European Flight Training (EFT)
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 40
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My advice is to hire your own car and try and cut a deal on the accomodation. Most of the cars they rent you are wrecks. Two guys here keep complaining that the car they have been given isn't roadworthy but its falling on deaf ears. I rented my own car, any of the big rental firms will give you a good deal if you hire for a reasonable length of time, and cheaper then renting from the school too.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: bristol
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Hi
I went with my husband to FL on M1 and M2 visas. The simple fact that he was on a JAA type course seemed to be enough. When they interviewed us, we just were truthful, said what our plans were and that was that.
We had to prove we had enough money to live on while there and also have all the million and one forms.
Sorry not to be any more specific, but we literally had nothing else to show them either.
This makes no sense now - I'm sure I replied to a question about evidence of returning to the uk!
I went with my husband to FL on M1 and M2 visas. The simple fact that he was on a JAA type course seemed to be enough. When they interviewed us, we just were truthful, said what our plans were and that was that.
We had to prove we had enough money to live on while there and also have all the million and one forms.
Sorry not to be any more specific, but we literally had nothing else to show them either.
This makes no sense now - I'm sure I replied to a question about evidence of returning to the uk!
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: bristol
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OK - Please bear in mind that I wasn't the one actually learning to fly.
Here we go
He signed up for the APP
Did his PPL, Night rating and something else (can't remember what). He then did his ATPLs via distance learning with Bristol GS, staying in Fl to study and do a little bit of hour building , flying back to the UK for the intensive bit of the course and exams.
He then did his ME/IR between FL and then Shoreham (now at Bournemouth)
Then the FI course.
Due to many circumstances we then came back to the UK and he did his FI exam here and works here as an instructor.
The circumstances were purely personal, things like wanting our daughter to go to school here and not in the US.
All the way through EFT were very up front and honest about costs. He was happy with the instruction he received.
It was a bit more expensive than we had planned, but the costs quoted are for minimum hours and don't take exam fees into account.
We were there during the hurricanes and while alot of damage occurred, they began repairs very quickly and have managed to improve the situation with more briefing rooms and better IT etc.
I can't tell you anything about the accommodation they now use as I believe thay are using the old Pan Am facilities now which are on the airport itself.
We rented a small house in Vero while there which was very affordable compared to rents here. There is alot of rented accom available out there, so people do have a choice. If they are still using the shared housing in Vero for students it was OK, not great, just OK.
You will need a car, so if you don't take their arrangements you will need to either buy or privately hire a car. We bought a car as we were there as a family, took drivers tests etc. (Added adavantage as if you have a Florida lisence you get discounts at places like disney)
As I say I can't tell you a whole lot about the school itself, just generalities, but if anyone wants any other info about the location or anything I will try to answer the best I can
Here we go
He signed up for the APP
Did his PPL, Night rating and something else (can't remember what). He then did his ATPLs via distance learning with Bristol GS, staying in Fl to study and do a little bit of hour building , flying back to the UK for the intensive bit of the course and exams.
He then did his ME/IR between FL and then Shoreham (now at Bournemouth)
Then the FI course.
Due to many circumstances we then came back to the UK and he did his FI exam here and works here as an instructor.
The circumstances were purely personal, things like wanting our daughter to go to school here and not in the US.
All the way through EFT were very up front and honest about costs. He was happy with the instruction he received.
It was a bit more expensive than we had planned, but the costs quoted are for minimum hours and don't take exam fees into account.
We were there during the hurricanes and while alot of damage occurred, they began repairs very quickly and have managed to improve the situation with more briefing rooms and better IT etc.
I can't tell you anything about the accommodation they now use as I believe thay are using the old Pan Am facilities now which are on the airport itself.
We rented a small house in Vero while there which was very affordable compared to rents here. There is alot of rented accom available out there, so people do have a choice. If they are still using the shared housing in Vero for students it was OK, not great, just OK.
