPL 45 hour package to get the ball rolling, any advice would be greatly appretiated and sorry if i sound very naive as i suppose a lot of newbies to flying probably do !!! :confused:

JB007
5th Mar 2010, 15:48
Don't give Cabair any money up front. The important thing is to feel comfortable and enjoy the PPL training, have fun and pay as you go! Then re-assess what's going on in the industry before commiting to Professional Pilot training...

Getting a Class 1 Medical should be a high priority...

Skylinekid77
5th Mar 2010, 15:55
Thanks 007, i rang cabair today to find out all about the course they were offering and it does sound very good, so i'm going to go with them to complete my PPL. The guy ova the phone was really helpful and pleasant but it did sound like he was hoping (and very eager)! for me to commit to paying the whole course price in one go?? so will take your advice and pay as i go so if i fall out of love with the school then i'm not commited to finishing it with them!! !!! thanx.

SkyCamMK
5th Mar 2010, 17:27
Please visit a minimum of 3 flying clubs on more than 1 airfield then take stock and see that you may not need to spend £8000 on a PPL (A) have you considered NPPL - do you know the difference and are you aware of the path to your dream? Search topics and read on this site then search the web for flying schools and flying training organisations. It's all here.... on this site if you look. As it is only your first post some will be very patient but many may not. Good luck.

Aerouk
5th Mar 2010, 17:38
Don't bother looking at the NPPL, especially if you want to go down the commercial route.

I would echo the comments on visiting a couple of schools, I hated my first flight school!

Wee Weasley Welshman
5th Mar 2010, 18:12
There are cheaper schools than CABAIR.

Exactly how much research have you done? Who do you know who has done something similar? You may well be one the many blundering idiots who do precious little research, understand little, know nothing and ultimately waste a whole ton of cash and heartache on flying training.

You might not be, but there's always been lots of them and if you're not sure - then you're probably one of them..

WWW

sion22
5th Mar 2010, 18:25
people will queue up here on here to tell you be careful and they are right

it is a minefield and you can easily:

overpay and get poor quality training
underpay and get poor quality training

so if you know no-one personally who has been through this before then local is good as it saves you travel time, visit all schools at Blackbushe and find take a trial flight at each

be honest and say you are thinking about continuing for a PPL
jus pay by the hour or just keep your account in credit for each day you fly

please do not spend all your £8K on the PPL

fly_antonov
5th Mar 2010, 18:28
What is a grand for you? Is that 1K or 10K?
If you have 8K, you should know that you can only feed your flight school for a couple of months with it.

I got a PPL, the ground school books paid for and 30K stashed, still not training.

What flight school? is not the question to ask now.
The question you need to ask is: what airline?

There are only few recuiting and those who do receive hundreds of resumes, most of them charge a lifetime membership fee of 8K times 4.

Cpt. Sunshine
5th Mar 2010, 18:44
Try these guys too, they give some good advice (both current TOM 757 FO's who trained very differently).
Welcome (http://www.efficientsector.com/Welcome.html)

Good Luck!

XXPLOD
5th Mar 2010, 22:14
If you're near Blackbushe consider Western Air at Thruxton. Bit of a drive but a good school and certainly cheaper than Cabair, and they will only entertain Pay as You Go and are not interested in money up front.

Gazeem
9th Mar 2010, 09:42
I did my first logged flight out of Blackbushe a decade ago now. It's a perfectly good little airfield for learning. A little busy at the weekends and you'll get to mix with a fair bit of small bizjets, King Airs and helis.

A close school is handy for flying in so far as you have lower petrol costs and you can see the weather.

A further school may save you ££s per hour (important later on in the course when you may be doing 2-3 hours a day) but you have driving time and wasted journeys to the airfield on "marginal" weather days. (Or you stay at home on a day that turns out to be nice).

Good luck

G SXTY
9th Mar 2010, 10:22
Lesson 1 of flying training. You are about to dive into the often murky waters of the flying school world, and there are many, many sharks who will only be too pleased to relieve you of your 8 grand – and then some.

Never, ever pay loads of money up front for flying training. Pay only what you need to keep your flying account in credit. If a school offers temptingly large discounts for pre-payment, suspect an ulterior motive, i.e. cash flow. Many people have lost small (and not so small) fortunes over the years thanks to schools going belly-up with their money. Not least at PFT in Bournemouth, just a few months ago. I’m not suggesting any problem with Cabair specifically, but it’s a general principle you would do well to follow.

As others have suggested, visit (rather than phone) at least 2 or 3 other schools to get a feel for some alternatives before you commit. Your PPL will lay the foundations for all your future flying – particularly important if you’re planning to go commercial – so it is vital that the training is of a high standard and the school is one you are happy with. You can’t possibly know this from a phone call, so in the absence of personal recommendations, visiting schools (preferably unannounced) and speaking to current students is your best bet. You will very quickly decide which place is best for you.

Re. Hours building in Florida, it can be a great experience. It can also be a minefield, littered with dodgy aircraft and operators, so tread carefully. As you point out, by the time you have added air fares, accommodation, travel insurance etc, the savings may be small to non-existent.

flyvirgin
9th Mar 2010, 10:55
Dont go with Cabair, try and find another flying school!:ok: