cheap flying schools
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cheap flying schools
hi,
i was looking at schools at the US and it seems a little expensive for my budget. I am starting from scratch, so i'll be starting off from firstly, obtaining my SPL.
Do you recommend any schools in SA, cheap and good.
how much would it cost to obtain a CPL from scratch?
i was looking at schools at the US and it seems a little expensive for my budget. I am starting from scratch, so i'll be starting off from firstly, obtaining my SPL.
Do you recommend any schools in SA, cheap and good.
how much would it cost to obtain a CPL from scratch?
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flight training
Don't get caught out, whoever gives you a too-good to be true, or whatever you look at in ways of training , be it intergrated or modular. From trial lesson to flight airline flight deck it will cost you circa £120k hard cash (inc type rating).
DO NOT scrimp on training, you will get caught out later down your progression when you are told that "certain licenses are not valid for this, certain ratings not valid for that"!
Ensure you can get a class 1 medical, or all of it will be a waste of time anyway, then the PPL is your choice (if modular). The only good USA schools are those that do not advertise, so word of mouth is what your searching for. The UK training is excellent with busy airspace, more radio requirements and more in depth instruction. The down sides are a, the weather and b, the costs. It can cost £5k-£12k depending on the school.
After the PPL make sure you get a good groundschool..Bristol, Oxford and Cabair are all at the top in this one..be very cautious of the "cheap" schools, you will find yourself on your own in a classroom every afternoon whilst your teacher is flying!
CPL/ME/IR is, again, a bit of a balance of quality and cost. Again the UK is the best, not least because there are no conversions required at varying stages. Spain is an absolute NONO for the IR, many airlines do not value or even recognise the training.
Lastly if you have not been hit by the credit crunch and are able to get a £60k loan, or re-mortgage your property go intergrated. There is no actual advantage as far as the airlines are concerned, but it gets you through all the crazy beaurocratic hoops quicker
Hope this helps
DO NOT scrimp on training, you will get caught out later down your progression when you are told that "certain licenses are not valid for this, certain ratings not valid for that"!
Ensure you can get a class 1 medical, or all of it will be a waste of time anyway, then the PPL is your choice (if modular). The only good USA schools are those that do not advertise, so word of mouth is what your searching for. The UK training is excellent with busy airspace, more radio requirements and more in depth instruction. The down sides are a, the weather and b, the costs. It can cost £5k-£12k depending on the school.
After the PPL make sure you get a good groundschool..Bristol, Oxford and Cabair are all at the top in this one..be very cautious of the "cheap" schools, you will find yourself on your own in a classroom every afternoon whilst your teacher is flying!
CPL/ME/IR is, again, a bit of a balance of quality and cost. Again the UK is the best, not least because there are no conversions required at varying stages. Spain is an absolute NONO for the IR, many airlines do not value or even recognise the training.
Lastly if you have not been hit by the credit crunch and are able to get a £60k loan, or re-mortgage your property go intergrated. There is no actual advantage as far as the airlines are concerned, but it gets you through all the crazy beaurocratic hoops quicker
Hope this helps
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From trial lesson to flight airline flight deck it will cost you circa £120k hard cash (inc type rating).
You can nicely get it done with half the money.
The UK training is excellent with busy airspace, more radio requirements and more in depth instruction. The down sides are a, the weather and b, the costs. It can cost £5k-£12k depending on the school.
That's the major problem already, don't fetch out the cash on a JAA PPL. Go to the US and get a FAA PPL. It's harder to get (oral exam etc), but will be a lot more rewarding imo.
The best part about the US is fly all you want, pay no landing fees, and enjoy flying on exactly the same type of aircraft than one in Europe for less than half the price.
12K Pounds for a JAA PPL is NUTS!!!!! There's enough Class B and C airspaces in the US as well, and I spent a total of 3000 US DOLLARS ( about 1,5k Pounds, my guess? ) on my PPL. Prices in ol' Europe are insane
edit: God darn spelling....
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Before a few of you get carried away in the excitement, it is worth noting that Karuns location is shown as the USA. That is a country with a very well established aviation industry at all levels. It is widely recognised that the prevalent levels of competition and relatively low tax conditions make the USA one of (if not the) most inexpensive countries in the world in which to undertake flight training. I doubt that you find better value for your training dollar than you will at home.