You will need a car, so if you don't take their arrangements you will need to either buy or privately hire a car. We bought a car as we were there as a family, took drivers tests etc. (Added adavantage as if you have a Florida lisence you get discounts at places like disney)
As I say I can't tell you a whole lot about the school itself, just generalities, but if anyone wants any other info about the location or anything I will try to answer the best I can
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Sky
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For what company is your friend working now, and what is he flying?
Do you think the staff at EFT Florida (there is no more EFT UK) are honest people?
Are the people happy at EFT and how is the environment in Florida?
Friendly people?
Do you think the staff at EFT Florida (there is no more EFT UK) are honest people?
Are the people happy at EFT and how is the environment in Florida?
Friendly people?
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Ireland
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A bit off the topic here, but I head out to EFT on the 13th of March to start phase 1. I was thinking that maybe I will be able to keep a weekly diary of how things go out there.
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: under a bridge
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Hi,
I'd be interested to hear from people who completed the Multi/IR with EFT with part of the training completed in the USA and the final part plus test conducted in the UK. Did you find the instruction out in the USA good enough to cope with the IR here, and were the hours spent in Bournemouth enough to get you through the IR comfortably or was extra training necessary-and if so for which particular aspects of the course was the extra training required?
Like most people I am finding it difficult to chose a flight training organisation and would appreciate good honest feedback.
Thank you very much for your help.
I'd be interested to hear from people who completed the Multi/IR with EFT with part of the training completed in the USA and the final part plus test conducted in the UK. Did you find the instruction out in the USA good enough to cope with the IR here, and were the hours spent in Bournemouth enough to get you through the IR comfortably or was extra training necessary-and if so for which particular aspects of the course was the extra training required?
Like most people I am finding it difficult to chose a flight training organisation and would appreciate good honest feedback.
Thank you very much for your help.
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: UK
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Config, there are only a few truly "bad" schools which you should probably avoid at all costs. You can find out which ones they are by researching on the archive for this forum - your question has been asked before many, many times.
The bottom line is that different schools are right for different people - if you want fast and cheap training you will not go to a school where training takes longer and costs more - obvious, right? But in that case you shouldn't expect the training quality to be quite the same. The fact that a bottom-tier and a top-tier FTO provide training towards the same licence is about the only similarity between them. There's no magic formula why some places are much cheaper than others - corners have to be cut to be cheap.
You need to decide what you actually want/need just as you would if you're buying a car. You can buy a Fiat or an Audi, they do much the same thing - get you from A to B - but an Audi buyer won't want a Fiat and a Fiat buyer won't buy an Audi for a number of reasons.
In that sense: EFT offers a product with which many people who go there are happy whereas others might not be - but that's the case at any FTO.
Yeah,
KK
The bottom line is that different schools are right for different people - if you want fast and cheap training you will not go to a school where training takes longer and costs more - obvious, right? But in that case you shouldn't expect the training quality to be quite the same. The fact that a bottom-tier and a top-tier FTO provide training towards the same licence is about the only similarity between them. There's no magic formula why some places are much cheaper than others - corners have to be cut to be cheap.
You need to decide what you actually want/need just as you would if you're buying a car. You can buy a Fiat or an Audi, they do much the same thing - get you from A to B - but an Audi buyer won't want a Fiat and a Fiat buyer won't buy an Audi for a number of reasons.
In that sense: EFT offers a product with which many people who go there are happy whereas others might not be - but that's the case at any FTO.
Yeah,
KK
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Soton
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help
I heard that it is harder to convert a Canadian licence to JAA, compared of converting JAA to a Canadian Licence. Is that true?
I would like to work in Canada, but realistically, I only have British citizenship. I am thinking of doing my flight training in the US or in Canada as the training in the UK is very expensive.
Anyone with any advise or experience, please let me know.
Thank you
I would like to work in Canada, but realistically, I only have British citizenship. I am thinking of doing my flight training in the US or in Canada as the training in the UK is very expensive.
Anyone with any advise or experience, please let me know.
Thank you
KrazyKraut: Any approved JAA FTO in the USA, Canada or in Europe can convert your Canadian licence to JAA. That includes EFT - but mind, EFT can't do your JAA IR conversion, since the skill test must be taken in the UK and not in Florida.
