US training towards UK PPL - advice, please
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Thank you for your thoughts and your kind concern, Tango Victor.
You're free to doubt me, but I have done the sums and I have spent many periods of time in the USA, so I think I have a good understanding of the costs. And unless I've made a gross error on my spreadsheet, the £60/hour saving of flight training in the US rapidly adds up to pay for the journey there, the accommodation, and additional living costs you mention.
But as I said before, saving money isn't my primary aim here - financially, I aim to break even compared to achieving the same hours in the UK. The point is that it enables me to complete roughly half my basic training in a concentrated and efficient way, and brings achievement of my PPL several months closer.
I'm sorry to hear of your acquaintance's bad experience in Florida. Searching these forums, I've found glowing endorsements of a number of US FTOs doing CAA courses and relatively few complaints, from which I conclude that the bad experience was a misfortune no more common than sub-standard service from a UK FTO.
If the unfortunate state of global politics dissuades you from training in or visiting the US, I can understand that. But for me, the moderate inconvenience of the bureaucratic hoops appears not to outweigh the benefits of US flight training, and perceived asymmetry of inter-governmental relationships is irrelevant.
You're free to doubt me, but I have done the sums and I have spent many periods of time in the USA, so I think I have a good understanding of the costs. And unless I've made a gross error on my spreadsheet, the £60/hour saving of flight training in the US rapidly adds up to pay for the journey there, the accommodation, and additional living costs you mention.
But as I said before, saving money isn't my primary aim here - financially, I aim to break even compared to achieving the same hours in the UK. The point is that it enables me to complete roughly half my basic training in a concentrated and efficient way, and brings achievement of my PPL several months closer.
I'm sorry to hear of your acquaintance's bad experience in Florida. Searching these forums, I've found glowing endorsements of a number of US FTOs doing CAA courses and relatively few complaints, from which I conclude that the bad experience was a misfortune no more common than sub-standard service from a UK FTO.
If the unfortunate state of global politics dissuades you from training in or visiting the US, I can understand that. But for me, the moderate inconvenience of the bureaucratic hoops appears not to outweigh the benefits of US flight training, and perceived asymmetry of inter-governmental relationships is irrelevant.
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total disregard to safety, apparently the kid teaching him to fly, was on his mobile most of the time, along with a long list of other faults, I did ask him to tell all here, & inform the CAA,
I'm not anti American, in fact I have been there many times, however, as all ready stated, being treated like a criminal, upon entry, bearing in mind WE are fighting alongside there forces, so much for the " special relationship" it seems like one way traffic to me, why are British Passport holders barred from the green card lottery ?
Stay at home, learn to fly, where your going to fly
I'm not anti American, in fact I have been there many times, however, as all ready stated, being treated like a criminal, upon entry, bearing in mind WE are fighting alongside there forces, so much for the " special relationship" it seems like one way traffic to me, why are British Passport holders barred from the green card lottery ?
Stay at home, learn to fly, where your going to fly
Last time I arrived in LA from LHR, I was off the plane, through imigration and collecting my bag in 20 minutes. No accusations, just matter of fact questions: "Why are you here?", "How long are you going to stay?", "enjoy your vacation".
In LA, realistic hotel costs (Long Beach) is $1000 per month. FLights can be bought for £330 easily.
One thing regarding TSA, to SOLO in the USA you WILL need an FAA student permit and be signed off by an FAA instructor. Not sure whether that will mean that you are subject to TSA or not....
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re the comment > made to feel like a criminal, I was quoting someone else
comment re green card lottery > I wouldn;t enter it even if I could, my point is the country that " prides " itself on equality, is in fact NOT,
I have no wish to work anywhere, did that once, its ok if you have to I guess.
re the mobile, its not allowed in the UK, and I doubt, if its allowed in the US, the so called trainer, is susposed to be monitoring, the student, not chatting to his friends.
end of whine
comment re green card lottery > I wouldn;t enter it even if I could, my point is the country that " prides " itself on equality, is in fact NOT,
I have no wish to work anywhere, did that once, its ok if you have to I guess.
re the mobile, its not allowed in the UK, and I doubt, if its allowed in the US, the so called trainer, is susposed to be monitoring, the student, not chatting to his friends.
