Some words on Nelair (Th-aviation connexions is the recruitment company for Nelair flight academy.)
I just got back from Nelair a couple of days ago. Did my PPL there and had the time of my life. It is definitly not regimented as i guess 43 is,rather laidback and personal. The joke on base was that it would make an excellent sitcom with all the different personalities(no names,you know who you are
).
Training is on C150`s & C172`s and they also have some Cessna twins for the commercial students.
The airfield is perfect for training as the runway is short,very narrow,downhill sloping,always warm,humid,bumpy conditions and it`s at 2900 ft elevation. It is also located inside the Kruger mpumalanga international airspace which gives you atc training once outside the circuit. The surrounding scenery of the Loweld area is spectacular as well. You have the Drakensberg to the west with enourmous plateau mountains and huge canyons,and the Kruger park to the east. All 30 minutes from the airfield. Perfect for x-country.
Nelair also has it`s own maintainance and charter on the airport and there are several other companies including the local police helicopters,fire-bombers etc. The charter business operates numerous different aircraft such as B200 & 1900`s, LET`s, Gulfstreams, Caravans, several piston twins and C206 etc. Planes are coming and going all the time, so there`s alot going on.
PPL training is primarly focused on the flying part so be prepared to do some studying on your own. There is PPL ground school,but it is of the "rush through the basics" type.
The commercial students are trained by a 70-something veteran who has over 300 typeratings & 18000 hours,this guy has flown everything from spitfires to jumbo`s and have unlimited knowledge and stories. The guy is living aviation history and the students seemed privileged to have him has instructor.
On the downside: Well,Nelspruit ain`t exactly the centre of the universe..On the social side the biggest happening is (fanfare) The MALL. This is where everybody in the greater Nelspruit area gathers. It`s the local francise of hell. As for nightlife there are two or three decent places,unless you like afrikaaner-folkmusic-trance-remixes & barfights
Then you`ll be in for a treat.
Spend your money on a rental car instead and travel around,there`s a lot to see. Also, beware of the chief of the kitchen on the school. If you don`t eat your food,she will give you hell. She also shouts at the VIP guests on the charter planes for not eating their inflight meal! As i said,it would make a great sitcom..
So it`s definitly a great place to do the PPL/vacation thing. Most do it in 5 weeks and it`s cheap. You also meet a lot of interesting people of all ages and all walks of life.
As for the CPL i guess it`s the place you would go to if bush flying on small props is in Africa is your thing. It`s not a bus-737 pilot-factory and the instructor teaches you things that`s not in the books
Ok,sorry guys for making this a bit too lenghty,but i had a hard time finding anything on Nelair/th-avaition before i went down there..Hopefully this will help somebody.
Do not hesitate to send me PM or email.