Good Flying School in California or South Africa

[ElwoodPDowd]

Hi All

any one know of a good flying school/club in california or South Africa. Uk Weather is lousy...and i am trying to finish my PPL... i have 40 Hrs but its taking ages due to weather.....

Itching pilot awaiting..........

Cheers!
:confused:

[Iain]

Anglo American Aviation did not pay their bill for Pprune advertisement space, which really does not put them in good light on this forum! I must admit I chuckled over this comment!

you will find no hidden charges which other schools have, and no payment up front, as long as you stay in credit they are happy

[Sensible]

Obviously they don't want done to them as they do unto others!

[Sensible]

http://www.pprune.org/cgibin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=010623

[XENON]

Hi GPS approach,
I was at the school when you were. Can you please e mail me at [email protected]

[Sensible]

Well GPS A, A student of AAA are you? I guess that may explain the quality of your flying as indicated in the text of your signature! :D

Tell me, how do you defend an business that doesn't pay it's bills? By attacking those that draw attention to that fact? We are drawing attention to only one instance which may well prove to be the tip of an iceberg!

Tell the fools to pay up!!

[LAVDUMPER]

Have you considered Pan Am Academy in Phoenix, Arizona?

The weather in Phoenix is better than ANYWHERE else in the world - the sun shines 330 days per year and you can easily fly sorties to California or Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon or Mexico. Sure, it is a little toasty during the summer, but 9 months out of the year are perfect!!!!! I know that pilots from many countries attend the Pan Am Academy. The training aircraft are mostly new Piper Archers and Seminoles (all with sophisticated Garmin GPS). It must have a website you can check out. The perfect weather alone is worth it - at least you'll get a great tan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

[BMM389EC]

If your looking for a good school in South Africa, try 43 Air School at Port Alfred. Definately the best school in SA. Very organised and will probably be able to tailor a course for you if you have done some flying already.E-mail me if you want more details.

[Chris2]

43 Air School in Port Alfred, South Africa, is definitely the best place to go !
Excellent facilities and a beautiful part of the world to fly in.
Spot the whales when you go on a cross-country to PE or East London !!
Cheers

[Eddy must fly]

I would tend to agree with Chis2 and BMM389EC but there is also Airline Pilot Training centre based at Port Elizabeth airport and owned by an SAA pilot. 43 tends to be a bit more pricey than most of the schools in SA but well worth it.

Regards

Ed

[Flying_Steph]

There are three things I'd like to say...

1/ I wouldn't go so far away from Europe just to finish a PPL. The dollar is still expensive for us, Europeans, and it might be much more expensive than if you stay here. Enjoy the last non-winter weeks or leave the country to do your PPL + IFR, CPL or whatever ! :)

2/ I wouldn't go to California at this time of year. Last time I went there (sept/oct), the Wx was IFR every two days, and for a PPL pilot flying exclusively VFR, this is not good at all. Why don't you go to Arizona or Texas ? Blue skies all year round, and I think the humidity dropped to fair levels recently. Okay, there's still 42°C every day but anybody can handle that

3/ What kind of licence would you get in South Africa ? JAA ? FAA ? If none of these, don't waste your time down there. Flying might be great in Africa, but it would be better if you could somehow use your license when you get back home.

[SKYYACHT]

I have used Rainbow Flight Academy in Long Beach - they have a good fleet of well maintained aeroplanes, and a good bunch of instructors.

Tailwinds,

[rolling circle]

It appears from the original post (remember that, guys?) that IR is wanting to finish a JAA PPL for which he has already flown 40 hours in the UK.

If this is the case, IR, then you need to ensure that whichever school you choose is registered with the UK CAA for JAR PPL training otherwise the instruction will not count towards the licence. You can, of course, start all over again for a FAA or SA licence.

The school must be a Registered Facility with the UK CAA as you are not permitted, under JAR, to train for any licence at schools registered with or approved by more than one member state. The rules do not permit you to commence training in a UK RF or FTO and finish, for example, in in a French RF or FTO.

For a full list of UK Registered Facilities, check at http://www.srg.caa.co.uk/documents/SRG_FCL_RegisteredFacilities.pdf

[Speedbird59]

IR

I am currently doing a PPL with the Cape Aero Club based at CT International Airport.

I have a good instructor but they don't have many a/c which frustrates me a bit. I am enjoying training at CT International - you fly in controlled airspace from your very first flight which obviously improves confidence levels. It's also quite interesting and good fun taxiing a C152 behind a 747

Down side is that you do spend a few extra minutes sat on the ground which is inevitable.

