Is Ardmore worth it ?

[spitfire6948]

hey everyone im looking to considering cracking my PPL. want to be a commercial pilot so looking to go the whole way - CPL/ATPL,.....

Looked around a fair bit but im a bit confused about which flying school is bettter, Ardmore or massey ? Does anyone have any experience with either one of them ? Or any other recommendations about any other schools in NZ/Aussie would be highly appreciated ...:ok:
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[FloRider]

hey spitfire. I'd suggest keep looking past ardmore and massey. I can give 2 thumbs up for Mainland Aviation if u can bare the brunt of -4 degree mornings during the winter :ok: Great CFI and CP. They run charters and ATOs if u make it as far as getting a ccat with them. Good luck.

[Konev]

Nelson, Mainland air (phil is a legend!) Southern wings (the Jones, also a legend!) for loan based schools.

Wakatipu Aeroclub in Queenstown for self paying. job on completion and lots of mountain flying experiance.

[codenamejames]

Hey Spittie,

I definitely concur with the advice to look elsewhere from Ardmore. The place is busy (which is good in that it requires you to learn how to handle busy environments) but it is also expensive.

There are plenty of elitist types there which don't do much to create a positive learning environment.

I used to fly at Ardmore, then discovered North Shore aerodrome in Dairy Flat www.nsac.co.nz (http://www.nsac.co.nz) and haven't looked back. No landing fees, great club aircraft, lots of friendly instructors, good positive learning environment.

It is definitely cheaper than Ardmore, and far less anonymous.

If you're concerned about distance it takes me (slightly) less time to get to north shore from Dorkland CBD than to ardmore, so it is accessible.

Hope that helps. If you're interested in checking out the club or going for a flight there PM me.

Thanks

[HardCorePawn]

Suggest that if you are intent on going the Studly Loan route that you visit:

The list of Nelson Malborough Institute of Technology Associated Aviation Providers. (http://www.nmit.ac.nz/portal/tabID__3609/DesktopDefault.aspx)

All of these places essentially offer the same course via NMIT. Your choice then comes down to which provider of flight training you wish to use.

All the appropriate contact details are there, I would call them up, ask to speak to the CFI and ask them what it is that you want to know.

Starting threads asking "Is ABC Flying Academy any good?" here will not make anything any clearer... because for all the responses that say "yeah, they're OK", you will get just as many saying "nah, they're ****house." and probably even more saying "Forget ABC, goto XYZ"...

Given that you are located in Auckland and are wanting info on AFS, I would suggest visiting them in person and checking it out... hang around for an hour or so, talk to people (not just employees but students etc) and see what actually goes on. Will be far more educational than anything you're likely to glean from this forum :oh:

[Kangaroo Court]

I can assure you that Ardmore is not "busy". We closed the runways there in Christmas of 1988 and raced tugs up and down the main drag. We were drunk as monkeys I might add. Helluva good place. Is Motor Holdings still in business?

[codenamejames]

apparently is was NZ's busiest airport in the vol.4 from a year or two ago.
Not sure if that's still the case.

Maybe it became more busy in the last 20 years

you do have a point, it may be better for tug racing than North shore, which has a subtle, but noticable banana to it.... :ouch:

[troppo]

Son,
At your age it don't matter where, think of the gold bars and the chicks you can pull with them.
Alternatively instead of posting here and letting others make your career decisions you could go visit training establishments and get it from the horses mouth. You have to be comfortable where you are going to spend a chunk of change but at the same time you have to fit the mould or opportunities will pass you by.

[ZK-NSN]

Can agree with Iron Man. New Plymouth has a good reputation, never flown there but used to do my 135 comp checks with the CFI. Ardmore is very busy and too expensive, not too mention the cost of living in Auckland.

[poss]

A previous instructor of mine trained at NP and loved it there. The place has a nice club feeling and the instructors are good, of course the location of NP is pretty awesome as well. Ardmore is busy and you will learn to cope with busier traffic situations but it might hinder you instead of making you stronger.

[troppo]

Ok.
The 'naki girls have the vote. KFC or maccas is more cost effective than a dinner in parnell.

[Lindstrim]

apparently is was NZ's busiest airport in the vol.4 from a year or two ago.
Not sure if that's still the case.

In the current Vol 4 both Ardmore and North Shore have notes saying that theyre are very busy, with Ardmore still being the busiest.

For my 2 cents worth Bay Flight in Tauranga is quite good from my expreience there. Very helpful Instructors and a nice area to fly in.

