A Florida/USA definative list of FTO's from experience

[bow5]

I did my PPL at Orlando Flight Training this year and am thinking about going back to Florida to do some more ratings.

I enjoyed my time at OFT but am obviously looking around before I decide where to go this time.

I thought, seeing as how a lot of people on here have trained or are thinking about training in the USA it would be good for the Wannabe archive to have a definative list of FTO's that people have been to, good or bad.

I, for one, am impressed with the look of Naples Air Centre and all the positive responses it has got on this forum. Starter for 10, who's been there and what's it like then? :D

[spitfire747]

Like you I trained at OFT in May but was not very impressed with the company, where money and profit was the important factor, not maintenance or instruction..!!

I have literally today just arrived back from Naples Air Centre in Florida where i have been for two weeks building hours and a night rating.
I was due to go to Ambassador with SFT but their collapse left me £5000 out of pocket and Ambassador are in poor shape with no good news about them.
Richard from Naples Air Centre offered to help me and any other SFT students out, so I took him up on his offer and I am very impressed with the school.
The school is well run bu Richard and Niki, the aeroplanes are all well maintained, clean tidy and none were out of action while i was there.
One excellent point is that the HOBBS does not run until the engine starts(unlike other FL schools) and you do not have to wait and re-fuel the plane youreself (unlike other FL Schools), someone comes and fuels immediately on your return.
Flight operations is well run, efficient and helpful. Flying instructors are all excellent. GUSTAV HOLMBURG was my instructor and i can thoroughly recomment him.
Naples is a Class D controlled field with Tower and ATIS, used frequently by Biz Jets and the odd US Airways Turbo Prop. The area is lovely, the beaches gorgeous, airports such as Venice, Ft Myers, Miami, Key West etc.. are all within easy reach by 1 hour flight.
The school uses two types of accommodation depending on budget and length of stay. The Wellesley hotel is excellent value for money with big rooms and breakfast each morning.

I cannot recommend them enough (PS i do not work for their marketing dept)
If you want anything answered just email me and i will tell you

Also, they have got 5 resident cats; 1 mother and 4 gorgeous little kittens, which if anything are worth going for !!!

hope this is helpful, but remember a key element of flight training the world over is word of mouth reputation.
Do your research and you will be fine.

Good luck

[bow5]

Cheers for that guys. The more I hear and see about NAC the more I like the look of it to be honest.

I did enjoy OFT but the fact that the struts on the Warriors were forever askew and that Katanas were forever breaking down didn't particularly imprss me to be honest.

Plus, NAC is cheaper....always a good thing!

[bow5]

Sorry buddy. It's you who's got the wrong end of the stick.

The purpose of this thread was to help people who are thinking about training in the USA with first person accounts of the various schools. I have been to OFT and not Naples. I wondered what it was like. That's all. Seeing as that's the only name that's come up so far then it'll be the only name on the thread. Geddit?

If you know of somewhere else why not say so instead of trying to turn yet another thread into a pathetic slanging match. :confused:

[spitfire747]

True, do not start this into a slanging match between school marketing departments.

i am talking from experience, i have flown PA-28s with OFT in Kissimmee, NAC in NAples and Goodwood in Chichestere, UK

OFT: Maintenance and safety compromised by profit. Planes hardly ever air worthy. I was sent out for all my training in the DA20 which was grossly over weight. Things always going wrong with the Da20s and C150/152s
I do notice that one of the planes which went into a field after the engine blew and suffered damage, is back on the fleet - painted in different livery to the others, is this to make people think it is a new plane ??

NAC - Good quality school, reliable planes, cheap and nice area. The owners are happy with what they got, they haven't got dollar signs in their eyes

Goodwood - Excellent grass field club, friendly people and great food in the club cafe


PLEASE do not use the message board to slag off schools, state your personal experience in the way you saw it, let other judge for themselves

Fly fun

[bow5]

Does anybody know for definate whether or not Pan AM are doing JAA training. I know they were but had heard they had stopped. If they are doing JAA training, do they do IMC's, night ratings and hour-building packages?

Cheers.

[Harvey SM]

I have flown with OFT. And although they have execellent facilities, they do not use them at all well (or atleast when I was not there). Luvely new aircraft, but thats about the only positive thing going for them (my opinion only - no bi**hing please) :rolleyes:
There is only one school who I would recommend for training in FL, and that being EUROPEAN FLIGHT TRAINING, which is based in Fort Pierce, (equi-distance mia-mco).
Their web page takes a long time to download, but that is the only negative thing I would say about them........... I did my night rating and IMC there - very impressed........ look them up. :p

[bow5]

Will do. Cheers.

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

Umm chaps - all very interesting BUT if you are going to negatively discuss named FTO's from personal experience then I require your real identities via email please so as to be able to defend PPRuNe from the lawyers.

I await that information.

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