Searching for school in US

[DFR]

Hi everybody! I really need your help! I decided to go to the US for FAA PPL. So I started searching for a school providing accelerated courses because I only have 4-5 weeks to get my PPL. For this reason I also decided to get the FAA knowledge test in Europe in order not to waste my time on the ground in the US. I am lost because every time I ask arround about a school the only answers I get is...go to Florida....go to California...Well, ok but.....there are so many schools out there! I really need to have information from people who have attended that kind of training in the US, the names of those schools. Do you suggest your school to somebody else or did you have a bad experience? What is your opinion about ATP in Florida? Thank you so much for helping me...

[Katamarino]

DFR; I can recommend two schools, both of which I have a lot of experience with.

The first is in Florida; Cirrus Aviation at Sarasota. They have a Cessna fleet; 152s and 172s; also a Warrior and an Arrow. The instructors are superb, they really know their stuff, and put in a lot of effort. The owners (husband and wife) both work there full time, and are intimately involved in the running; I had a couple of problems with aircraft going tech, and both times they foxed it with free upgrades to the G1000, or free flights, they are very customer focused! I did my CPL and IR with them.

Cirrus Aviation (http://www.cirrusaviation.com/)

The second is in Camarillo, California; about an hour north of LA. They are called Channel Islands Aviation. I had a couple of days with them to get my complex and high performance endorsements, and then planned to take their 172RG away for 2 weeks; but it went tech! So, they instantly offered me a brand new C182 instead, at basically the same price; once again, incredible service. The instructors, again, were great, they have a big fleet which is very well maintained (we were just unlucky!), and it's family owned; again, the owners are intimately involved and always there to help sort things out if you need them. Their fleet is all Cessna.

Channel Islands Aviation - Flight Training, Aircraft Sales, Flights to the Channel Islands, FBO Channel Islands Aviation - Flight Training, Aircraft Sales, Flights to the Channel Islands, FBO (http://www.flycia.com)

Let me know if you want any more info :)

[DFR]

Katamarino, thank you very much for this fast reply.:D
I really like the fact that those people feel involved and try to do the best they can to find solutions if something goes wrong! I heard that in some schools, students couldn't fly because a/c going tech or not enough a/c or even not enough instructors comparing to the number of students. Did you have any surprises with hidden fees? Thanks again! Dfr

[Katamarino]

There were no surprises with hideen fees; everything was on the level, as long as you make sure you take an interest. Often I think that people claiming "hidden fees" just haven't actually read the paperwork.

Anyway, there was nothing unusual; they both had small "fuel surcharges" but the rates were displayed right at the front desk. They both had online scheduling and billing systems, too, so that was all totally transparent.

[Duchess_Driver]

California Flight Academy (http://www.flycfa.com)

Used to be able to issue visa paperwork - been a while since I was there, but they used to have a decent reputation.

HTH

DD

[Katamarino]

SoCal; they are approved, or at least will be very shortly, if not already. As far as aircraft are concerned - you get what you pay for. I was given a very good rate!

[DFR]

SoCal, yes I do live in France, I am an eu citizen but not French and you are right about the regulations.
In fact, I have started my JAA PPL here in France, I've got my JAA PPL kowlegde exam but here in Europe things move really slowly. I tried to accelerate the process in the club where I fly but instructors do not want to do that kind of training. Also, the wether is getting worst now and we will not be able to fly a lot. So, I decided to have a FAA training to the US. Once I have the FAA PPL (I only have 4-5 weeks) and come back in Europe I will get the JAA exam. Anyway, I sent this "message in the bottle" because, as I said, I wish to have information from people who have experienced schools in the US and of course those flying schools should be able to offer the part 141 PPL and be able to issue visa papers.
DFR

[DFR]

Hi Socal,
Thanks for this information about Part 141 and SEVIS, I did not understand that those were two different things!
Now, about by JAA PPL I don't give up. I spent a lot of time working on it and I'm sure that as long as I live in Europe it is better to have the JAA PPL.
I succeded ALL the knowledge tests, and I have about 50 hours flight training. We are working on the naviagation part now and I've done one nav in solo.

I want to go the US because:

1)I am kind of fed up waiting ( I don't even know what I am waiting for....). Instructors here seem to believe that you have to work on your PPL for about at list one year and a half-two years.
2) I want to have a different experience.
3) I need to feel that people around me have the same motivation and I hope that in an accelerated program I will find that.

I want to have a FAA training in the US because:

1)If it is possible to have a FAA certificate in 4 -5 weeks then why not?
2)Once I come back, I will continue the JAA PPL.
Until then I need to see things moving!!!!

What about a flying school over there? do you have a good one in mind?
DFR

[172driver]

As I already pointed out, a FAA cert will be no use to you as a EU resident living in France as you could not fly a F reg with it.

Quite. However, it IS A LOT EASIER to get validated if you want to fly somewhere outside JAR (EASA, whatever) or FAA land.