end of whine
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Been there, done that
Hi Michael,
I went to Anglo American in San Diego in September/October last year. Firstly, I would strongly advise to think about staying there for MORE than 10 days, and maybe try a more reasonable amount of time like 3 weeks. I gave myself 4 weeks, and what with planes going tech and cancelled lessons I was right up against it in the end when I had to sit my GFT (General Flight Test). So please bear that in mind....also, take a look at this guys blog....he's finding himself right up against it also simply due to his poor instructor, bad planning and the fact that he tossed about on day trips and not focusing on the job at hand....learning to fly. www.aviationadventure.*************
Anyway, now to answer some of your questions:
If you plan on flying in the UK, then getting an FAA licence will inhibit you somewhat. You'll either have to resort to flying "N" reg aircraft in blighty or go through the rigmarol of converting your FAA ticket to JAA, which I've heard is easier said than done. I would advise going to one of the CAA approved schools and getting your JAR PPL(A)
In order to learn to fly in the US you need an M1 student visa, and once in the US you then need to get finger printed and send off an approval request to the TSA (Transport Safety Authority). Give yourself about 2 months to sort out your visa. You'll need documentation from the school to bring with you to the US embassy.
for JAA, there's only one school in South Western USA...Anglo American Aviation. And from what I've heard, they're fully booked until July! But beware....that will mean that you'll have to fight to make sure you get the flying hours, and I again advise against trying to do it in 10 days, especially if you have your ground exams to do aswell.
On non-sensible thing is the timeline you're giving yourself :-) We have a buddy, Mark "the machine" who did his ground exams and flying in 10 days, but he was an exception and he basically hogged the planes for a while to make sure he got the flying hours. It's doable, but just about and very stressful with no room for cock-ups like weather or planes going tech.
One thing I would suggest is thinking about Spain. It's beautiful weather, close to home and you also get your JAR PPL. I've heard good things about these guys...check them out http://www.fly-in-spain.com/en/index.php
Good luck with your flying and I hope you get your wings very soon.
Claython
I went to Anglo American in San Diego in September/October last year. Firstly, I would strongly advise to think about staying there for MORE than 10 days, and maybe try a more reasonable amount of time like 3 weeks. I gave myself 4 weeks, and what with planes going tech and cancelled lessons I was right up against it in the end when I had to sit my GFT (General Flight Test). So please bear that in mind....also, take a look at this guys blog....he's finding himself right up against it also simply due to his poor instructor, bad planning and the fact that he tossed about on day trips and not focusing on the job at hand....learning to fly. www.aviationadventure.*************
Anyway, now to answer some of your questions:
If you plan on flying in the UK, then getting an FAA licence will inhibit you somewhat. You'll either have to resort to flying "N" reg aircraft in blighty or go through the rigmarol of converting your FAA ticket to JAA, which I've heard is easier said than done. I would advise going to one of the CAA approved schools and getting your JAR PPL(A)
In order to learn to fly in the US you need an M1 student visa, and once in the US you then need to get finger printed and send off an approval request to the TSA (Transport Safety Authority). Give yourself about 2 months to sort out your visa. You'll need documentation from the school to bring with you to the US embassy.
for JAA, there's only one school in South Western USA...Anglo American Aviation. And from what I've heard, they're fully booked until July! But beware....that will mean that you'll have to fight to make sure you get the flying hours, and I again advise against trying to do it in 10 days, especially if you have your ground exams to do aswell.
On non-sensible thing is the timeline you're giving yourself :-) We have a buddy, Mark "the machine" who did his ground exams and flying in 10 days, but he was an exception and he basically hogged the planes for a while to make sure he got the flying hours. It's doable, but just about and very stressful with no room for cock-ups like weather or planes going tech.
One thing I would suggest is thinking about Spain. It's beautiful weather, close to home and you also get your JAR PPL. I've heard good things about these guys...check them out http://www.fly-in-spain.com/en/index.php
Good luck with your flying and I hope you get your wings very soon.
