There will be good and bad points to every school that you go to but I would like to share my experience with you so that if you are considering Naples Air Centre you might be able to make a more informed decision. I will begin with the bad points so that I can finish on a positive note.
BAD POINTS
Their communications leaves a lot to be desired. When you book your course with them they send you out their Student Manual. Mine told me that I started on the Tuesday. But in fact when I arrived they told me that I was a day late and that they always start training on the Monday and I should have known that.
I had also requested that I do my MEP there at the same time. I was told on the phone a number of times that I was booked in, but never confirmed it in writing. And you guessed it. No instructors available.
The first few days of my JAA/CPL went fine but then my instructor told me that we would have to get this done in two weeks because he’s taking the best part of the third week off and their was no other JAA instructor’s available. (Bearing in mind that they advertise that you should allow for four weeks to complete the course)
After the first week the constant nervous twitching and snatching back of the controls by the instructor really started to irritate me. I’m not going to pretend that I flew the perfect lesson every time we went up, but call outs like “Airspeed” and “Bank Angle” would have been more appropriate and considerably better for the confidence. When I confronted him about this I got my first glimpse of his bad temper. With a how dare I criticise his style of teaching attitude. From this point everything I did was wrong and we were no longer going to finish in the two weeks and not only that but they hadn’t checked the availability of an examiner. He wouldn’t be available until at least the day I was due to return home nearly five weeks after my arrival. I should have jumped ship at this point but it was a difficult move to make as I had brought my wife and new borne baby all the way from the UK for the duration of the stay.
I persisted with the plan that things would be better on his return and I would sit my test on my last day and catch up with the family in Miami that night.
Well things went from bad to worse. The atmosphere it the aircraft you could cut with a knife. Then out of the blue I turned up for a lesson and he told me that it was up to ME to find a new instructor because he was sick of these shower of B*******ds (the owners of the school). But that this was a good thing because all the other FAA instructors were cheaper. On the same day he tore strips out of someone else’s PPL student in front of everyone for completing his solo circuits without the supervision of his instructor. When I personally witnessed him getting instructions to do exactly that. When I tried to make him aware that the young lad had only done what he was told I then became the focus of his aggression.
Things did get a little better when I started to fly with a guy I could get on with. But we couldn’t fly the Arrow because they had only one and it needed a new engine but not to worry it SHOULD be ready in time for my 170A with you know who.
Well there are no prises for guessing the result of the 170A. He felt that I was not ready for the test because of FREDA checks every ten minutes other than every fifteen. And many more. I can’t remember the half of them because he refused to give me a copy of his notes for that day but there was a lot along the same line. Again I’m not going to pretend that it was perfect far from it. But too many FREDA checks “come on.” I have my suspicions that the examiner was never booked and therefore I was never going to pass the 170A.
I decided to contact Bristol whom I had booked for my IR to ask them could I continue with them and if so what I needed to do. They could not have been more helpful. What I needed was a copy of my training and my log book signed off. This is where they added insult to injury. On settling my account the owner who you might have thought would be at least a little apologetic WRONG. He insisted that the hours that I flew with the second instructor would have to be full JAA rates because he insisted that the second instructor was qualified to teach JAA/CPL which I suspected then and know now was a lie. When I challenged my first instructor to verify the conversation we had previously about the reduced rates he denied all knowledge of our conversation and squared up to me as though to fight. I have always tried to pacify myself with people and treat folk with respect but found myself in new territory here. I turned away, walked up to the owner agreed to settle the account including the additional charge which by now I had given them over $7000.As this would be the fastest way to get out of the place. When I asked him for my student records he said that will be an additional 4 something dollars for the photocopies. Their arrogance astounded me.
I have never pretended that I’m any better than anyone else. But I returned back to Bristol I received excellent instruction and passed CPL first time. And a series one pass in my IR with one or two hours over the minimum requirement. Which I suppose makes me pretty average.
GOOD POINTS
The weather was great.
If you do decide to go consider my advise.
• Get everything in writing. When you arrive they’ve got you by the short and curly’s. What are you going to do? Go home?
• Choose your instructor carefully. Unless you already know it all.
• Bring your own headset. They make a tidy profit out of not telling you to bring one and then either renting you or selling you one when you get there.
• If your allergic to cats DON’T GO
• If you don’t like cats DON’T GO
• If you don’t mind cats, but can’t stand being covered in their fir. DON’T GO
• Don’t ask too many questions. But if you do be prepared. They will note down their time and it will appear on your bill.
• Be prepared. You might spend over $7000 not including flights and accommodation and still come home with nothing.