DFR indicates he wants to do both licenses. I say, good on ya, buddy, go for it! No matter what EASA and others do, it keeps your options open and you'll have broadened your horizon. Always a good idea. :ok:

[BackPacker]

I agree with SoCal (for a change). You've invested a lot of time and money in getting where you are. To go to the US now will set you back, for a start, about a 1000 euros for the flight, VISA and TSA clearance. And then you haven't flown a single minute yet.

Why not search for a decent flight school in France? You need maybe 5-10 hours total to finish off your training and do the exam. If you spend a few hours phoning around (instead of sitting on the plane to the US, or sitting in the US embassy lounge waiting for your "interview", or doing any of the other time-consuming things that you need to do to go the US for flight training) I'm pretty sure you should be able to find a school in France that has full-time instructors, good availability of airplanes, a location with a good chance of good weather, and which is willing to give you an intensive training. 15 hours should be doable in one week, and should be plenty to get you ready for the exam.

And if you really want that FAA certificate (as a trophy or to actually fly an N-reg with), you can always get a 61.75 "piggyback" one.

My French isn't all that good, but a Google search of "cours intensif pilote prive" gave me quite a few interesting hits, including these ones:
Cannes-Aviation - Pilote privé (PPL-SEP) (http://www.cannes-aviation.com/FRA/PPrive/PPL.html)
Devenir pilote – Formation aéronautique AéroPyrénées – Aéroport de Perpignan (http://www.aeropyrenees.com/navigation/pilote-prive/devenir-pilote)
Apprendre à piloter (http://aeroclub70.free.fr/Formation/Formation.htm)

[IO540]

The smart thing, if going to the USA anyway, is to do both JAA and FAA standalone licenses at the same time.

Most of the training is shared so it is extremely efficient.

There are however very few schools there which can do a JAA PPL. Of those, I wonder if any will accept JAA written exams sat in France?

[mary meagher]

Backpacker, would it make sense for him to train in the Netherlands? As English is spoken there, is it more expensive than the UK - which is NOT cheap! Thinking of killing 2 birds with one stone, the JAA and practice the lingo......also, getting there would be easier for him.

[BackPacker]

The thing is, he's done the French ground exams. These are not accepted anywhere other than in France, unless there's some kind of exception that I don't know about. Doing a PPL (whether JAA or not) outside of France will mean that he's got to do all the ground exams all over again.

Of course, aerodynamics is pretty much the same in every country, but when it comes to air law there might be a lot of differences, even from one JAA country to another. So re-sitting and passing some of the exams might not be trivial.

For the US, add to this the VISA and TSA hassle, plus the cost of the flight. And, of course, limited choice:


There are however very few schools there which can do a JAA PPL.

There are far more JAA schools in France than in Florida...:ok:

Going to the US is a good deal, cost-wise, if you are going to do the full PPL (45 hours plus the rest). But if you're only going there to finish off a PPL, when you've invested 50 hours already, is going to be very expensive.

Weather-wise I doubt whether the South of France is much different from Florida, apart from the occasional hurricane. My guess is that it's perfectly doable to do a full PPL (45 hours and everything) in three-four weeks in the south of France, any season. The reason most participants on this (English) forum don't go to France, Spain or Portugal to do their JAA PPL but to Florida is not because of the weather, but because of the language. (That single flight school in Spain - Jerez - excepted. I'm surprised they are not mentioned all that often on here, but they're probably a great alternative if you want to do an intensive PPL in English. OTOH, it seems from their website as if they're not interested in offering intensive PPL courses.)

[172driver]

Weather-wise I doubt whether the South of France is much different from Florida, apart from the occasional hurricane.

2010/10/18 21:30
LFMV 182130Z AUTO 36017G32KT 330V030 9999NDV // NSC 09/02 Q1015

Mistral, anyone ?:E

Aside from that, ever thought that someone might actually ENJOY to go somewhere else and do another license? It's not all skint cheapos on here, y'know....

[mcgoo]

All moot points surely as the OP has stated that he has already decided that he wants to go to the US for an FAA private and has stated his reasons, he asked for opinions of US flight schools??

[DFR]

I really appreciate the fact that you are trying to find other alternatives but I think that we are missing the point which is to find a school in the US.

I do realize that some of you do not understand my decision but I believe that it's a good one.
I can have 5 week vacation and instead of doing.... nothing I prefer doing what I like the most...flying. Go to the South of France in december or january makes no sense.

This may be unusual ( I mean the fact that I have already started my PPL in France) but I need fresh ...air and I think that having a different experience will not be a waste.

SoCal, in France, for the kowledge test, we have 5 exams and students (if they want) can pass them all in the same day.That is what I did. My first and last date I completed my JAA theory test was the 21 of july 2010. There are not any special facts to know. I have already explained my motivations. But once again, this is not the point. I need a good school to have my training. You said something about California...Did you experienced any of them?

Thanks a lot all of you. DFR

[mcgoo]

DFR, IO540's suggestion is a good one, one of the schools in Florida will be able to get you finished with the JAA and the FAA in one go, you will probably have to sit the written exams again but thats no big deal, places like EFT, EASA etc. Having five weeks should be plenty of time to complete both from scratch so you should have no problems completing both with the hours you already have.

