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SHOULD YOU START YOUR CAREER WITH 2FLY ?
Updated: May 28, 2018.Introduction
2Fly is an organization who owns two differently named flight schools based in different continents. 2Fly Airborne is located at Merritt Island, Florida - 2Fly Aerodynamics is located in Malaga, Spain. They also have agreements with third party training organizations but I haven’t been able to find any concrete information on these agreements except for the knowledge that they receive students from a flight school based in Italy.
The most popular reason for someone to choose 2Fly as their training provider is the “Pro Pilot” course, which takes a student with no flying experiences and follows him/her through to having an UK CAA ATPL (EASA) as well as MCC/JOC training, which are the requirements for joining a major airline as a non type-rated first officer. If you do not plan on partaking in the Pro Pilot course, this review will still be very helpful in your decision making.Structure and Price
The Pro Pilot course is advertised as being “the best value ATPL” and as being a course to be completed in 12-14 months. It is structured as 4 months in Florida to obtain FAA PPL and IR followed by 8-10 months in Spain where you sit the 14 UK ATPL examinations (and associated ground school) as well as converting your FAA licenses to European ones, plus obtain your multi engine and commercial licenses. After this is done, students complete multi-crew cooperation as well as jet orientation courses.
Unfortunately, these claims are mostly false. Expect to spend 4-6 months in Florida, as well as 8-12 months doing the ATPL exams and another 6 months flying and completing the MCC/JOC. Expect also to pay well above sticker price for your training for reasons which will be explained further in this review.Fleet
Florida - a wide fleet of many Pa-28-161/181 and a few C172, a couple of which are equipped with Garmin G1000 glass cockpit systems for student’s IFR training. They are generally well maintained but do show their age in comparison to other modern flight schools. Some of these aircraft were registered as early as the 1960s. There are certain unavoidable safety issues when it comes to these aircraft due to their age, such as bad magnetos, inoperative secondary instruments and such, none of which dramatically jeopardize student safety but do create a cause for unease and lack of trust in the aircraft themselves. The sheer number of aircraft means you will not miss flights due to scheduled or unscheduled maintenance. The G1000 cockpit is more advanced than some airliners currently in operation today, and offer a good introduction to glass cockpit operations at the cost of being ill-accustomed when you move to Spain and have to do IR training using old fashioned steam gauges (even in the simulator).
Spain - the fleet in Spain is much more sparse. It consists of two Pa-28s equipped with FADEC diesel engines which are interesting to fly, a C152 (not used for pro pilot), a C172 and one Be-76 Dutchess. Maintenance is of extremely high quality, but the small number of aircraft often means less flying time due to maintenance and the sharing of these aircraft among many students at a time. Expect to fly 6-8 hours a week rather than the 6 hours a DAY that you would have been used to in Florida.Flight Instruction and Ground School
Florida - friendly instructors with good English proficiency and a high standard of training. Each student will be assigned an instructor which allows them to build a working relationship and to receive constructive, informed feedback related to flying performance and preparedness towards examinations. Almost all CFIs are ex-students of Airborne, working towards a minimum hour requirement for them to join airlines. Ground school follows a standardized and well-planned format which is brief, allowing more hands-on experience.
Spain - In Spain the story is dramatically different. To provide ATPL training, schools need to be registered with one of the few authorized training providers, and to use their material in lessons. 2FLY Aerodynamics is registered with CATS, the cheapest and least adequate of all syllabi. Ground instruction is of very poor quality (although students reported slight improvements over the last couple of years) - Instructors who barely have a firm grasp on the English language following pirated Oxford CBT materials due to the CATS material being so poor.
Students are obligated to follow the ground school format even though it is said to be disadvantageous towards the goal of completing examinations as the poor quality of training is often worth less than what could be achieved by a student studying at home. It was reported that at least 90% of students opt to purchase expensive materials from Aviation Exam as well as Bristol Ground-school in order to have a chance at passing the ATPL examinations, which are notoriously difficult even for established professionals.
Despite the apparent language barrier, flight instruction in Spain is of generally acceptable quality with friendly instructors and interesting scenery through which valuable experience can be gained.Facilities and Organization
Florida - flight training is based at Spacecoast Aviation, located at Merritt Island Airport (KCOI), it is a medium sized FBO and hangar with a few classrooms, simulator and common areas. It is a generally tidy and pleasant place, albeit sometimes crowded due to the large quantity of students who are not all studying the same course as you. The staff are always willing to help students and the organization is generally well structured and efficient.
Student accommodation is located either in shared homes close to the airport or in the EconoLodge motel located a 20 minute bicycle ride away from the airport, most students are pleased with this and often purchase small scooters to commute within the town. It is an extremely nice place to live and to study.
Spain - once again, the Spanish side of this flight school is a let-down. Ground school is given at a central office in Carril de la Cordobesa, in Malaga, Spain. While unimpressive from the outside, the building is tidy from the inside with many well equipped classrooms and facilities. It is a shame that the quality of teaching does not even come close to matching these appearances. During research I received stories of the school outright scamming students by charging exorbitant fees for such things as “forgetting to take out the trash” in school accommodation, claims of unauthorized deductions from credit cards and failure to adhere to original student contracts causing students to pay upwards of 10,000 Euros more than they were promised.
Student housing is spread out across the city and often very far away from the school, apartments are poorly equipped and often dirty as well as being extremely barebones in terms of facilities and comfort. It is also worth mentioning that students usually arrive in Malaga and are surprised by the fact that the airport which they fly out of (LEAX) is a 40 minute drive away from the city, making it almost obligatory to pay upwards of 1,000 EUR to rent a vehicle for the time of their flight training. The alternative is to spend 4 hours a day on the bus in order to fly for one hour or to arrive at the airport and have your flight be cancelled.Conclusion
2FLY is a disorganized and reportedly dishonest business. They do not fail to provide training advertised in their Pro Pilot Program, however it is very clear that the training being given is of poor quality and value. For FAA only, 2FLY may be a viable option, but stay away from Spain.