The Cooler King
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: In the Desert
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Someone mailed me earlier with a list of questions and I have decided to give my replys here so that you can all read them.
They related to questions I'm sure you all have about EFT - just have a look and decide for yourselves but PLEASE don't flood my inbox with questions. I have a lot to do at the moment workwise.
(Big Grecian might be able to better explain the 200 hours FAA versus 100 hours JAA rules a little better, but below is my take on it anyway - cheers mate and see you for beers in the sandpit soon I hope!)
Cheers.
"Hello
The 200hr ME course is great but remember that if you are planning on using those hours in a JAA environment that you can only count 100 of them.
The reason for this is that the FAA allows BOTH PF and PNF to log flight hours due to the "safety pilot" condition(Big Grecian????) . (All flights are class as IFR and therefore one pilot is always checking the other's progress - however, JAA doesn't recognise that position so therefore you can only log the hours that you were PF or P1 in JAAspeak)
Customer Service - short and to the point; they deliver what they say and contrary to opinions on the forum, they will help you out as much as they can. Mike Cohen is a nice guy but if you whine, he will get annoyed. Just be straight and be prepared for him to be direct with you - but he will help and in particular will go out of his way to help if it is his fault.
You will also have to deal with TJ Mete who is in charge of visas. She will constantly shout at you and treat you like you were five years old. Just shout back - loudly! I think she likes the debate but deep down she's ok.
Efficiency of scheduling vs unnecessary delays - any delay will be necessary. Usually due to something broken that has to be fixed and is on the aircrafts MEL. Remember that as an airline pilot in the future, you will be sitting on the ramp for hours sometimes, usually because of something small.
Probability of finishing the Prof.Pilot program in 6 months - not going to happen. You will probably get all the training done - but it takes a seriously good student to be able to do that. You will fail some stuff and have to retrain but that is just the life of a student pilot. Remember that you will have to instruct there for a year too!
Maintenance practices and aircraft reliabilty - maintenance practice is by the book. No exceptions. I have gone at the throats of other posters on the forum because of stupid claims that Ari's airplanes are not checked. They are constantly. Every hour is logged and then the planes are checked every 100 hours as per FAA requirements. I have seen many a tearful student being told "NO" when asked if they could let the aircraft run to 101 or 105 hours. The guy simply will not take the risk.
The aircraft are as reliable as any other BE76 Duchess. But like all piston craft, they are cantankerous and moody. They don't break down very much but you have to treat them nice. (You'll know what I mean when you start flying them - don't jam throttles forward etc. these are true pilot's planes)
Quality of Instruction - second to none.
Experience of International Students - it varies. Some love the place. Some hate it. It is usually down to culture. And language. The guys I know who like it have a great time. Me included.
The chief instructor is ex-French air force and one of their top instructors is Danish.
Management practices - hardline, but fair and they are very efficient. But don't whine. This is a flight school and whining is a no-no. The more you progress into your training, the more you will realise that some problems and delays are a fact of flying life.
That's it."
They related to questions I'm sure you all have about EFT - just have a look and decide for yourselves but PLEASE don't flood my inbox with questions. I have a lot to do at the moment workwise.
(Big Grecian might be able to better explain the 200 hours FAA versus 100 hours JAA rules a little better, but below is my take on it anyway - cheers mate and see you for beers in the sandpit soon I hope!)
Cheers.
"Hello
The 200hr ME course is great but remember that if you are planning on using those hours in a JAA environment that you can only count 100 of them.
The reason for this is that the FAA allows BOTH PF and PNF to log flight hours due to the "safety pilot" condition(Big Grecian????) . (All flights are class as IFR and therefore one pilot is always checking the other's progress - however, JAA doesn't recognise that position so therefore you can only log the hours that you were PF or P1 in JAAspeak)
Customer Service - short and to the point; they deliver what they say and contrary to opinions on the forum, they will help you out as much as they can. Mike Cohen is a nice guy but if you whine, he will get annoyed. Just be straight and be prepared for him to be direct with you - but he will help and in particular will go out of his way to help if it is his fault.
