Florida flight schools!
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Originally Posted by Sainty43
Another thing they said is that doing your cross country Navigation is completely different to the Uk as the terrain is nothing like the UK?? At 4000ft the terrain anywhere is usually browns, greens and blues!
One chap who went out there 4 years ago gained his ppl there, came back and wont go up without an instructor because he says the it is completely different!! Theres nothing wrong with doing a few hours with an instructor when you get back, it still works out a lot cheaper!
One more thing (PROMISE!!) If I do my ppl in florida what is the pass rate like?? I dont want to spend all that money and then fail!!
Theres no promises, it's down to you whether you pass or not but surely that will be the same in the US or the UK!
Sainty
One chap who went out there 4 years ago gained his ppl there, came back and wont go up without an instructor because he says the it is completely different!! Theres nothing wrong with doing a few hours with an instructor when you get back, it still works out a lot cheaper!
One more thing (PROMISE!!) If I do my ppl in florida what is the pass rate like?? I dont want to spend all that money and then fail!!
Theres no promises, it's down to you whether you pass or not but surely that will be the same in the US or the UK!
Sainty
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To anyone reading this post, please be aware that flight training organisations are known to pose as current/ former students of their schools and post enticing comments.
Ive no idea whether or not that is going on here, however a couple of the posts recommending OBA are written in very similar styles.
Reading this thread should be enuff to put anyone off going to OBA!
Ive no idea whether or not that is going on here, however a couple of the posts recommending OBA are written in very similar styles.
Reading this thread should be enuff to put anyone off going to OBA!
Aint me either matey! scroggs can check my ISP provider too if he so cares. Tell you what, I'll save him the bother.........'Blueyonder' provided by Telewest (cable)! I live in Newcastle and did my PPL at OBA in 95'.
If you still have doubts why not PM me and I'll tell you what I'm watching on TV now and you can indeed confirm I'm in blighty.
Sainty43 asks for some advice, and as soon as OBA is mentioned, and a few postitive responses appear you can bet your bottom dollar the malcontents come out to play - I wouldn't mind if there was constructive crticism
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PPL
Hello Again Sainty
I would recommend FL to anyone, maybe I can add some more to the information you have already. A lot of the runways are long, however there are a lot of short ones too.
It has been suggested finishing off with an FAA PPL, that actually sounds like a good idea, you should not have to do more than 5 hours conversion back home if your fresh out of test anyway and they throw the 5 hours night in on there PPL.
The radio work is more practical as opposed to procedural, a lot like there flying technique, there is good and bad in both systems. The point you made about navigation I understand as I know an Aussie who took his CPL skills test same time as me and could not get used to our towns / cities being so close together, in FL you can see typically for 10 - 20 Km with towns well seperated so after a while unless you become strict with yourself and stopwatch you pick a landmark and point the plane. It is still possible for it to go horribly wrong though!!!
I have flown with a few instructors in the US and have to say they are as professional as you will find anywhere with there practical skill level generally higher as they tend to fly more often.
The point I made before is that i would think it would be beneficial to finish where you started, FL would be a great place to finish though just be aware of total costs and the time you need to take from work. Great airports and places to visist too.
The weather can be as severe and far worse than here, the key would be to fly in the morning if possible, not the midday onwards until later, the temp can be unbearable + you get the severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. Im sure like most who have been you reguarly taxi around with the door open using the prop as aircon.
Have fun flying whatever you do
I would recommend FL to anyone, maybe I can add some more to the information you have already. A lot of the runways are long, however there are a lot of short ones too.
It has been suggested finishing off with an FAA PPL, that actually sounds like a good idea, you should not have to do more than 5 hours conversion back home if your fresh out of test anyway and they throw the 5 hours night in on there PPL.
The radio work is more practical as opposed to procedural, a lot like there flying technique, there is good and bad in both systems. The point you made about navigation I understand as I know an Aussie who took his CPL skills test same time as me and could not get used to our towns / cities being so close together, in FL you can see typically for 10 - 20 Km with towns well seperated so after a while unless you become strict with yourself and stopwatch you pick a landmark and point the plane. It is still possible for it to go horribly wrong though!!!