[haughtney1]

Spitfire, I'd suggest that given the considerable sum of money you are likely to invest in your future...a couple of tanks of petrol and a night or two in a hotel may well be a good investment.
Hop in a car..and get out to look at what all these places have to offer :ok:

[spitfire6948]

hey everyone.. thanks a lot for all your replies. went down to a couple of flying schools yesterday. and yeah do agree AFC is quite busy, quite liked NSAC and CTC ..but i think u have to be an EU national to get into CTC?

hmm still havent decided what school i am going to go to...

just out of curiousity, i heard you have to study your ATPL by yourself?? arent there any institutes out there that teach em? and secondly what is a better..an aviation degree ( ie massye ) or just going to any flying school ( such as AFC, CTC, etc)
which would be more productive for me in the long run ?>

[spitfire6948]

Another thing...Im just wondering if an aviation degree at massey is a waste of time. They say that by the end of 3 or 4 years you will have a CPL and ATPL with the exception of the flight check which I guess is an frozen ATPL. Would it be better to study at AFS as they also provide training up to frozen ATPL. Cost is not as big a factor now to me as. Thank god for the student loans./How easy is it to get a job straight out of school??? How long would it take to get 2000 hours???

[Konev]

realisticly, your first job out of school is meatbombing or a small tourist operation if your lucky.

if you really get into an operators good books you can get into a bigger operation as a mate of mine did with air safaris.

in other words, an ATPL is useless for the next 5 years or so till you can get the experiance that a company that operates a ATPL requirement will consider you.

[spitfire6948]

and hmm and would you have any idea how to get into the operators good books? Any ideas? i know its still a long time for me to reach that stage as im just about to start my PPL..but still i would like to have a reasonable picture of what im going to be facing in the next couple of days. coz there is nothing more i want than flying one of em boeings and being a captain :O..

Any help would be much appreciated:ok:

[nike]

Forget the ATPL. Red herring, not a concern, the tickets have a validity period now. I'd bet your first years wages (or fiddy bucks - whichevers the higher) they'd expire before you find yourself in ATPL territory.

Liking the pawn-man's advice. Good list to start with there.

I trained in Auckland a while back. My pick: South Island for sure. Great VFR flying.

If you've got the choice, don't make it as a box ticking exercise. It shouldn't just be about getting the licence.
Pick somewhere that'll give you a bloody good time, not just a ticket and a logbook with ink in it.
You'll only do it once and the memories will make the 12 hour flights later on easier.

Enjoy.

[mattyj]

I've been flying since 1995 and I don't have 2000 yet!!:*



I'm a slack bugger tho:E

[spitfire6948]

WOAH mattyj? u still havent gotten 2000 hours? is it that hard!!?

[Sqwark2000]

would you have any idea how to get into the operators good books? Any ideas?

probably the best way is to spend your money with them. I'd recommend looking at places that run commercial ops on the side. Places like Air Hawkes Bay run a student loan 3 yr programme, that get's you a business diploma, 700hrs in logbook and some multi ATO time. Flight Training Manawatu in fielding has it's commercial off shoot Air Manawatu that does charters and air ambulance. Air Wanganui run the Wanganui Aero Club and charters/air ambulance, and as already mentioned Mainland do training and charter as well as New Plymouth Aero Club and Air Gisborne.

think of it like a very long job interview. Spend time with the organisation, complete your training, and as long as you don't make a muppet of yourself there might be a job opportunity at the end of it. Having said that there is no sure fire way of doing and least of all there's no guarantees, no matter what the marketing speil is.

I trained at Ardmore airfield, took me 11 years part time to get my first fulltime job with 500hrs, 9 years later I'm about to tick over 6000....

Good luck with the research

S2K

[YELOSUB]

Nelson Aviation College is the fastest and cheapest.

[27/09]

I'd recommend looking at places that run commercial ops on the side

I'd second that. Their instructors have some ATO experience and there are generally opportunities for students who show promise to get some work.

The places that S2000 mentioned are all good places. There is also the Waikato aero club, they are closer to Auckland than some of the other places and have a bunch of experienced insructors there and I think they are part of the NMIT group of providers too. I would also recommend New Plymouth aero club and Flight Training Manawatu .

[XRNZAF]

I agree with S2K about the Air Hawkes Bay course. I don't know anyone who's done it, but it definitely looks good on paper.

Would get my vote for a student loan funded course...:}

XRNZAF

[kris15]

im a couple of years off of starting to study for my ppls and everything else you need to become a comcerical pilot. Air Force is another option unless your've already ruled that out because you have to stay with them for about ten years. did anyone do there training at massy do you think the standard of training at massy was different compared to flying schools?

[waren9]

If you want to join the airforce mate, I'd start listening to the English teacher.

Quality of training is important, but in NZ so are contacts. All very well getting a licence but if you've come out the arse of a sausage factory (like Massey) who cares?

Get in with an operator that also does commercial work. Your training is your job interview, if you see what I mean.

[XRNZAF]

"If you want to join the airforce mate, I'd start listening to the English teacher."

Well said!

Also, I'm not sure where this attitude of "I might let the Air Force train me for free while keeping me fed, watered and housed" came from.... I've seen/heard it from a number of school leavers lately. :ugh:

Have a crack at selection with that attitude and see how far you get. The Air Force chooses you, not the other way around!

(P.S before anyone thinks that, given my stage name, this post is designed to give my ego a stroke. I was NOT a pilot in the RNZAF)

[kris15]

cheers mate and thanks for the infomation. Its helped probely start looking around soon.