CPL & ME Training - OFT vs EFT

[november.sierra]

I'm looking to do the CPL and ME rating at one of the CAA approved JAA schools in the USA and both Orlando Flight Training and EFT are the ones with a good reputation.

I would appreciate feedback from people who have been to either of these schools to help me make a decision. Please give as much information as you can, including accommodation, things to do in the vicinity, payment, etc., basically anything that's relevant.

Before I get slated for not using the search, I did and didn't come up with anything useful. Thanks for your help.

[ianpa]

I can recommend EFT, I did my CPL there in 2005. First class instructors,and a nice place to train. I stayed at a trailer park exactly one mile from the airport, I think it was around $500 for the month. A mile is not far, but after a hard days flying the walk is a bit of a bind. Go to Walmart and you can buy a very nice mountain bike for around $35, Dump it in a hedge when you are finished. The first half of the CPL is no problem as you will be flying C172's, there are around 10 of them and so availability is not an issue, However when I was there they only had one Arrow which was usually booked and occasionaly tech. I think I heard that they have an extra one now, but you should check. One piece of advice if you don't mind, if you don't have any complex time at present you need to budget for more than the 5 hours that they quote. I had around 40hrs complex time before I arrived there but even so 5hrs was not enough. If you choose to go make sure you spend every lunchtime in the Tikki, the food & women are outstanding, Good Luck.

[razzele]

EFT no longer need to use the above mentioned trailer park. There is now new "mullet-free" housing provided actually on the airfield itself.




Razzele

[powdermonkey]

Hi guys, was thinking of doing hour build/Me/night and CPL over there. Is there time enough in a day to do CPL training in the morning and then do some hour building in the afternoon. Then leave the ME rating till last?

[Keygrip]

Errr, well, there IS time - but it doesn't seem logical to even want to.

What are you planning? How come you want to start the CPL course = presumably in a single engine aircraft (mistake one?), whilst hour building (for what?) and then finish off later with an MEP course (why pay twice - do it all at once).

As I said - the answer to your question is YES - but I invite you to explain your thinking on your individual way forward.

PM if you don't want to go public.

[powdermonkey]

No problem answering on the forum. I will have enough hours to start my CPL in May, but like most not enough to get the license issued, therefore I thought I could start the CPL, along with a friend of mine who is also going over, and then by way of practice what was learned that day in CPL training, to go off and fly a few hours xtra each day, combining hour building and practicing good flying skills ( inc. planning, diversions etc?) I also felt, possibly wrongly that it was better to concentrate on the CPL flight test in a single and leave the twin flying as a separate test at a later date, thereby making theCPL test slightly less ...stressful, not having to deal with asymetrics, xtra speed ect in an ac I would be a lot less familiar with?
Ps I know you quickly make up the hours with the CPL training followed by ME/IR etc. but these are all dual hours, what I am short of is P1 time ( hence the hour building )