Hour building (USA)
Join Date: Aug 2006
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Hours building
Hello.
I have a JAA CPL licence with multi-engine and instrument rating. I am thinking about building some multi-engine hours in USA.
I saw a school in Florida with good prices. What do you think about Ari-Ben Aviator? They have a hour package very good in the BE76 aircraft. Does anyone know this school? How are the airplanes maintained?
Any oppinions are welcome!!!
www.flyaviator.com
Best regards!
I have a JAA CPL licence with multi-engine and instrument rating. I am thinking about building some multi-engine hours in USA.
I saw a school in Florida with good prices. What do you think about Ari-Ben Aviator? They have a hour package very good in the BE76 aircraft. Does anyone know this school? How are the airplanes maintained?
Any oppinions are welcome!!!
www.flyaviator.com
Best regards!
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: UK, Paris, Peckham, New York
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can't remember if it is this school or not (but pretty certain I am thinking of this school), but one school offers great multi prices by making you fly as safety pilot for another student, and if i remember rightly you cannot claim these hrs in uk, be careful. From what I remember it was this school and it was not as good as it sounds, but I could also be wrong as my memory is highly beer damaged.
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hour build
That is correct if i recall you get to book 50hrs CAA but think on FAA they can book the 100, please correct me if this is wrong and understand you fly all at night, not that its a bad thing but something to consider.
In a nutshell you get 50 hrs bookable
In a nutshell you get 50 hrs bookable
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hour build
For $20 an hour you can add the hours, it may be worth asking them how!!!
Sounds a bit suspect. I just looked at the website its the same one as i thought at FT Pierce, the planes were or are used by EFT also. But if you are going for experience etc then 50 hrs at that price is good too, but I cannot understand how you can book the other 50 if the same plan they have always run
CF
Sounds a bit suspect. I just looked at the website its the same one as i thought at FT Pierce, the planes were or are used by EFT also. But if you are going for experience etc then 50 hrs at that price is good too, but I cannot understand how you can book the other 50 if the same plan they have always run
CF
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The interesting thing is I have sent them 3 emails over the course of the last two weeks asking specific questions on how you can log all the hours as P1 under JAA and they haven't bothered to reply. Amongst other things I wanted written confirmation if there would be another person in the aircraft flying with me. If it is to good to be true then it usually is.
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Hello again.
I´d like to know also what more schools with good prices, good airplanes and facilities there are in Florida.
What are your experiences? How is the weather there most of the time?
Thanks a lot and best regards.
I´d like to know also what more schools with good prices, good airplanes and facilities there are in Florida.
What are your experiences? How is the weather there most of the time?
Thanks a lot and best regards.
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Build some hours
Hi , I tried also to contact with ben aviator to get information of build 100h , so I called them. They asked me my phone number and told me that they will call me in order to answer all my questions. I couldn't ask them any question!!!! He said that He didn't know anything , that he was only a secretary... So I'm still waiting his call... I don't know but it's suspicious ... Any body can tell me her/his expirience in that school ? It , sounds great , but I don't know if it really is. If anybody is interested in build some multiengine hours with me, contact me [email protected] . I'm A jar cpl licence owner , but now I'm in los Angeles trying to get the Far commercial licence. thanks.
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Hour building in the USA
Hi all
I have just got back from a very enjoyable couple of weeks in Florida doing some hour building. The weather back in the UK however makes me feel like getting the next plane back!
I know alot of people regularly ask (me included) where is recommended for hour building.
Well having been to a couple of other well known places in Florida previously I elected this time time to try Voyager Aviation at Merritt Island. I am proud to say I made an excellent choice and found them to be highly professional (without losing that friendly family feel), efficient and extremely competitive.
They had an excellent selection of aircraft including C152, C172, PA28-160, PA28-200R and Cougar all very clean and tidy. The PA28 and C172 were $84 per hour (when you put $1000 down). A big bonus is that they reimburse fuel purchased away from Merrit at $4 per gallon (irrespective of what you pay - which was often $3.15 per gallon... and yes you get to keep the profit!!).
I know this probably sounds a bit like an add on the behalf of Voyager but I can assure you it is not. As a pilot having to pay for his own flying I just wanted to pass on an excellent flight school to fellow pilots. Unfortunately they only do FAA training but if we can get enough brits over there perhaps they may venture into JAA.
If anyone wants to message me I would be happy to explain more and even share my photos of the excellent time I had.
Afterall are there many flight schools left where they have fresh coffee and donuts all day every day and you can just hang out for a chat all for free?
Regards
Keith
I have just got back from a very enjoyable couple of weeks in Florida doing some hour building. The weather back in the UK however makes me feel like getting the next plane back!
I know alot of people regularly ask (me included) where is recommended for hour building.
Well having been to a couple of other well known places in Florida previously I elected this time time to try Voyager Aviation at Merritt Island. I am proud to say I made an excellent choice and found them to be highly professional (without losing that friendly family feel), efficient and extremely competitive.