Claython
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Thanks very much for your comments, Blue Albatross. Andrew Lucas' blog is illuminating.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm not intending to actually complete my PPL in 10 days! Rather, that's the kind of timeframe I have available, and I want to get as much of a headstart towards my PPL as possible in that time. So I'm just looking to do as much flying as possible, hopefully at least 20 hours, which would bring me to about half-way through the course. I'll also have studied the groundschool, so I'll arrive ready for the Air Law exam and any others that the school considers a pre-requisite to soloing. I'll then finish the course in my own time at a local flying club in the UK.
I got an email back from AAA yesterday, indicating that they're fully booked for a while (although their PA28 is available). But since it seems that I should allow three months for the visa and TSA bureaucracy, and I'd like to do this soon, I'm starting to conclude that those guys at Jerez might be a better option.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I'm not intending to actually complete my PPL in 10 days! Rather, that's the kind of timeframe I have available, and I want to get as much of a headstart towards my PPL as possible in that time. So I'm just looking to do as much flying as possible, hopefully at least 20 hours, which would bring me to about half-way through the course. I'll also have studied the groundschool, so I'll arrive ready for the Air Law exam and any others that the school considers a pre-requisite to soloing. I'll then finish the course in my own time at a local flying club in the UK.
I got an email back from AAA yesterday, indicating that they're fully booked for a while (although their PA28 is available). But since it seems that I should allow three months for the visa and TSA bureaucracy, and I'd like to do this soon, I'm starting to conclude that those guys at Jerez might be a better option.
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With only five locations or so in Europe, and no agreement in place between the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to get printed at the embassy/consulate (*), it will be virtually impossible to get fingerprinted before you travel to the US. So you need to go to a Sheriffs office as soon as you arrive in the US (check they're open), get fingerprinted there, submit the documents, hang around until the TSA acknowledges receipt (might take up to five days) and only then start flight training.
When I was there the school, at that time, never awaited the TSA "receipt" mail but sent me in the air straight away. Although I did not solo yet at that time. But with the new spot checks of the TSA (as reported by SoCal), the flight school might just stick to the rules and not allow you to receive training until the TSA has said so. Which, for a cat 3 alien, is at the point where the TSA acknowledges reception of the fingerprints.
(*) The ridiculous thing is that every US embassy/consulate has fingerprinting equipment, because they require your fingerprint for your visa! But the TSA doesn't accept these.
For a cat 1 alien (flight training above 12.500 lbs MTOW) it's even worse. You need to hang around waiting for the TSA to actually clear you before you can initiate training. This can take up to 30 days.
The whole TSA thing is very easy. It's just that you cannot get fingerprinted, for all practical purposes, before you get to the US.
When I was there the school, at that time, never awaited the TSA "receipt" mail but sent me in the air straight away. Although I did not solo yet at that time. But with the new spot checks of the TSA (as reported by SoCal), the flight school might just stick to the rules and not allow you to receive training until the TSA has said so. Which, for a cat 3 alien, is at the point where the TSA acknowledges reception of the fingerprints.
(*) The ridiculous thing is that every US embassy/consulate has fingerprinting equipment, because they require your fingerprint for your visa! But the TSA doesn't accept these.
For a cat 1 alien (flight training above 12.500 lbs MTOW) it's even worse. You need to hang around waiting for the TSA to actually clear you before you can initiate training. This can take up to 30 days.
The whole TSA thing is very easy. It's just that you cannot get fingerprinted, for all practical purposes, before you get to the US.
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You'll either have to resort to flying "N" reg aircraft in blighty or go through the rigmarol of converting your FAA ticket to JAA
! Please read the ANO, no conversion required!
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Hi guys, I'm thinking of heading out to Anglo AMerican Aviation around mid June-Early August time. I've read this thread with keen interest so no need to go over old ground. Just wanted to know if anyone's been out there recently, what the state of play is with their 172's and warriors, how good is the accommodation they offer and where the best places to party in San Diego are once I've got my licence!
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I would like to know a little more also, schedule is november this year, only for a FAA ppl in 4 weeks time.
What about the shortage of intructors and planes and on the other site, too many students?
Would like to know if the're making true what they promise: a more structured schedule so everyone is happy
What about the shortage of intructors and planes and on the other site, too many students?
Would like to know if the're making true what they promise: a more structured schedule so everyone is happy
