Temp Flight Training in Dubai

[jai6638]

Hey...

I live in the US and am pursuing my PPL here( have got 80 hours of total flying time and a few solo hours ). I am going on vacation to Dubai and would like to train for the 2-3 weeks that I'll be there to get a feel for flying in UAE ( and get more experience in a busy airport environment )

1) Where would I go to get training ( doesnt need to be only in Dubai.. other emirates would be fine too. Though, the closer the better )? I heard a company at Dubai International airport does flight training but not sure.
2) Would they train someone who is gonna be in the country for only 2-3 weeks?
3) This might be a longshot but would they allow me to solo after having flights with the local instructor and him being confident of my abilities?


Thanks much.

P.S: not sure if this makes a difference but I have a UAE residence visa.

[Captain Bug Smasher]

Emirates Flying School located at Dubai International Airport is probably the best bet. (Athough there are other flying schools in places like Umm Al Quwain and Fujeirah). Why not check out their Web Site www.emiratesaviationservices.com and drop them an Email including those questions. Alternatively give them a call on +9714 295155.

[jai6638]

Cool.. Thanks much.. shall check it out.

Don't airports in Sharjah, Ajman or Abu Dhabhi have flight training schools?

[Captain Bug Smasher]

FYI no airport in Ajman yet. Sharjah nope and Abu Dhabi nope. There used to be a flying school at Al Bateen (in Abu Dhabi) but that has long since closed down.

[jai6638]

Damn..


Btw, just checked the website out and I quote:

"To enroll, the individual should be 17 years of age with a reasonable command of english language. The PPL course includes 40 hours of flying with 4 hours of basic instrument work, 3 hours of night and 10 hours of cross-country."

I'm 16. Will probably have to call them. If this doesnt work out, Fujairah and Umm-al-quwain will be my only options...

Thanks

[Captain Bug Smasher]

Unless the rules have changed at the school (which they may have done) I believe regardless of age, you can still fly Dual, however I'm affraid there'll be no going solo.

If you get the chance to fly out of Dubai you will really enjoy it. But expect delays at the holding point due to departing and arriving traffic.

[jai6638]

Unless the rules have changed at the school (which they may have done) I believe regardless of age, you can still fly Dual,

Thats what I think too since if I have an instructor with me, all the responsiblity lies on him and my age makes no difference. Only problem will be if they would want to accomadate me if they are already hands full. If this works out, it'd be great. It'll enable me to fly in local Class B airspace equivalent which I haven't flown in before.

Will visit it today in the afternoon actually.. Nothing can beat personal interactions and so meeting them in person will probably be better than calling I guess.

When you say, no solo .. Is that because local students dont get to solo until after a lot of training or because I am here on a temp basis and hence they would not want to risk it?

Thanks

P.S: Does Class A , B, C , D , G , E airspace apply even here in the UAE? I reckon it should but not sure. I gues there probably wont be too many class D airports around here...

[jai6638]

Update: Visited Emirates Aviation... The person there said that he'd be able to allow me to fly under the pretext of a 1 hour pleasure flight with the permission of the CFI. He'd also check with the CFI if I could fly for 2-3 hours more but thats the best he said he could.

I guess in the worst case, 1 hour is pretty good too..

[jirginsama]

Hi, how good is the flying school-emirates aviation? Is the standard and fleet good?

[jai6638]

Not sure about the details.. but from what I asked him and know, they have approx 8 pipers ( a mix of warrior's and archers ) ... He said they have ordered 2-3 more pipers and are awaiting delivery.

Seems like a good flight school to me.. However, I will be going on a "pleasure flight" with an instructor on Sunday so lets see how that goes. Shall post me opinions then.

They do not have enough planes to satisfy the demand ( he said they have approx 40 students per batch ). Hence, they work out a schedule for permanent students. If i'm not wrong, I think the students are allowed to fly max three times a week or something to that effect.

Also, bought a UAE VFR chart from them and it wasnt what I expected it to be. Vast portions of the chart was dedicated to the desert with the cities looking really small..... This might sound stupid, but I personally think they should have zoomed in a little and given a more detailed view of the cities..

On second thoughts, I guess it was fine. I'm probably just used to looking at the filled and congested US sectionals.

[Captain Bug Smasher]

If memory serves me correctly they have

2 x Pa28 161's (regos A6-EFT and A6-EFU)
3 x Pa28 181's. (2 of these are well equipped and good for IR training). (Regos A6-EFS, A6-EFQ and A6-EFR)

1 x Pa44 Seminole (bought Brand new a couple of years ago). (Rego A6-EFP)

Good bunch of lads working there. Training standards are high (closely monitored by the General Civil Aviaition Authority). Would recommend it to anyone. One problem and it can get very furstrating are the delays you suffer at the Holding Point due to the Airport being busy.