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View Full Version : Cheapest hour building place in the USA or Canada?


Bearcat F8F
3rd May 2012, 09:39
Hi fellas,

I have a JAR PPL and would like to go rake around 100 hours this summer somewhere in the US.

I am reading through the full list of flying schools in the US to see what rates are offered by which school, however I would like to know if anyone here could suggest a decent place? Or maybe if there is even a cheaper option out there (i.e. leasing aircraft or flying clubs etc)?

Some schools do some false advertising with regards to the amount of aircraft they have available so I would like to avoid such places which try to lure you in by making it sound super-cheap.

I have no preference of State. It can be anywhere in the US or Canada.

Thanks

Valdicopter
10th Jun 2012, 15:33
Hello mate.i ve got same intentions.interested in answers of your topic too.
Am considering school air america....what you thinking?

Genghis the Engineer
11th Jun 2012, 07:09
(1) Get a piggyback FAA licence.

(2) Avoid anywhere specialising in rental to Brits / Europeans. Find a well run small FAA school with a few more aeroplanes than they need day-to-day, somewhere reasonably sunny such as California or Arizona.

These little local schools are often inexpensive, well run, with good aeroplanes. There are hundreds of them.

G

moona
11th Jun 2012, 08:21
I looked into this myself a couple of years ago. At the time the cheapest I could find was The best value Hour Building Programs (http://www.ncb-aviation.com/hourbuilding.htm).

In the end I bought a share at a local airfield and did my hourbuilding in the UK.

Hitbacker
13th Jun 2012, 09:36
To add to that (or give you an alternative), I did my FAA ratings and licences in Wichita, "Air Capital of the World" with Cessna, HawkerBeechcraft, Spirit etc. around. Rates at local FBO's are really competitive, in the 75/ 80 $ (C150, C152 - even had 40 $ dry at Augusta Airfield, but for 79 $ also a P-28 at Augusta) - 100 $ range (latter at Strother with B4 Flying, Garmin 430-equipped C172 with 180 hp, which was really nice over some higher terrain over national parks on the way from Wichita to L.A. and back ;-)).

THE FLEET (http://www.ncb-aviation.com/the-fleet.htm)
One of their 172s has a Garmin 430 as well, 16 a night for accomodation is nice as well but if you wanna travel the country the meaning lessens a bit.

I could only encourage you to bring another pilot or two passengers along for cost-sharing and fun, drilling holes over the Prairie on long trips can be boring as hell. Enjoy it! Plenty of good recommendations on the forum here, boy, good memories coming back thinking of that!

SeattlePilot
5th Jul 2012, 05:43
PM me for some time building oppotunity in Pacific NW..

cefey
5th Jul 2012, 15:47
Aviation college at Ft. Pierce in FL seems to be nice place. Cheap ME rating + HB.

LPVL
5th Jul 2012, 16:59
And nearer Miami any recommendation?
ATA, Pelican, or ...?