Jordan Flight school

[flytoo]

Hello,

I would like to get some information about the Ayla Aviation Academy in Aqaba. Anybody having heard from them?
Thanks,

Flytoo:ok:

[spacepodlife]

PM me if you need infos

[spacepodlife]

OK, ok, now stop PM me!

I didn't think we were that sought after...

Let's see if I can fulfill prospective instructor curiosity. Ayla Aviation Academy is a flight school in Aqaba, Jordan. We pride ourselves in giving high quality training and we employ high qualified flight instructors. Jordanian aviation system is a copycat of the FAA system and all the training is based on the American system.

AAA is a part 141 flight school and operates with Diamond aircraft, and the whole fleet is based on G1000 glass cockpit system. The main base is in King Hussein Airport in Aqaba while the ground school is done in a massive new facility in downtown Aqaba.

I was the first instructor to be employed by the school and I arrived in Aqaba in mid-April. Since then we have already finished two PPL courses and we are now starting the thirt PPL course, the first CPL/IR course and a bridging course for Gulf Air cadets.

The high quality of the training environment is assured by top level maintenance and experienced flight instructors. Although we mostly employ high qualified flight instructors, we give chances to low time instructors to form and grow up with the company.

Now that I gave you the bright sides, let me tell you that there are also downsides. Aqaba is a resort area in the Red Sea, but it's still pretty far away from what most of you can expect from this kind of places. I found the place quite boring and not much to do in your spare time. This place is also extremely expensive, probably the most expensive of the whole Middle East. The vicinity of Eilat, Israel just on the other side of the border with its shiny resorts and well maintained beaches will increase the frustration.

The company has just a little more than 6 months of life and of course is still undergoing a settling period but after a little false start that was promptly corrected we are now heading in the right directions and the new comers will probably not notice the initial struggles that many of the "pioneering" instructors did.

Remember that like every other company that employs mostly ex-pat the daily frustration is based on the capacity that the company has to make their employees "at home" and in this, every employee has different needs and different ideas. So be warned about this.

Of course this is not an official description and it is only my personal view of my the company. So, if you have any other question about working in Ayla... now you can PM me

[Mephistopheles]

But be careful cos even though they say that they are approved by GF, that still is NOT the case since no one has audited it. Although a certain training capt might have you think so!

[spacepodlife]

True.

I never meant to say that we are approved by GF, although we are doing a bridging course to a dozen GF cadets.

After all you don't need to have any endorsement to deliver high quality products. Which "training captain" are you talking about?

[axialflow]

How much do the new-hire flight Instructors earn on a monthly basis? Do they have a shot at applying to RJ after serving for a period of time?

Thanx

Ax

[Farrell]

I had a very charming lady from this school pop into my office a while back in Muscat.

I hope that things are going well for you!

[HH53]

I presume that you are an employee in Aquaba or were an employee.

What are the living costs like.Is it feasable to expect to rent a 2 bed
appartment for realistic money?

Do they pay your salary on time etc?

Would you take your wife out there?

What sort of flight time do you get each day? Do you have enough
time off to recover ie do you get 2 days a week off?

Is there a possibility of teaching both on DA40 an DA42 and how did
you find transitioning to glass.

How do you rate the mix of students are they up to the mark educationaly.

Did you find that you are picking up a reasonable amount of time on the
DA42 and do you have any issues with maintainance?

I know this sounds more like an interrigation that a question but
I am seriuosly considering this outfit and it would be really nice to have
some inside information.
That is if it wasn't posted by Ayla.If it was hello:rolleyes:

[Hudson_Hawk]

Finally a forum thread about Ayla Aviation, so mysterious to most of us, comparing to PanAm :rolleyes:

Well, i got a question of my own: you mentioned something about Eilat being on the opposite side of the resort and it's being annoying. Why? Can you not travel there just by crossing the border every day or at least a few times a week ? Judging by the Google Earth the Jordan/Israel border runs through the thresh-hold line of RW11 (or something like that).

Also, what's the company management like ? Is it all British or you got some Jordanian decision makers in the cabinet ?

[spacepodlife]

Sorry Folks but it is policy of the company not to discuss any company related matter on forums or discussion groups like pprune, so if you need info about Ayla, PM me or send me an email.

About Aqaba though, I can give you my personal view:

First of all, Hawk, since you know China and the Shiz in particular I can tell you that I had way more fun in SJZ than here. No comparison. When it comes to the personal life outside work, Aqaba has almost nothing to offer compared to the Shiz. If you have the right passport (which I think you have, if you are who I think you are) you'll have no problem to go to Eilat but it'll become addictive and expensive, since the Jordanian taxi drivers will financially abuse you to bring to the border, plus the border fees...
I have to say whole a different life, very similar to Europe and you'll forget being in the Middle East. Yes, the border is that close and on departure from RWY 01 you have to be a little careful.