On the face of it there is precious little point in training for a licensing requirement in a foreign part of the world where you might have great difficulty in obtaining subsequent employment. Even if this was your goal, initial flight training would still be more beneficial undertaken in the USA.
Some of the statements on here are pure nonsense. There is no value in statements such as:
Whilst recommendations and authenticated testimony are indeed useful, any business that advertises (including flight schools) are not rendered poor because they advertise.
Given that you are starting from scratch, try and find a selection of flying schools in your locality and take it from that point. A private pilots certificate will be your first goal, and that together with the requisite medical certificates will be necessary as part of a structured flying career plan.
I am not sure why you are interested in schools in "SA"? Do you mean South Africa, South America or San Antonio? In any event (with the possible exception of the latter) you would spend more on travelling there than you would ever save with regard to most aspects of flight training, even assuming it was any cheaper in the first place.
At this stage keep it simple and if you live in the USA keep it local.
Good luck.
On the face of it there is precious little point in training for a licensing requirement in a foreign part of the world where you might have great difficulty in obtaining subsequent employment. Even if this was your goal, initial flight training would still be more beneficial undertaken in the USA.
Some of the statements on here are pure nonsense. There is no value in statements such as:
The only good USA schools are those that do not advertise, so word of mouth is what your searching for.
Given that you are starting from scratch, try and find a selection of flying schools in your locality and take it from that point. A private pilots certificate will be your first goal, and that together with the requisite medical certificates will be necessary as part of a structured flying career plan.
I am not sure why you are interested in schools in "SA"? Do you mean South Africa, South America or San Antonio? In any event (with the possible exception of the latter) you would spend more on travelling there than you would ever save with regard to most aspects of flight training, even assuming it was any cheaper in the first place.
At this stage keep it simple and if you live in the USA keep it local.
Good luck.
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thank you very much for your help.
could you tell me what how much the total would come up to in the US? approximate?
are there any schools with a price range of $ 20-$25,000 with accomodation and fooding?
could you tell me what how much the total would come up to in the US? approximate?
are there any schools with a price range of $ 20-$25,000 with accomodation and fooding?
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If I was living in the USA I'd be taking full advantage of the flight training there.
Example
AriBen - Fly Aviator
FAA PPL
FAA MEIR
FAA SE & ME CPL
200hrs Multi Engine time
3 Months accommodation
All for $34,995 ~ £23,500
$5k more and you'll have the CFI, CFII & MEII allowing you to get on the job market and log some hours.
There are plenty of schools offering the same set up for a similar price.
Example
AriBen - Fly Aviator
FAA PPL
FAA MEIR
FAA SE & ME CPL
200hrs Multi Engine time
3 Months accommodation
All for $34,995 ~ £23,500
$5k more and you'll have the CFI, CFII & MEII allowing you to get on the job market and log some hours.
There are plenty of schools offering the same set up for a similar price.
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The USA is home to some of the best flying and training in the world, but also some of the worst. The problem with cheap schools in the USA is that they usually aren't cheap. There are a lot of shady operators out there.
Ari-Ben is the perfect example. The $34,995 in the example posted above has small print: Add $6000 for the FAA PPL. There's also thousands of dollars of additional costs, about another $10,000, including a random 'Admin fee', and $1500 of 'Fuel Surcharge'. They don't even include any books in the package price. Also, many of the hours flown at Ari Ben are as 'Safety Pilot', not valid under JAA. The quality of training also suffers in these big schools, where one batch of student's goes on to teach the next.
A better choice is to look for a small FBO offering 141 programs, who also have the ability to issue visas. They will be significantly cheaper than the academy style schools, and generally have more experienced instructors, a more varied fleet of airplanes, and better availability of airplanes and instructors, meaning you'll save a lot of time.
Ari-Ben is the perfect example. The $34,995 in the example posted above has small print: Add $6000 for the FAA PPL. There's also thousands of dollars of additional costs, about another $10,000, including a random 'Admin fee', and $1500 of 'Fuel Surcharge'. They don't even include any books in the package price. Also, many of the hours flown at Ari Ben are as 'Safety Pilot', not valid under JAA. The quality of training also suffers in these big schools, where one batch of student's goes on to teach the next.
A better choice is to look for a small FBO offering 141 programs, who also have the ability to issue visas. They will be significantly cheaper than the academy style schools, and generally have more experienced instructors, a more varied fleet of airplanes, and better availability of airplanes and instructors, meaning you'll save a lot of time.