Interestingly enough if you already have 40 hours of a JAR-PPL I think you would have to finish at a school in a JAR country following that syllabus.

Obviously if you are going the JAR modular (to ATPL)route then coming to SA, doing a short conversion and then building the hours will save both time and money as well as providing you with some interesting flying experience, particularly at hot and high altitudes should you go up country.

Speedbird 59

[Sensible]

GPS A.
How was I supposed to know that your signature was meant to be humourous, when you haven't thus far demonstrated that you have a sense of humour? :D Maybe I don't aspire above the rank of PPL as you put it. If you find that the position which you seem to find so frustrating - an ATPL with no flying job, then maybe you should look at an alternative career and just fly for fun!! It takes qualities other than the ability to obtain an ATPL to secure a flying job as you may have already gathered or soon will do!

You have alredy become embroiled into an argument with me, for no reason other than to try to defend a defaulter who has no defence, however, you can be assured that I have made allowances for the fact that you are probably going through puberty just at this time :D

To make this thread interesting, how about if I offer to contribute £250 to the PPRuNe fund for every US FTO which I have commented upon and cannot prove that I have been to and you contribute £250 for every one that you believe I have never been to but which I can prove that I have been to - that's apart from Anglo American which I would not go to even if the flying was free! - Done deal?? Now why do I suspect that you would be as good at paying up as AAA? :D :D :D

[Sensible]

GPS A, I reiterate my offer to pay the PPRuNe fund £250.00 for each and every FTO which I have commented upon and not been to and likewise you do the same for every incorrect allegation. I stand by my comments to you, age has nothing to do with maturity as those around you will confirm to you! Now quite simply young man, put up your money or retract your allegations or in simple terms, put you money where your mouth is!

To maintain any sort of credibility, you must substantiate the allegations which you have made. And I am calling upon you to substantiate them :D :D :D C'mon, the PPRuNe fund could do with the money!

[ 29 August 2001: Message edited by: Sensible ]

[Sensible]

GPS, You clearly do not have the courage of your convictions and certainly not the courage to substantiate or withdraw your comments. I call upon you to substantiate them, withdraw them or pay up, which do you chose? You have clearly learned more than flying at AAA since both you and AAA seem to want to hold on tight to the contents of your wallets! I would suggest that what you have donated to the PPRuNe fund (if anything) is a mere drop compared with what I am calling upon you to contribute!

It is your choice to make a public argument with your insulting post and I am now calling on you to make a public apology and if you want this subject to "be put to bed" that is what I require!

I have made it very clear that I have not been to AAA and I have not been slow in stating that I only do business with people of integrity and honesty and in my opinion they are far from that!

Now, regards the several other FTO's in Florida, would you like to bank on any or all of them? Tell you what, just to make the odds better for you, I will let you bundle all of the flight schools which I have claimed to have first hand knowledge on together, are you then prepared to put up your £ 250 now?

And flattery will get you nowhere young man, it has been some 25 years since anyone called me "young man" :D :D :D So it's an apology I want from you or your money to the PPRuNe fund which is it?

You can claim all you like to be "helping other trainee pilots, I don't have an agenda for or against anyone" - That remark I suggest is untrue - you decided to insult me and I do not accept your half hearted retraction. A full and unconditional apology will suffice though :D :D

[Sensible]

Quite simply GPS you should not look to the moderators for salvation :D :D It's simple:

You are being called upon to substantiate your allegations, make an unreserved apology or pay up! Now which alternative do you chose?

Or do you lack the integrity and courage to do either of these!

[ElwoodPDowd]

Many thanks Everyone....
Digested the info and comments....
South Africa Here i Come.............

Price was good Wx OK and sites to see en-route

Thanks Again :) :) :) :) :) :)

[big bus driver]

Out of interest, which school in SA did you choose, I'm looking to go back xmas time, but want to find a school that will give me a night rating, then let me hire an a/c for a week or two to go up country.

Been quoted 1300 quid for a flight to Capetown - 3 times as much as usual - so may end up going elsewhere (Wales!)

BBD

[Skybiter]

BB Driver

You can also try Blue Chip Aviation at Wonderboom airport near Pretoria. Game farms a stone's throw away, crocodile farms in the General Flying Area (Good incentive for proper engine management) and they have no problem with aircraft availability. Good rates too. Email me on [email protected] for more info.