You will also have to deal with TJ Mete who is in charge of visas. She will constantly shout at you and treat you like you were five years old. Just shout back - loudly! I think she likes the debate but deep down she's ok.
Efficiency of scheduling vs unnecessary delays - any delay will be necessary. Usually due to something broken that has to be fixed and is on the aircrafts MEL. Remember that as an airline pilot in the future, you will be sitting on the ramp for hours sometimes, usually because of something small.
Probability of finishing the Prof.Pilot program in 6 months - not going to happen. You will probably get all the training done - but it takes a seriously good student to be able to do that. You will fail some stuff and have to retrain but that is just the life of a student pilot. Remember that you will have to instruct there for a year too!
Maintenance practices and aircraft reliabilty - maintenance practice is by the book. No exceptions. I have gone at the throats of other posters on the forum because of stupid claims that Ari's airplanes are not checked. They are constantly. Every hour is logged and then the planes are checked every 100 hours as per FAA requirements. I have seen many a tearful student being told "NO" when asked if they could let the aircraft run to 101 or 105 hours. The guy simply will not take the risk.
The aircraft are as reliable as any other BE76 Duchess. But like all piston craft, they are cantankerous and moody. They don't break down very much but you have to treat them nice. (You'll know what I mean when you start flying them - don't jam throttles forward etc. these are true pilot's planes)
Quality of Instruction - second to none.
Experience of International Students - it varies. Some love the place. Some hate it. It is usually down to culture. And language. The guys I know who like it have a great time. Me included.
The chief instructor is ex-French air force and one of their top instructors is Danish.
Management practices - hardline, but fair and they are very efficient. But don't whine. This is a flight school and whining is a no-no. The more you progress into your training, the more you will realise that some problems and delays are a fact of flying life.
That's it."
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Denmark
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Hi
I can also help with any questions regarding Ari Ben. I did their pro course, and instructed. Ended up with 800 hours, 570 multi before leaving.
The FAA/JAA rule for the timebuilding is the the acknowledgement of the safety pilot.
One pilot is under the hood - All this time the other pilot (PNF) log safety pilot.
PNF can only log this when PF is under the hood in VFR conditions (not much use for a safety pilot in IFR conditions).
You can log all the time you are in command under JAA. So if you go there, and want to log the hours JAA, then make sure u dont fly under the hood (ie in IMC conditions)..Then you are the PIC, and PNF cannot log it.. Not your problem though, and most American dont seem to care.
@Farrell
Duchess dont have a MEL...But an AEL..
I think that now Thomas is their 2 year instructor (the instructor that fly with other instructor wannabees), It is possible to be done in 6 -7 months.
I loved it there, and would have liked to stay (damn visa people). Mike is a no b......t guy. The price you get is what you pay..
I was told 29.5 usd (back in the cheeper fuel days'), and I finished at just that + test fees (300 + ac pr flight test and 90 usd pr written).
I can also help with any questions regarding Ari Ben. I did their pro course, and instructed. Ended up with 800 hours, 570 multi before leaving.
The FAA/JAA rule for the timebuilding is the the acknowledgement of the safety pilot.
One pilot is under the hood - All this time the other pilot (PNF) log safety pilot.
PNF can only log this when PF is under the hood in VFR conditions (not much use for a safety pilot in IFR conditions).
You can log all the time you are in command under JAA. So if you go there, and want to log the hours JAA, then make sure u dont fly under the hood (ie in IMC conditions)..Then you are the PIC, and PNF cannot log it.. Not your problem though, and most American dont seem to care.
@Farrell
Duchess dont have a MEL...But an AEL..
I think that now Thomas is their 2 year instructor (the instructor that fly with other instructor wannabees), It is possible to be done in 6 -7 months.
I loved it there, and would have liked to stay (damn visa people). Mike is a no b......t guy. The price you get is what you pay..
I was told 29.5 usd (back in the cheeper fuel days'), and I finished at just that + test fees (300 + ac pr flight test and 90 usd pr written).
Last edited by henriksch; 9th Mar 2007 at 20:32.