They had an excellent selection of aircraft including C152, C172, PA28-160, PA28-200R and Cougar all very clean and tidy. The PA28 and C172 were $84 per hour (when you put $1000 down). A big bonus is that they reimburse fuel purchased away from Merrit at $4 per gallon (irrespective of what you pay - which was often $3.15 per gallon... and yes you get to keep the profit!!).
I know this probably sounds a bit like an add on the behalf of Voyager but I can assure you it is not. As a pilot having to pay for his own flying I just wanted to pass on an excellent flight school to fellow pilots. Unfortunately they only do FAA training but if we can get enough brits over there perhaps they may venture into JAA.
If anyone wants to message me I would be happy to explain more and even share my photos of the excellent time I had.
Afterall are there many flight schools left where they have fresh coffee and donuts all day every day and you can just hang out for a chat all for free?
Regards
Keith
Join Date: May 2003
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Fuel Rebates in the USA for hour builders
Hi all,
I just wanted to bring to the attention of others the question of fuel rebates when renting in the USA. It can make a real difference if you are on a budget and hour-building.
Whenever you buy fuel away from the home base you will pay for it and claim it back from the flight school? We should all be familiar with that so far...
In the US though this will be governed by how much the school will actually rebate you. They will not necessarily rebate you the full amount that you paid. So for example if you go on a lovely flight down to the Keys and refuel at the very pleasant FBO and get charged $3.50 a gallon and you buy 20 gallons that will cost you $70. When you get back to your home base and give them the reciept, how much will you be expecting back? Well if they only give $2 per gallon they will rebate you $40. The other $30 comes straight out of your pocket! Had you considered that when you were pricing up the rental costs?
However if you go to a school that rebates you at $4 per gallon (regardless of what you paid), they would of actually rebated you $80. Guess what you just saved another $10 off your rental costs for that flight.
So ppruners my advise to you is check the fuel rebate amount when renting aircraft in the USA.
I have just been to Voyager Aviation at Merrit Island (KCOI) and they are excellent! I rented a very good PA28 and C172 for $84.55 per hour wet and they gave a fuel rebate of $4 per gallon. I did lots of extended cross country flights and paid for fuel away from base at between $3.10 and $3.99. So you can see that reduced my rental costs even further. The school are excellent, good aircraft, good staff and very friendly.
You can be very cany with you choice of destination and buy fuel cheap. In the 2 weeks I was there I found fuel between $2.75 and $5.25 for the same gallon of 100LL !! You can use the airnav website to check fuel prices at most airfields when you do your planning.
If anyone wants any more info feel free to contact me
Regards
Keith
I just wanted to bring to the attention of others the question of fuel rebates when renting in the USA. It can make a real difference if you are on a budget and hour-building.
Whenever you buy fuel away from the home base you will pay for it and claim it back from the flight school? We should all be familiar with that so far...
In the US though this will be governed by how much the school will actually rebate you. They will not necessarily rebate you the full amount that you paid. So for example if you go on a lovely flight down to the Keys and refuel at the very pleasant FBO and get charged $3.50 a gallon and you buy 20 gallons that will cost you $70. When you get back to your home base and give them the reciept, how much will you be expecting back? Well if they only give $2 per gallon they will rebate you $40. The other $30 comes straight out of your pocket! Had you considered that when you were pricing up the rental costs?
However if you go to a school that rebates you at $4 per gallon (regardless of what you paid), they would of actually rebated you $80. Guess what you just saved another $10 off your rental costs for that flight.
So ppruners my advise to you is check the fuel rebate amount when renting aircraft in the USA.
I have just been to Voyager Aviation at Merrit Island (KCOI) and they are excellent! I rented a very good PA28 and C172 for $84.55 per hour wet and they gave a fuel rebate of $4 per gallon. I did lots of extended cross country flights and paid for fuel away from base at between $3.10 and $3.99. So you can see that reduced my rental costs even further. The school are excellent, good aircraft, good staff and very friendly.
You can be very cany with you choice of destination and buy fuel cheap. In the 2 weeks I was there I found fuel between $2.75 and $5.25 for the same gallon of 100LL !! You can use the airnav website to check fuel prices at most airfields when you do your planning.
If anyone wants any more info feel free to contact me
Regards
Keith
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I can't decide whether it's the poor or if it's the downtrodden that I hate more!!
Good thinking there though Batman.
However, it all balances itself out in the end.
Good luck with the I/R
Regards
D'vay
Good thinking there though Batman.
However, it all balances itself out in the end.
Good luck with the I/R
Regards
D'vay
Not that it will help you, but a quick explanation;
Most of the time ( not always though!) it is NOT penny pinching by the FBO or flight school.
Depending on the deal they have with their fuel supplier they can get a discount when buying fuel in bulk.