I have flown with a few instructors in the US and have to say they are as professional as you will find anywhere with there practical skill level generally higher as they tend to fly more often.
The point I made before is that i would think it would be beneficial to finish where you started, FL would be a great place to finish though just be aware of total costs and the time you need to take from work. Great airports and places to visist too.
The weather can be as severe and far worse than here, the key would be to fly in the morning if possible, not the midday onwards until later, the temp can be unbearable + you get the severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. Im sure like most who have been you reguarly taxi around with the door open using the prop as aircon.
Have fun flying whatever you do
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Im trying to build up a total cost price for me to complete my ppl in Florida!!
I've been quoted £2,256 for completing the course, which includes
* 15 hours dual (C150)
* 13 hours solo (C150)
* Accomodation
* Exams, etc
What else do I need to take in to consideration of cost apart from the flights??
Also does another 28 hrs on top of the 30 i've already got sound right?? That makes 58 hrs in total??
Many thanks
Sainty
I've been quoted £2,256 for completing the course, which includes
* 15 hours dual (C150)
* 13 hours solo (C150)
* Accomodation
* Exams, etc
What else do I need to take in to consideration of cost apart from the flights??
Also does another 28 hrs on top of the 30 i've already got sound right?? That makes 58 hrs in total??
Many thanks
Sainty
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Originally Posted by Paris Dakar
I'll tell you what I'm watching on TV now and you can indeed confirm I'm in blighty.
.
.
Doesn't mean anything mate, all ud have to do is to look on the internet at the british tv schedules, from your sun kisssed apartment in Florida.
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king rooney,
I never thought of that one?
(Edited by PD to remove unwanted and uncalled-for sarcasm)
Sainty43,
Check the OBA thread - there was a discussion about 'costs' relating to taxis, food etc you should get some answers there. The '28 hours' may be an average - you may need less?? You may need more - it's a hard one to call until they can see what you can do.
I never thought of that one?
(Edited by PD to remove unwanted and uncalled-for sarcasm)
Sainty43,
Check the OBA thread - there was a discussion about 'costs' relating to taxis, food etc you should get some answers there. The '28 hours' may be an average - you may need less?? You may need more - it's a hard one to call until they can see what you can do.
Last edited by Paris Dakar; 15th Apr 2006 at 22:50.
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Kingrooney, have you read the OBA thread, you state that reading that thread will put off anyone going to OBA, I don't see how when most of the posts on there are actually positive about OBA.
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Originally Posted by Sainty43
Another thing they said is that doing your cross country Navigation is completely different to the Uk as the terrain is nothing like the UK??
Originally Posted by Sainty43
I understand that to a certain extent they are making it sound like rubbish to keep me in the UK so they can have my money but I just want to make sure that if I finish my PPL over in the US I wont come back and find it completely different!! One chap who went out there 4 years ago gained his ppl there, came back and wont go up without an instructor because he says the it is completely different!!
Go to Florida and enjoy it, but be prepared to work hard in the time you are there - it is not a holiday.
Andy
PS: Hi Paris-Dakar, from another in the "class-of-95" at OBA who is still happily flying in the UK 11 years later!
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Originally Posted by Sainty43
1.) Florida has great weather so will I not get used to that then come back to the UK and find it difficult? Apparantly they wont let you fly with more than a 7mph cross wind!!
The wind limits can be a bit frustrating when trying to build the 4 hours solo circuit time before going cross country, or when trying to get your qualifier done. The winds at your landing airports may be calm but its gusting 13kts down the runway at OMN so you can't go. On the other hand, I've landed a few times with gusts, where the wind picked up while I was away from the airfield, and it was not a pleasant experience. It gets bumpy enough during the day below 2,000 ft as it is without adding blowing crosswinds. It shouldn't really be that much of a problem at the minute, though you may loose a day or two. Those are the days for studying and getting exams out of the way, or if you have the exams done already then you can use that time for checking out the Kennedy space centre or the Gun range.
Originally Posted by Sainty43
2.) Florida airfields have huge tarmacced runways some 2000 metres long! Coming back to the UK I would be flying out of an 800 metre grass strip! Would that be a problem??