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The OP is living in the US, so he will not need a visa for training.
I have to agree that a lot of the big schools pushing through Indian and JAA pilots without really caring may not be the best way to go.
Why not shop around your local few airports, go to a smal FTO, and if you feel like the people are nice, hook yourself for a trial lesson.
Whether it says JimBob's fancy aviation school or AveragePilot's FTO on your CV doesn't say nothing about your flying skills.....and who wants to train for his PPL in uniform anyways
edit: Re. prices, it depends on the aircraft you get to fly, how many multi hrs you want, etc.... I would say you end up at around 30-50k Dollars.
I have to agree that a lot of the big schools pushing through Indian and JAA pilots without really caring may not be the best way to go.
Why not shop around your local few airports, go to a smal FTO, and if you feel like the people are nice, hook yourself for a trial lesson.
Whether it says JimBob's fancy aviation school or AveragePilot's FTO on your CV doesn't say nothing about your flying skills.....and who wants to train for his PPL in uniform anyways
edit: Re. prices, it depends on the aircraft you get to fly, how many multi hrs you want, etc.... I would say you end up at around 30-50k Dollars.
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I agree with Speakers. For the "majority" of students conversions end up hugely more expensive than just going JAA in the first place.
The claim about FAA PPL being harder is also dubious. Agree the knowledge is higher - but at the FTO where I work we have continuous problems with students doing their JAA commercial from FAA PPLs as they never understood the fundamentals. I would say the "majority" of students go over at this stage.
I.e skimp at the PPL level pay later at Commercial and IR level (which is more expensive) Not saying that all FAA schools are bad - if the syllabus is taught properly, and well it's just as good - it just seems there is a massive training standard difference between different FAA schools.
Doesn't matter how good the house is, if the foundations are crap the house is crap.
Anyhow, is this guy after JAA or FAA licences?
The claim about FAA PPL being harder is also dubious. Agree the knowledge is higher - but at the FTO where I work we have continuous problems with students doing their JAA commercial from FAA PPLs as they never understood the fundamentals. I would say the "majority" of students go over at this stage.
I.e skimp at the PPL level pay later at Commercial and IR level (which is more expensive) Not saying that all FAA schools are bad - if the syllabus is taught properly, and well it's just as good - it just seems there is a massive training standard difference between different FAA schools.
Doesn't matter how good the house is, if the foundations are crap the house is crap.
Anyhow, is this guy after JAA or FAA licences?
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thanks a lot, people, for your suggestions. i really appreciate all this.
Well, i am after a FAA license, this is because i plan to go work outside of the US. Somewhere in asia.
If you could be a little more specific with area of the schools that are cheap, that would be easy to research, but i dont know where to start right now?
I have saved up around $ 25k and thats it. Is this sufficient to obtain a CPL from scratch? if yes then, what schools do you recommend?
Well, i am after a FAA license, this is because i plan to go work outside of the US. Somewhere in asia.
If you could be a little more specific with area of the schools that are cheap, that would be easy to research, but i dont know where to start right now?
I have saved up around $ 25k and thats it. Is this sufficient to obtain a CPL from scratch? if yes then, what schools do you recommend?
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Yes!
Small FBO's are the cheapest ways to train (and usually the best quality). $25K should be more than enough. Stay local if you can to save on rent.
Start with AirNav to find information on training providers at airports near you.
Small FBO's are the cheapest ways to train (and usually the best quality). $25K should be more than enough. Stay local if you can to save on rent.
Start with AirNav to find information on training providers at airports near you.
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stay away...
To the OP:
There are plenty of great schools in the US. Try finding a flying club near you and get a membership there. It will work out cheaper. I would strongly suggest staying away from places like Ariben - heard too many nightmare stories from people.
I think your best bet would be to search further on the forums at jet careers. There are more people from the US there and they can surely guide you in this matter.
If you need any more info - feel free to shoot me a PM and i'll be more than happy to help you in any way i can!
There are plenty of great schools in the US. Try finding a flying club near you and get a membership there. It will work out cheaper. I would strongly suggest staying away from places like Ariben - heard too many nightmare stories from people.
I think your best bet would be to search further on the forums at jet careers. There are more people from the US there and they can surely guide you in this matter.
If you need any more info - feel free to shoot me a PM and i'll be more than happy to help you in any way i can!
