Yeah,
Euro American School of Aviation (EASA) is not a place I would recommend.
In fact i would say, stay in Europe it will be cheaper, safe and you'll get better training.
Training is alright (a PASS) but the whole experience is hell. Everything is fine and dandy when you first contact them to talk about stuff.
They are not stupid, they put a nice guy with nice attitude to handle initial inquiries and lure you in. Their marketing is great.
Once you pay and arrive, hell starts. Rude, patronizing, money grabbing people (Kim Aldbury ranks top).
1. PPL IN 3 WEEKS? IMPOSSIBLE.
Why? They have way more students they can manage to make the PPL in 3 weeks possible for everyone. That would mean flying at least 3 hrs a day.
That never happens. WHy? they have to try schedule all students every day. SO forget it.
OF the people i met (about 20), not one ever finished PPL in 3 weeks. 8 weeks is what took most people to finish it.
Why do people keep coming back? Well, those who come back usually dont have a choice. They take 3 weeks off work to do their ppl and then get to Euro American SCHOOL of AVIATION in florida on a tight schedule.
Obviously, the cant finish it in 3 weeks so they have to leave and come back to finish it off. They have prepaid their PPL package and get no money back. So coming back is their only chance.
I met 3 people while I was there that had to do just that.
2. What NEW MANAGEMENT?.
The management has been the same since 1994. An english guy called Adrian Thompson owns and runs the place remotely.
He does not live in the US anymore. Spends most of his days in england and apparently only returns to Florida when he has to appear in court for issues/accidents related to the business (your flight school..)
His goal, to take your money and the hell with anything else.
So you should do a search for Ormond Beach Aviation or flyoba.com to hear more about Euro American School of Aviation (EASA). They are the same people wearing different hats.
The school changed its name from ORMOND BEACH AVIATION to EUROPEAN SCHOOL OF AVIATION in 2009. So you know that those who post the reviews saying they have new management are in fact EASA/OBA employees.
Why did they change the name? They were sued (and still are sued) for accidents that happened pre-2009 so they said, lets change the name so nobody can link us with the lawsuit. But they are still the same corporation, run by the same guy (adrian thompson) who is responsible for the accidents.
3. WHAT ACCIDENTS?
Students involved in accidents got badly injured. One got burnt in 2/3 of his body, others suffered massive injuries. No casualties but fingers crossed. Reasons: issues with the aircraft.
And that does not include the accidents where students suffer no injuries at all but have issued with the planes (planes flip, front gear snaps). Witnessed 3 of those during my time in Ormond Beach. Whatever you do, stay away from the poorly maintained CESSNAs. They are death with wings.
4. MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU PLAN
As for money, you will spend WAY more than you planned because:
1. NO way you can finish it off in 3 weeks.
2. Which means you will need to pay more extra accommodation, food, gas,etc.
3. It is not unlikely you will have to pay for additional flying hours outside your package.
3. YOU will need a car if you want to have a life. (about USD 150 per week) There are no buses you can count on. Which means fuel- 50 bucks a weeK)
IN A NUTSHELL donotflyeasa because:
1. Money is their only concern. They run a business and run it accordingly. You are not student, just a source of income. They prefer you dont learn much so you need to fly more hours (which means more money for them)
6. Once you pay, you only deal with rude, patronizing and burnt out people (save for the lovely woman at the bar and the flight dispatchers. Those guys are cool.)
7. You will end up spending WAY more than you planned.
It will not be the pleasurable experience you would expect. So now that you have all the facts (or my opinion for that matter) make your own decision!
Any questions? ask away.
[email protected]