Originally Posted by Sainty43
3.) Also someone mentioned radio out there is completely different to the UK. How long will I find it will take to get used to the uk.
As for the navigation, of course the Florida countryside is going to be different. People may point out that the highest elevation in Florida is about 100 ft but they rarely mention that there are 2000ft radio masts everywhere which are a lot more difficult to spot than a whopping great bit of landscape sticking up in front of you. And although its pretty flat and easy to fly around after a short while, if you get lost you may find that most of Florida looks alot like the rest of Florida. It's absolutly covered in trees, swamp and small lakes, and normal nav features like roads and rivers become harder to spot from a distance or cannot be conclusively identified if you do find them. Even small towns marked on the sectional can be hard to spot in the daytime because all the residental areas are covered in trees. Sometimes you will spot a regular block style street layout before you realise that there is actually houses there as well.
With a bit of haze and a lack of awareness while out of sight of the coast it's fairly easy to loose yourself inland. The plan then is to climb and head east untill you hit the coast and follow that. On your flight planning the school will emphasise the importance of good waypoints and leg times. You tend to pick large lakes and any of the multitude of large airfields scattered around as waypoints.
The biggest shock to most fresh PPLs on arriving back is the difference in weather and the change in landscape. Well you are already familiar with both already so this is not really an issue. If it worries you, just do a bit of dual and maybe invest in a handheld GPS unit as a backup to pilotage navigation.
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Sainty, all i can say mate is, be wary of posts written on here, it is very hard to gain an insight into what a school is like thousands of miles across the pond. Going to your local school was a good idea as it allows you to talk to people in person who can tell you their honest experiences rather than read through all the posts on here (some of which may be bias) and try to form an opinion. Basically, if you intend to fly in the U.K you really are better training over there, as you will be building your experience up in an area that you may later wish to train for cpl in, which will make it easier when talking on the radio, plotting routes, etc. However, training in the states is great fun, the weather is great, its cheaper and if you put the study in, then there shouldnt really be a problem doing your flying in the U.K. As mentioned before, Short take offs are in the syllabus, so you will be prepared for your local aerodrome etc. The RT is definately different, it is very relaxed in America, but just buy one of the RT tapes or the oxford communication CD ROM from transair or something if you are really concerned and that should help you out. As mentioned by other posters on here, Ormond Beach had some plus points, i just felt that the level of instruction wasnt very good. The only thing i can stress is, make your decision based on the experiences of people who youve actually spoken to in person. I don't think that is bad advice. Think of the number of flight schools throughout the world, Ormond is the only one to have been listed as a sticky at the top of the thread, due the amount of complaints and controversial postings by ppruners, so you have to ask yourself, why was this the case? Before Paris jumps on my back, i'm sure he did have a positive experience there, others may have aswell, but there are MANY who didnt and they didnt have a bad attitude, they were just naive and poorly taught. Anyway sainty, good luck, hope it all goes well
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Go to jetcareers.com you'll most probably find students there who have or are attending the schools you're interested in. I worked as a CFI/CFII/MEI over in florida for a year and it's great flying, great fun and the weather is beautiful.
Don't worry about the "getting used to the weather" stuff, deal with that once you get back to europe instead. You'll be comfortable in no time with it. Flying in florida can be very hectic and intense, you'll get plenty of approach practices if you go IFR and most of the time controllers are more than happy to give you unusual requests (especially at night) like radar approaches, circle to land, sidesteps, full procedure NDBs and so on. This is stuff that's pretty hard to get in the UK, flight training and GA is just not a priority the way it is in the states.
I say go check out jetcareers, then pick 3 schools and fly over there and visit each one. Ask the instructors and the students what they think, look at the planes and facilities, backseat a couple of flights and make up your mind. I did and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Good luck to you
Don't worry about the "getting used to the weather" stuff, deal with that once you get back to europe instead. You'll be comfortable in no time with it. Flying in florida can be very hectic and intense, you'll get plenty of approach practices if you go IFR and most of the time controllers are more than happy to give you unusual requests (especially at night) like radar approaches, circle to land, sidesteps, full procedure NDBs and so on. This is stuff that's pretty hard to get in the UK, flight training and GA is just not a priority the way it is in the states.