[mcgoo]

I don't know, I went this year and from first contact with the school on February 1st, I had my passport back complete with visa on February 12th, London are still quoting the same time, Paris even quicker.

However I didn't need TSA.

[DFR]

Mcgoo, yes, IO540's idea is a GREATE idea. I did not think at this option at all. I will try to find out if it is possible to do that!

SoCal, I did talk to the chief instructor about all this. I told him that I wanted to accelerate my training ( I also talked to my Instructor who said that he did not feel confortable with that kind of training). The C.I. told me that it could have been a nice challenge for him but he did not have time and I believe him because he is always running...So, I told him about the possibility of going to the US. He said that it wasn't a bad idea. He said that Americans have a lot of experience in that kind of training.

About the FAA knowledge exam, I agree with you. It is better to have it done before I leave.

Concerning the schools, I know that it is difficult to propose a name of a school...but I am affraid to go to the US and then find out that every instructor has got 10 students on the same day or not enough a/c and that kind of stuff.

[DFR]

mcgoo, What about you, what kind of training did you get in the US? Well, if you want to share this with us. Thanks dfr

[BackPacker]

About the FAA knowledge exam, I agree with you. It is better to have it done before I leave.

I agree that you should get as much as possible out of the way before traveling to the US. Doing an intensive course is, well, intensive, even more so if you do a JAA/FAA combo. Anything you can get done beforehand reduces the pressure when you're there.

Having said that, you also need to consider the practicality of the whole thing, and the finances. You're in France. The nearest places that you can sit the CAA PPL exams are all over in the UK. If you show up at a random flight school there you can probably sit all exams in one go but it's going to cost you a trip to the UK, plus something like 90 euros per exam. While at the same time your first try at each exam is included in the package deal that you have with the JAA school in Florida or California. And you can do these inbetween your flight lessons or when there's a day of downtime due to the weather.

Doing your FAA PPL written exam (AFAIK it's a single exam) will be even harder here in Europe, and even more expensive. I believe the only realistic place that you can do this is in Farnborough, and it'll set you back well over 200 euros. But I stand to be corrected on this.

So yes, by all means study all the theory beforehand. Use the Trevor Thom or Jeremy Pratt series for the CAA exams, and use something that's FAA specific for the FAA exams. The differences will most likely be in things like airspace design, ATC services, air law and (to a lesser extent) operational procedures/RT. Use the confuser, air quiz or whatever to practice until you score 90%+ consistently on a subject.

You should then be able to pass both the CAA and FAA exams with flying colors in the first week of your arrival in the US. And will be wondering what all the fuss was about.

Furthermore, as SoCal said, make your decision soon. If you're lucky the whole TSA/VISA thing can be done in about three weeks, but I would count on it taking maybe six weeks. So you don't have much time left.

[Katamarino]

I am a British pilot, living in Holland; and, pretty much exactly half of my flying hours have been in the USA. It's a wonderful place for aviation, and my FAA license is invaluable, so getting one will not be a bad thing at all!

The knowledge test will be a piece of cake for you if you have already passed the JAA exams; just get a book like Rod Machado's PPL handbook, and the Gleim questions book. If you can consistently get high scores on those, you'll be able to walk through with no trouble once you get to the USA.

Valid points are raised about using the license in Europe; try looking into the license conversion route and finding out what would be required to convert your FAA into a JAA on your return; then, you'll have both!

After you've flown in the USA, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner ;)

[XLC]

If I was you (DFR) it might be more interesting to first do the JAA in the US. There are a few threads on this site about doing the JAA training in the Florida; when I was at EFT there were a few French fellows like you as well. Some students came in for a JAA/FAA combo, but if you do it all in one go it is intensive and I doubt you can do it in 5 weeks unless the weather is exceptionally good, the school not too busy and you are well prepared.

I also did notice that those who passed the JAA with flying colours were not that good at the FAA exam; the main reason I think behind this is the intensity of the previous weeks and the induced self-confidence after passing the JAA.

In my opinion getting the FAA as a standalone at a later stage is actually a good kind of refresher exercise, but of course there are extra expenses. The FAA exams are different, at least in the formulation.

On another note, what is the benefit to have a FAA PPL as a standalone? You can also apply for one based on your JAA PPL i.e. ; and should this document lapse for any reason other than a purely administrative one then I really wonder why the licences issued by other states should not be considered void as well.

[Enji]

Hi there,

Didn't want to start a new thread and I see some posts have gone a bit wayward from the OP's question so I thought I'd move back onto it slightly.

Can anyone tell me the average price of gaining a PPL in USA compared to the UK? Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks

[IO540]

It depends on how crappy a hotel you live in, etc, but you can reckon on it costing about 1/3 less.

It will however be a different type of project. In the UK, most people don't pitch up a tent next to the airport and live there, flying twice a day. But that's what you will do in the USA (hopefully not living in a tent although the motel I stayed in was not a lot better :) ).

If you really did live next to the airport over here, the whole thing would cost quite a bit less. But you still have to get lucky with the weather, for a few sustained months, which is very hard to achieve, but should be easy in S. California.