HH53:

What are the living costs like.Is it feasable to expect to rent a 2 bed
appartment for realistic money?No, I pay more than $700 a month for a two bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a remote neighborhood far away from downtown. Power extremely expensive (4 times more than I used to pay in Phoenix, AZ with similar weather condition), without mentioning water bills and the need of frequent pest control. With the same amount of money I could get a much better apartment in Arizona or in Australia.
No way you can have a decent taxi fare, drivers just refuse to use the meter if you are a foreigner.

Would you take your wife out there?Yes, I probably would, because there is not much to do here and for a single, life is quite miserable. Be careful though, my girlfriend was harassed in a couple of occasions while walking in town alone because she wasn't wearing the veil.

Now, I would like to underline the fact that is my personal view of the life outside my job,

Cheers.

[flyingforlife]

is assured by top level maintenance and experienced flight instructors.
What experienced instructors are you talking about?!
Are there any experienced instructors other than you, I heard that all instructors are newly certified and ground instructors can not teach their subjects.

[bwfg3]

So where did you hear that the ground instructors cant teach ? There are some VASTLY experienced operators and instructors on the ground side at Ayla.. that is one area which any flight school would be proud of. Im glad to say that they have a newly qualified auditor on the staff too... ISO 9001 standard, which is a step forward

[flyingforlife]

So where did you hear that the ground instructors cant teach ?

I think you've been in this business long enough to know that you can't hide these things

they have a newly qualified auditor on the staff too... ISO 9001 standard,

You are kidding, right?
This is the most irrelevant thing I have ever heard in aviation... just like JAA groundschool to pass Jordanian written tests!

[Hudson_Hawk]

hemm, yeah, the prices and local attitudes sound a little grim, however for most people not completely unreasonable. Personally I don't think I would tolerate living in a community that has an audacity to harass, lets say, my girlfriend who visits me from time to time in China just for not wearing a veil. Chinese so far have proven to be extremely tolerant of western cultures, often being copycats which is hilarious especially in the clubs. :}

On the other hand, the proximity of Israel on the other side is a very attractive option to me. Perhaps crossing the border every day would be insanely expensive but once a week a party in Eilat with some hotties from all over the World... man, i miss those parties !!! :E (been there in 96,97,99 also did my PADI license there - amazing experience!)

If you have the right passport (which I think you have, if you are who I think you are) you'll have no problem to go to Eilat but it'll become addictive and expensive, since the Jordanian taxi drivers will financially abuse you to bring to the border, plus the border fees...

yep, I got 2 passports. One of then is the "right" one... :ok:

[spacepodlife]

If it's diving you're looking for, you can do it here in Aqaba where the coastline is a little longer and less crowded. Pretty cheap as well.

Yeah, Eilat is definitely a breath of fresh air that you'll need once in a while.
Sometimes I miss the Shiz... hotpot and nightlife!

[Hudson_Hawk]

yeah, i love Hot-Pot. In Wuhai we go to Hua-Gua (hot-pot) there 2 or 3 times per week. Very cheap here - works out approx 30 yuan per person for a table of 4 and a great choice of various hot-pots from only Chinese to purely Mongolian restaurants.

By the way, what's the average price for, say, a shuarma in a lafa or a pitta in Aquaba ? How about an average restaurant meal ? Juts trying to get my baring price-wise...

[spacepodlife]

A shuarma it's pretty cheap, it goes for less than 2 dinars and it comes with french fries and several bacteria. Just kidding, but I was told not to eat those, lately even the ministry of health is investigating how safe is this kind of food. I have been lucky so far though.

A decent meal in a clean western standard restaurant goes for about 15-20 dinars, but if you like pizza you can get a pizza dinner with about 7-8 dinars.
I have to say it's a pretty good pizza too.

[Hudson_Hawk]

i see, it's about $3 USD which is a little cheaper then a meal in Mcdonals. Sounds fairly reasonable.

Do you know anything about this SR22 $63k job in UAE ? I heard some Ayla instructors left to instruct on SR22s.

[spacepodlife]

$63k?
I think it's actually $73k plus $8k sign up bonus and you'll fly Eclipse Jet also. Check on climbto350.com or Google 'Dubai Aerospace'

I don't know about Ayla instructors going to UAE, but I know of a couple PanAmers heading that way...