I say go check out jetcareers, then pick 3 schools and fly over there and visit each one. Ask the instructors and the students what they think, look at the planes and facilities, backseat a couple of flights and make up your mind. I did and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Good luck to you
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quifflegend,
Not at all, far from it - you have given Sainty43 advice and that was what he(she?) was asking for.
What I do have a problem with (and this certainly does not apply to your post) is when someone comes onto PPRuNe and then relays a story about an organisation they have heard about from thier dad's friend's auntie, who had been speaking to a bloke she knows in the local supermarket.
I went to OBA and it worked for me - intensive courses in a foreign country may be some people's idea of a nightmare?
Whatever way Sainty43 elects to go - best wishes, and above all else, enjoy yourself.
Before Paris jumps on my back
What I do have a problem with (and this certainly does not apply to your post) is when someone comes onto PPRuNe and then relays a story about an organisation they have heard about from thier dad's friend's auntie, who had been speaking to a bloke she knows in the local supermarket.
I went to OBA and it worked for me - intensive courses in a foreign country may be some people's idea of a nightmare?
Whatever way Sainty43 elects to go - best wishes, and above all else, enjoy yourself.
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Ok first of all can I say thanks to everyone's very helpful replys on here!!
After a lotof consideration I have decided to remain here in the UK to finish off my ppl course, as I already have 30 hours experience here and to finish off in Florida will probably cost the same considering flights and all other fee's!!
I will definetly be going out to Florida once I have my ppl to do some hour building!
Once again thank you for everyone who has taken time out to reply to my posts, you have made me feel very welcome on here and I shall no doubt have plenty more questions arising in the near future for all you clever people!!
Many thanks
Sainty
After a lotof consideration I have decided to remain here in the UK to finish off my ppl course, as I already have 30 hours experience here and to finish off in Florida will probably cost the same considering flights and all other fee's!!
I will definetly be going out to Florida once I have my ppl to do some hour building!
Once again thank you for everyone who has taken time out to reply to my posts, you have made me feel very welcome on here and I shall no doubt have plenty more questions arising in the near future for all you clever people!!
Many thanks
Sainty
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Sainty43,
The important thing to remember is - do what you want to do!
The US is a great place in which to fly and explore, and I can assure you that should you get there in the future, you won't be disappointed.
If you ever fancy a flight up to Newcastle, drop me a pm, and we'll grab a cuppa!
Enjoy!
PD
The important thing to remember is - do what you want to do!
The US is a great place in which to fly and explore, and I can assure you that should you get there in the future, you won't be disappointed.
If you ever fancy a flight up to Newcastle, drop me a pm, and we'll grab a cuppa!
Enjoy!
PD
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Good luck sainty. You probably are best doing that to be honest. But yeah definately check out florida for Hour building, you'll have a fantastic time and get to see some great places, meeting lots of likeminded people along the way.
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And if anyone is going to Florida, Keystone heights had such cheap fuel the school i hired from had to pay me the difference of their fuel rate and Keystone's, it was $2.34 a gallon, bargain!! BTW I hired from Sunstate Aviation, wow what a great organisation, no BS!!! Thoroughly recommend them, but they are FAA only, great for hours building only if you have a JAR licence!! And no I don't work for them, nor do I carry any favours, I live in Hampshire thanks!
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Whilst on the subject of flying in florida, does anyone know where I could find details of the FAA PPL based on a JAA PPL minima? (visibility, distance from clouds) or is it the same as the VFR minima?
Thanks
Thanks
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JAA PPL in Florida
Keygrip, Paris Dakar,
Just to point out that you CAN do a JAA PPL at Naples Air Centre in Florida. I'm assuming we're talking about the right 'Naples'? NAC are advertising JAA flight training in the back of this month's (May) edition of Pilot.
Cheers,
HW
PS I'm not connected with NAC - just researching a suitable school in Florida.
Just to point out that you CAN do a JAA PPL at Naples Air Centre in Florida. I'm assuming we're talking about the right 'Naples'? NAC are advertising JAA flight training in the back of this month's (May) edition of Pilot.
Cheers,
HW
PS I'm not connected with NAC - just researching a suitable school in Florida.