good flying school in the US?

[charliezuluvictor]

Hi,
A friend of mine wishes to do his flying from the US and has asked me to advice a good flying school for him..I, having done my own flying from Australia, cannot help him here since he doesn't want to go there as he wishes to complete his flying asap.
He had started his flying in Amritsar but was't happy with the standard so wants to go abroad and not waste any more time..

I have looked at a few schools like AAA, flight safety academy and Sabena..most of them want money in advance and with my experience, i would not advice that..Also, no one could tell better than someone who has already been there..
It does not necessarily have to be a big and famous school since these are the schools that have more students than aircraft..A decent flying school where he can pay as he flies will do ..he already has a 10 yr US tourist visa..

Any help will be greatly appreciated..,
cheers

[nikhilheb]

well i cant comment on a lot of flight schools in the US, except the one where i went for training myself, Bel-Air International. Good school, 4 172s, 4 cherokees, couple of duchesses, a complex piper and a recent addition, a C-182 glass cockpit. Very friendly staff, planes work most of the times, good mechanics when the planes need service, will arrange accomodation and stuff, quite a few Indian students too if it helps.

The flight school is located in San Carlos Municipal Airport (KSQL), part of the SFO bay area. Gorgeous weather for 10-11 months a year. Extremely heavy traffic most of the time and a class bravo airspace right above you makes sure you're alert whenever you have the controls.

The cost might be a little on the expensive side, but all in all it was a wonderful experience!

[edie]

I would seriously look at this place: K-STATE AT SALINA - Aviation (http://www.salina.k-state.edu/aviation/)

[devyani_rao]

Ahart Aviation Livermore
Ahart Aviation Services (http://www.ahart.com)

[nikhilheb]

Livermore?

Had my first solo there:)

[charliezuluvictor]

Thanks guys...I really appreciate your help and so does my friend...

edie and devyani, i would appreciate it even more, if you could give me some more info about the schools for example, your personal experience with the school....

There could also be a probability that a school was really good during your training tme but has now become greedy and has taken in a very huge crowd of indian students( happened to my school)..

Nikhilheb, looks like you have changed your school in the past...any reason?...

[nikhilheb]

What makes it look like I changed my school? :confused:

[typhoonpilot]

Tell your friend to join the forum:

jetcareers.com (http://www.jetcareers.com)


It is a forum for beginning pilots and has lots of information on flight schools in the USA along with personal accounts from students at those schools.



Typhoonpilot

[charliezuluvictor]

My mistake..sorry...i thought Livermore was a school where u had your first solo and were recommending it...

[edie]

Bill Gross is Chief Pilot for K-State Salina K-State News Insider Blog Archive K-State at Salina aviation professor renews Master Certified Flight Instructor accreditation (http://kstatenews.org/?p=3253). I did not attend the flight program there, but he was the examiner for several of my ratings. He is an excellent instructor/examiner. The nice thing about K-State is that it gives you an opportunity to get a 4 year degree and it is not a "puppy mill" style school. They have nice equipment that is well maintained and operate out of an airport, Salina, Kansas, that is not very busy. Salina is also a very cheap place to live. You will have to pay out of state tuition for college classes, but I believe the labs cost the same for both in state and out of state (country). Also, Wichita, which is located close by is the Air Capital of the World with Cessna, Beechcraft and Learjet located there Wichita, Kansas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita,_Kansas) Salina is one hour drive north of Wichita. I don't think very many foreign students attend K-State Salina, which I personally would view as an advantage. Enjoy a college experience in the US and make connections for life. Contact them and see what they have to offer and compare that to your needs. Good luck!

[nikhilheb]

Livermore's (KLVK) a beautiful airport near my airport (KSQL).

[charliezuluvictor]

Thanks typhoonpilot.....appreciate your help....!!

[VictorTango]

I have trained at Flight Safety Academy at Vero Beach , Fl and find them to be the best , after Embry Riddle.:)

[Sankrit.Iyer]

I think it would be best to pick a flying school in either Florida or California, mainly because of the weather. You can expect close to 300 flying days a year in these two states. I am telling you this having completed my flying in Florida.

Also, as mentioned earlier, it doesn't necessarily mean that the big schools are the best ones. You could obtain your license much quicker at a smaller school. Before you make your decision, ensure that you get FIRST HAND feedbacks from someone who has finished flying in that school recently. Their reputation changes from year to year, depending on the influx of students, availability of instructors and state of the aircrafts. As mentioned above, Embry Riddle and Flight Safety are two of the best flying schools in the world without a doubt. Be prepared for rigorous training in these schools though, as they expect nothing less than 100% from the students. Hence, completion of flying might take a longer time, but the quality of the airman produced is simply sensational.

From your post, I do understand time is of the essence. Try and pick a school with low students/aircraft ratio and also pick a place with fare weather. The rest should go smoothly. Cheers.

Happy Landings