Student pilot having to change schools
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Student pilot having to change schools
After logging about 80 hours or so and spending nearly 25k USD I'm finally awaiting a checkride schedule however I don't believe I'll be able to go on to do IR, hour building and CPL at this academy which I currently train at. I was thinking to go back home (UK) after PPL or say I do IR/Hour building and come back would that be relatively cheaper and ideal? Please any recommendations on how I should proceed after my checkride. truly grateful.
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Student pilot having to change schools
Let me think? (not to hard to) you have been to a US sausage factory, made to fly twice as much as you would have had to in the UK, spent twice as much as a PPL would have cost you in the UK (about $12,000) and you are still waiting for a check ride?
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
You need to sit down and work out on two pieces of paper, the pro's and con's for training in the UK and the USA. While there are some very good schools that teach FAA in the USA, there are not many good schools that can teach EASA PPL properly and in accordance with rules, regulations and most importantly in accordance with an EASA PPL syllabus.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
You need to sit down and work out on two pieces of paper, the pro's and con's for training in the UK and the USA. While there are some very good schools that teach FAA in the USA, there are not many good schools that can teach EASA PPL properly and in accordance with rules, regulations and most importantly in accordance with an EASA PPL syllabus.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
Let me think? (not to hard to) you have been to a US sausage factory, made to fly twice as much as you would have had to in the UK, spent twice as much as a PPL would have cost you in the UK (about $12,000) and you are still waiting for a check ride?
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
You need to sit down and work out on two pieces of paper, the pro's and con's for training in the UK and the USA. While there are some very good schools that teach FAA in the USA, there are not many good schools that can teach EASA PPL properly and in accordance with rules, regulations and most importantly in accordance with an EASA PPL syllabus.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
I presume it was under easa rules, so another good option would be to stay there and look for a better school than his current one.
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to #2 "And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!"
There is not prescribed way to navigate. The only thing the examiner cares for is that you;
- arrive on time
- and that the method you use is visible to him (ie he wants to know how you're doing it)
Regarding stalls; The EASA regs focus a lot on stall avoidance, while other territories focus on stall recovery. Both have merit.
Please don't think the UK or EASA possess all wisdom when it comes to VFR flying. I have personally experienced they do not; And frankly they don't need to, considering how brain-dead easy it is to navigate over here.
--
To the OP:
Personally I would not fret too much about doing PPL in minimum hours. It is not a pissing contest and you will not care anymore once you get paid to fly. You need the hours anyway for your CPL, so consider it part of hour building. Could you have done it cheaper? Perhaps, but when people say you could have gotten your PPL for 12k in 40-50 hours, they are omitting the fact that you already got some additional hours you need anyway.
Personally I would stick with your school and get your PPL; Don't bother changing, you'll get stuck forever doing checkrides etc with another school anyway until they have checked your standard before they can put you up for a skills test.
If you intend to get an EASA CPL MEIR then I would stick with the US, get your PPL, get some cheap hour building going, and then return to the UK for your NVFR, CPL and IR.
NVFR: When I did it my ICAO NVFR was not accepted, so I did the course again. Your mileage may vary, seems to depend on who you ask at the CAA
CPL: Glorified PPL in Europe, don't sweat it. No point converting from an ICAO CPL as it is just expensive (785£ for a skills test alone, no aircraft hire). You might learn more doing your CPL elsewhere, but it won't matter in the end if you stick with Europe and want to save some pennies.
MEIR: The UK is pretty damn congested when it comes to airspace, which provides a great training environment for IR. Also, the UK IR skills test includes a non precision approach. I don't believe the US has NDBs anymore, so this would be something you have to learn anyway. Considering multi engine aircraft in the UK cost an arm and a leg to hire, you might as well get it right the first time.
Just my 2 cents. Best of luck buddy, and make sure you enjoy it.
Disclaimer - I never did any flying in the US and I don't hold an FAA license. My advice is based on my own experience converting an ICAO license, so your mileage may vary.
There is not prescribed way to navigate. The only thing the examiner cares for is that you;
- arrive on time
- and that the method you use is visible to him (ie he wants to know how you're doing it)
Regarding stalls; The EASA regs focus a lot on stall avoidance, while other territories focus on stall recovery. Both have merit.
Please don't think the UK or EASA possess all wisdom when it comes to VFR flying. I have personally experienced they do not; And frankly they don't need to, considering how brain-dead easy it is to navigate over here.
--
To the OP:
Personally I would not fret too much about doing PPL in minimum hours. It is not a pissing contest and you will not care anymore once you get paid to fly. You need the hours anyway for your CPL, so consider it part of hour building. Could you have done it cheaper? Perhaps, but when people say you could have gotten your PPL for 12k in 40-50 hours, they are omitting the fact that you already got some additional hours you need anyway.
Personally I would stick with your school and get your PPL; Don't bother changing, you'll get stuck forever doing checkrides etc with another school anyway until they have checked your standard before they can put you up for a skills test.
If you intend to get an EASA CPL MEIR then I would stick with the US, get your PPL, get some cheap hour building going, and then return to the UK for your NVFR, CPL and IR.
NVFR: When I did it my ICAO NVFR was not accepted, so I did the course again. Your mileage may vary, seems to depend on who you ask at the CAA
CPL: Glorified PPL in Europe, don't sweat it. No point converting from an ICAO CPL as it is just expensive (785£ for a skills test alone, no aircraft hire). You might learn more doing your CPL elsewhere, but it won't matter in the end if you stick with Europe and want to save some pennies.
MEIR: The UK is pretty damn congested when it comes to airspace, which provides a great training environment for IR. Also, the UK IR skills test includes a non precision approach. I don't believe the US has NDBs anymore, so this would be something you have to learn anyway. Considering multi engine aircraft in the UK cost an arm and a leg to hire, you might as well get it right the first time.
