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bmb7jiw
22nd Jun 2003, 00:09
Hi,
Im going to go to the US next January to do my PPL, and I was looking for some advice on good schools. I was thinking of going to Florida and at the moment I am leaning towards Ormond Beach Aviation because their overall package seems good and economical. It includes accomodation and a night rating. Does anyone recommend this school, and if not, where do you reccomend?
Also, where do I stand with a Visa? I am a British national, and I intend to do my PPL and then do some travelling around America afterwards. Do I have to get one and if so what?
Will I be able to rent some planes in America when I have passed my PPL or will I have to wait before I can fly?

Thanks in advance for your help,

James

christootell
23rd Jun 2003, 04:23
I am doing exactly what you are doing this summer at EFThttp://www.europeanflighttraining.com in fort pierce. I have an interview for a visa (which you have to have) soon. I will post what it was like and how i got on in august.

strafer
26th Jun 2003, 21:05
I went to OBA last year and got a PPL.
If you look around on PPrune then you'll see that reviews for OBA are mixed to say the least. Having said that I had a great time and would go back.
They are the cheapest and in some ways you get what you pay for. The price they quote is inclusive except for 'optional' insurance (about $100) and a small amount for the cleaning lady. Plus your flights and food etc. I also found that some of the niggles there helped create an 'all for one and one for all' attitude amongst the other students (nearly all British or Irish) and I made some good mates.

One tip: if you've already got some hours logged, negotiate with them to make sure you get the full 45 hours. Also, don't piss Bill off or you'll be starting at 6:30 every morning!

tampabay
27th Jun 2003, 01:01
So in your opinion would you say OBA is a good way of going for a British person if money is a little, shall we say tight:O ? (obviously safety and quality considered also)

Also, how much money did you take altogether to cover the flying, living, food etc etc?

strafer
27th Jun 2003, 01:19
Yeah I would, but then I don't have any other USA flying schools to compare it to.

If you're pretty easy on timings you could get a flight to Orlando for around £250. Food in the States is pretty cheap and you won't be doing much drinking if you want to pass in three weeks(!) You'll also need around 4 hours afterwards to check-out in the UK as your RT will be rubbish and it's a bit more crowded here.

There's a lot on this site about other schools, but make your decision and go. You won't regret it.

MLS-12D
4th Jul 2003, 05:51
Personally I know nothing about Ormond Beach, but as strafer implies it has received some bad press on Pprune. I'd recommend doing an open search (all forums) and reading the posts before parting with my cash.

Chinchilla.612
4th Jul 2003, 22:41
Hiya,
All I can say is that if you go to OBA then good luck. I went there to do my IMC and Night ratings a couple of years back and from what I hear they haven't changed much since then. Granted I did get my course completed successfully, but more by my hard work than their help I think. I'm not going to run them down or give bad press, but I do honestly believe you can find much better schools for no real difference in cost out in the states.
I am now doing my Multi IR and am doing most of that out in the States. The school I am at here is fantastic, a complete contrast to the last one I went to! The instructors are very good and you are always very well looked after, both during and out of "office hours".
If you'd like to know more about them feel free to get in touch. As for Visas, they are only required if you are doing professional flight training, so for a PPL all you need is an I-94 visa waiver the same as when you come here on holiday as it is recreational flying (as long as you don't intend to stay longer than 90 days of course!).
All the best with your future training.