Originally Posted by
TheLastF117
I did my hour building in Florida with GFTS, based in Immokalee. I discovered them through ASG, the academy I did my ATPL theory with in Ireland and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.
They provide you with cheap accommodation in Naples for $1,500 for 4 weeks. The condo has a beautiful swimming pool outside and a gym you can use for free. On top of that you get a free Toyota Highlander you can use to travel back and forth from Immokalee as well as visit places on your days off, there are no restrictions to how far you can drive with the car. I took a day off with my roommate for a cruise through Miami once and picked up my girlfriend from Orlando which is a 615km round trip. Can't imagine getting a deal like that anywhere else and I'm not even talking about the sights and experiences you'll get around Florida, especially if it is your first time in the States.
At GFTS they have Cessna 172s and a Cessna 150H with an upgraded 150hp engine, G50 avionics and an auxiliary fuel tank with a total usable capacity of 37.1 USG so you can get around 4 hours of flying and have an hour reserve left before having to refuel. I used the C150 and absolutely loved it.
The prices for the C172s would be slightly higher but the C150 cost €132 per hour including fuel and their 6% tax.
Would suggest going there before the rain season starts around the beginning of June for better weather. The flight school manager helped me with all the paperwork I needed to complete to travel into the US and convert my EASA PPL into an FAA PPL, the process is a lot easier than you would expect. I arrived there on April 16th for 95 hours and I could have done it in 3 to 4 weeks if I didn't take days off and it didn't rain for 3 days in June.
If you come from Europe you have to do 15 hours of familiarization training with an instructor to get used to different types of airspace but those 15h count as PIC time for you even though you are being instructed, pretty sure that wouldn't happen in Europe. I got the C150 all to myself all day and was going for lunch in a different town/city every single day. There are no landing fees in the States so you can do as many touch-and-gos as you want at no extra cost.
Again, couldn't recommend them highly enough. Had insane experiences I honestly couldn't put into words, probably my favourite one being a flight all along the Miami beach with my girlfriend at 500 feet agl, wouldn't have even dreamed of doing that as a Lithuanian national that has never been to the States before.
Couldn't agree more with this GFTS are absolutely outstanding all round! Everything from collection in the airport to getting setup and being let loose around Florida