Phoenix East Aviation
Hi J1mbo
Trust me on this. Phoenix looks great on the website, but the ground reality is a little different. I guess all flight schools worldwide are the same. Well, I did my training at Phoenix East. Heres the deal with the instructing:
Yeah, they tell you that you get to be hired back as an instructor, blah blah..Whatever!!
Fact No. 1: If you are not a US Citizen, or a Green Card holder, you need to be on a J-1 visa. Make sure this is what youre getting on your IAP 66 form. This J-1 is good for 2 years. You have GOT TO make sure that you finish your commercial, as well as your CFI (certificated flight instructor) course before that! Now, lemme tell you, with Florida weather being what it is over summer, thunderstorms, hurricanes, fires... Additionally, scheduling is a PAIN in the behind!
Fact No. 2. Having a CFI is not enough at PEA. You will need to do your CFII at the very least. CFII-Certificated Flight instructor Instrument) before they even consider you. Once youre in, you get paid 8 bucks an hr, starting off, but thats only if you fly. If you go through a whole day, with all your flights being weathered, and students cancelling on you, well buddy, you dont make a penny.
Fact No. 3 If you get an M-1 visa, and you get your CFI, CFII, whatevery, yeah, they'll probably hire you, but guess what?? They won't pay you jack! YOu work for free (they call it the ATP course) which means you pay $5,000 (if i remember correctly) to sign up for the course, and you instruct for free till you hit your 1500 hours.
Fact No. 4. The FAA does NOT have a frozen ATP system. You need to be 21 to take the checkride, and 23 to be issued the ATP certificate. YOu STILL need to have 1500 hrs total time, (and all the x country time) by the time you take your checkride. There is NO WAY around that.
Yes conversion is a pain in the behind, because the FAA system when it comes to ground studies is VERY different from the JAA system. I prefer the FAAs practical approach, but it didnt help me when I needed to convert my license.
If theres anything more that you need to know about PEA, lemme know. Cheers Buddy!
P.S Im not trying to bad mouth Phoenix. All I want to say is that MOST flight schools are the same way. Phoenix is still better than a lot of others out there. Oh one last word. Dont let them scam you into the B-727 course or the King Air Course! Its the BIGGEST scam out there!