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Old 31st Oct 2008, 15:29
  #67 (permalink)  
zippi
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: London
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I would avoid Ormond Beach Aviation at all costs!!!!!

If you are are on any time or financial budget, forget it. Very few students pass the PPL course within 21 days - even those that are not lazy! The first day I arrived there was no instructor available and from then on I was only scheduled for 1 or 2 hours per day. I also lost time because of the weather - between August and December it's hurricane season, so if you are going for 3 or more weeks, you have a really good chance of bad weather interrupting your flying.

I regretted going to OBA soon after my arrival. I realised that there was almost no chance of getting the PPL in 21 days and was disappointed by the accommodation - it's more economical to stay in a nearby hotel and to hire a car. The price did not include everything as is promised. However, after having travelled 4000 miles and done all the visa paperwork, your more or less stuck - at best, you are going to be seriously out of pocket. If you choose to cancel, OBA will take a 25% cut of the total fee paid - even if you stay for the full 21 days and haven't finished the course.

The management is apalling - the place is really run like a factory production line. The management seem to show very little interest in the welfare of the students. The instructors are good, but they are generally discontent as their conditions of employment are pretty bad. Needless to say, instructor turnover at OBA is very high.

The Cessna's are ropey as suggested by the alarming number of technical failures at OBA lately - they are just old and haven't aged well. The Warriors are better, but you'll pay more and when I was there there supply didn't meet demand.

In the end I had to leave without completing the course as I couldn't get enough time off work. I think I would have had to stay around an extra two weeks to finish the course which would have cost me considerably.

When I add everything up and take into consideration the problems I encountered at the school and the hassle of the visa application process I really don't think it's worth going to OBA. The cost of flights to Florida, accommodation and visa make the savings on UK training marginal when all is said and done.
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