Contract for US Flight Schools?

[TraineePilot01]

Hi There,

I've just passed my PPL (WOO HOO!) and am now looking to go over to the states to do some hour building, but I am having trouble finding out about contracts with flying schools. Can anyone help? There does not seem to be any contracts associated with flying schools over there, and if something goes wrong, I need something to fall back on.

Thanks for ur time,

PP01 :confused:

[Sensible]

Can you be a bit more specific please. Flight schools in the US all tend to have their own renters contract, generally, you are responsible for the fist say $xxx dollars worth of damage to the airplane if it's your fault and the total maximum liability is set fairly low so if you write off a 757 then you are going to have to dig deep into your own pockets! You need to cover your own medical expenses and the general holiday travel insurance don't cover flying accidents! either bent airplanes or broken people.

Is that the sort of info you want?

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

PrivatePilot01,

Different schools have different coverage. With my insurance the renter is responsible for the deductible. The insurance covers the rest. $100,000.00 per seat in the aircraft, damage to people or property on the ground, and includes initial hospitalization (which is very important in the U.S.).

There are other schools that only carry liability insurance and others that do not carry any insurance at all.

I believe Marcus Hearn, a Lloyds underwriter based in London, issues policies for Private Flying by charging 1.5 times normal travel insurance. This would cover your deductible.

Good Luck,

Capt. Richard J. Gentil, Pres.
Naples Air Center, Inc.

[TraineePilot01]

Thanks guys, but it is not what I wanted.

I need to know, say if something were to go wrong at the flight school, that I would always have a contract to back me up and examine if I were to disagree with something they had done. What does the flight school have that would outline their terms and conditions for training that I could agree or not agree to? I'm not forking out 4000 quid if it all goes belly up and I'm left with nothing at the end of it....Do you see my point? :D

[DownIn3Green]

Most Flight schools in the US will offer a discount of around 10% off of the hourly rate if you pay up front for 10 hrs minimum.

There are other outfits that will sell block time for the whole amount up front. I seem to remember somewhere on Fla's east coast offering 100 hours of "multi" for $4,995. This equates to $49.95 per hour which in my estimation is not realistic.

Things you need to consider as well are the cost of flight tickets to/from, accomodations, ground transport, wx, etc.

If you have a set amount of time, for instance 1 month, or 2 months, to get your hours in, you might want to make sure the school has more than 1 or 2 a/c of the type you want to fly. What is the current student load? Will whatever a/c they have available be available to you on a reasonable schedule.

Finally, what are their "checkout" requirements. If you are a current (although newly minted) PPL, and your time is on 152's/172's and that is what you want to fly here in the states, the school shouldn't soak you for more than a couple hours checkout. (and that's on the high side, based on airspace orientation.)

From my viewpoint Naples is a great place to build hours, and the Naples Air Center seems very straight forward with their foriegn students. The guy above has been around our airport since 1978 and has a good reputation.

No matter where you go, good luck, and the savings gained by putting the whole amount up front isn't worth the risk. Go the 10 or 15 hour "block" route and you'll be fine.

[slim_slag]

PrivatePilot01

You will be required to sign a contract when you rent a plane. It's like a contract you sign when you rent a car - you might not like the small print but if you don't sign on the bottom you don't get the car. Basically you are saying if you bust it or lose it you pay for it.

For insurance, check out their policy. Some states require it, some don't. You can get renters insurance over the phone from places like avemco, but not sure if you live in the UK. A policy with reasonable coverage (for a plane that already has coverage by the school) will cost around $200 per year. Your definition of reasonable may differ from mine, I just want enough coverage to keep the lawyers happy and to cover the excess. You can never get enough coverage to cover yourself totally.

For cash up front. You should never pay more than $1000 up front if you want the best discounts. A lot of places are more reasonable than that. I would NEVER pay four grand up front. It's not usual and customary policy. Do as the Yanks do, most of them pay hour by hour. If you get block rate (deposit) you will get the 10% off suggested by DownIn3Green. I'd come over and give as little as possible as infrequently as possible yet still get the discounted rate, drip feed them. They don't mind, beware those who want the whole fee up front - he who has the money in the bank has the power.

Congrats on the PPL. You now learn how to fly properly :eek: and the US is a great place to fly.

[ 24 November 2001: Message edited by: slim_slag because I'm still drunk fron Thanksgiving!!]

[ 24 November 2001: Message edited by: slim_slag ]

[Sensible]

I gather that you are concerned with paying up front and then getting nothing cos the school goes belly up. Well, the best solution is to pay up front as little as poss and pay with a credit card. Lots of schools offer discounts with payment up front but don't accept credit cards. My advice is that if you can't afford the loss, try somewhere else! The risk of saving a few quid has cost many people loads!!

[nickos37]

PrivatePilot 01

I'm looking to build time in the states too for the CAA ATPL,I also have a FAA Commercial and a CFI.If you're interested of sharing some flight time you can contact me,my email is: [email protected]