So if the FBO/school pays $3/gallon they will (and should) reimburse $3/gallon.
You rent the aircraft wet, which means fuel included. At the price the FBO has paid which is fair.
If you decide to refuel somewhere and pay $5/gallon they cannot reimburse you for that amount. It will come out of their own revenue. Bad business idea.
It therefore really adds up if you don't plan your flights correctly.
Large airports charge more for the lease on underground tanks and FBO facilities, hence the fuel price has to go up.
With carefull planning you can end up not paying anything additional for the fuel.
Most of the time ( not always though!) it is NOT penny pinching by the FBO or flight school.
Depending on the deal they have with their fuel supplier they can get a discount when buying fuel in bulk.
So if the FBO/school pays $3/gallon they will (and should) reimburse $3/gallon.
You rent the aircraft wet, which means fuel included. At the price the FBO has paid which is fair.
If you decide to refuel somewhere and pay $5/gallon they cannot reimburse you for that amount. It will come out of their own revenue. Bad business idea.
It therefore really adds up if you don't plan your flights correctly.
Large airports charge more for the lease on underground tanks and FBO facilities, hence the fuel price has to go up.
With carefull planning you can end up not paying anything additional for the fuel.
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Hehehe...I think somebody has been feeding you some porkies! 
There’s no exams, you just go say hello and fill out some form(s) (1 or 2 can’t remember). You get issued with a temporary airman’s certificate and off you go. It's issued on the basis that your JAA licence & medical is valid.
There’s no exams, you just go say hello and fill out some form(s) (1 or 2 can’t remember). You get issued with a temporary airman’s certificate and off you go. It's issued on the basis that your JAA licence & medical is valid.
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I concur with mercenary pilot, I didn't have any exams and as mentioned simple task of filling in some forms....though it did take numerous times to get the nice lady to spell my name correctly. After that your good to go on your hour building and make the most if it and enjoy!!
Regards
Regards
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Before you can exercise the privileges of your restricted FAA license you must complete a Biannual Flight Review (BFR) with an FAA instructor. Consists of 1 hour of ground and 1 hour of flight minimum, as specified in the FARS.
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Its a pity that from my observations, ALL the JAA approved schools rip off the renters with the fuel rebate, also dont forget about this crock of ****e that they call the 'fuel surcharge' , another hidden cost that these schools hit people with on the head when they get stateside.
If only the JAA approved schools could pull their head out of their profit and loss reports and realise that by not ripping off the renters they would have a better business, but alas this will never happen.
From working for a JAA approved school in the USA for a number of years, dont go to one for your hour building, go to a FAA only school, in most cases the smaller the better, you will get more personal service, in most cases nicer planes and also most small ones will give you the keys to a plane, and it will be yours and yours only for the duration.
If only the JAA approved schools could pull their head out of their profit and loss reports and realise that by not ripping off the renters they would have a better business, but alas this will never happen.
From working for a JAA approved school in the USA for a number of years, dont go to one for your hour building, go to a FAA only school, in most cases the smaller the better, you will get more personal service, in most cases nicer planes and also most small ones will give you the keys to a plane, and it will be yours and yours only for the duration.
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California Dreaming!
Looking for suggestions for good school in LA bassin for building hours over Christmas. For all the criticism, I used to go to ADP and never had a failure, despite the planes looking like they would fall apart on take-off!
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If you're looking for a school to go hour building at in Florida, I can't recommend Falcon Flight Sanford enough! This school is based at Orlando Sanford International airport, a busy and yet GA-friendly airport within the Orlando class B control zone, so there's a lot happening there and RT skills will sharpen very quickly.
Falcon has a substantial fleet with several different types of aircraft, and range from Cessna, Piper to Beechcraft Duchess, all at very reasonable rates and a generous fuel reimbursement policy of $3.78 per gallon and no fuel surcharges. They also give good discounts for block purchases and aircraft availability is second to none.
No, I don't work for them, but I really enjoyed my time there and they are a lot better than many of the outfits I saw on my travels.
Falcon has a substantial fleet with several different types of aircraft, and range from Cessna, Piper to Beechcraft Duchess, all at very reasonable rates and a generous fuel reimbursement policy of $3.78 per gallon and no fuel surcharges. They also give good discounts for block purchases and aircraft availability is second to none.
No, I don't work for them, but I really enjoyed my time there and they are a lot better than many of the outfits I saw on my travels.
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Hour Building (USA)
Hello,
I am currently off to the USA in january and I am looking to build around 50hrs!
Can anyone help me with chosing the best routes to fly whats going to be the most fun, challenging, busy ect. Please advise looking to plan an adventure of a life time!
Thanks Ryan............
I am currently off to the USA in january and I am looking to build around 50hrs!
Can anyone help me with chosing the best routes to fly whats going to be the most fun, challenging, busy ect. Please advise looking to plan an adventure of a life time!
Thanks Ryan............