Just my 2 cents. Best of luck buddy, and make sure you enjoy it.
Disclaimer - I never did any flying in the US and I don't hold an FAA license. My advice is based on my own experience converting an ICAO license, so your mileage may vary.
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Let me think? (not to hard to) you have been to a US sausage factory, made to fly twice as much as you would have had to in the UK, spent twice as much as a PPL would have cost you in the UK (about $12,000) and you are still waiting for a check ride?
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
You need to sit down and work out on two pieces of paper, the pro's and con's for training in the UK and the USA. While there are some very good schools that teach FAA in the USA, there are not many good schools that can teach EASA PPL properly and in accordance with rules, regulations and most importantly in accordance with an EASA PPL syllabus.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!
You would have been better to look at the schools in the UK, (and there are plenty of them) who could have got you done in 40-50 hours, skills test as well and had some money left over afterwards.
You need to sit down and work out on two pieces of paper, the pro's and con's for training in the UK and the USA. While there are some very good schools that teach FAA in the USA, there are not many good schools that can teach EASA PPL properly and in accordance with rules, regulations and most importantly in accordance with an EASA PPL syllabus.
Whatever option you choose, think wisely before you spend any more money, and good luck to you and your career.
If the OP has started his training under FAA rules, the best for him would be to stay there and complete his training that way.
I presume it was under easa rules, so another good option would be to stay there and look for a better school than his current one.
I presume it was under easa rules, so another good option would be to stay there and look for a better school than his current one.
to #2 "And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!"
There is not prescribed way to navigate. The only thing the examiner cares for is that you;
- arrive on time
- and that the method you use is visible to him (ie he wants to know how you're doing it)
Regarding stalls; The EASA regs focus a lot on stall avoidance, while other territories focus on stall recovery. Both have merit.
Please don't think the UK or EASA possess all wisdom when it comes to VFR flying. I have personally experienced they do not; And frankly they don't need to, considering how brain-dead easy it is to navigate over here.
--
To the OP:
Personally I would not fret too much about doing PPL in minimum hours. It is not a pissing contest and you will not care anymore once you get paid to fly. You need the hours anyway for your CPL, so consider it part of hour building. Could you have done it cheaper? Perhaps, but when people say you could have gotten your PPL for 12k in 40-50 hours, they are omitting the fact that you already got some additional hours you need anyway.
Personally I would stick with your school and get your PPL; Don't bother changing, you'll get stuck forever doing checkrides etc with another school anyway until they have checked your standard before they can put you up for a skills test.
If you intend to get an EASA CPL MEIR then I would stick with the US, get your PPL, get some cheap hour building going, and then return to the UK for your NVFR, CPL and IR.
NVFR: When I did it my ICAO NVFR was not accepted, so I did the course again. Your mileage may vary, seems to depend on who you ask at the CAA
CPL: Glorified PPL in Europe, don't sweat it. No point converting from an ICAO CPL as it is just expensive (785£ for a skills test alone, no aircraft hire). You might learn more doing your CPL elsewhere, but it won't matter in the end if you stick with Europe and want to save some pennies.
MEIR: The UK is pretty damn congested when it comes to airspace, which provides a great training environment for IR. Also, the UK IR skills test includes a non precision approach. I don't believe the US has NDBs anymore, so this would be something you have to learn anyway. Considering multi engine aircraft in the UK cost an arm and a leg to hire, you might as well get it right the first time.
Just my 2 cents. Best of luck buddy, and make sure you enjoy it.
Disclaimer - I never did any flying in the US and I don't hold an FAA license. My advice is based on my own experience converting an ICAO license, so your mileage may vary.
There is not prescribed way to navigate. The only thing the examiner cares for is that you;
- arrive on time
- and that the method you use is visible to him (ie he wants to know how you're doing it)
Regarding stalls; The EASA regs focus a lot on stall avoidance, while other territories focus on stall recovery. Both have merit.
Please don't think the UK or EASA possess all wisdom when it comes to VFR flying. I have personally experienced they do not; And frankly they don't need to, considering how brain-dead easy it is to navigate over here.
--
To the OP:
Personally I would not fret too much about doing PPL in minimum hours. It is not a pissing contest and you will not care anymore once you get paid to fly. You need the hours anyway for your CPL, so consider it part of hour building. Could you have done it cheaper? Perhaps, but when people say you could have gotten your PPL for 12k in 40-50 hours, they are omitting the fact that you already got some additional hours you need anyway.
Personally I would stick with your school and get your PPL; Don't bother changing, you'll get stuck forever doing checkrides etc with another school anyway until they have checked your standard before they can put you up for a skills test.
If you intend to get an EASA CPL MEIR then I would stick with the US, get your PPL, get some cheap hour building going, and then return to the UK for your NVFR, CPL and IR.
NVFR: When I did it my ICAO NVFR was not accepted, so I did the course again. Your mileage may vary, seems to depend on who you ask at the CAA
CPL: Glorified PPL in Europe, don't sweat it. No point converting from an ICAO CPL as it is just expensive (785£ for a skills test alone, no aircraft hire). You might learn more doing your CPL elsewhere, but it won't matter in the end if you stick with Europe and want to save some pennies.
MEIR: The UK is pretty damn congested when it comes to airspace, which provides a great training environment for IR. Also, the UK IR skills test includes a non precision approach. I don't believe the US has NDBs anymore, so this would be something you have to learn anyway. Considering multi engine aircraft in the UK cost an arm and a leg to hire, you might as well get it right the first time.
Just my 2 cents. Best of luck buddy, and make sure you enjoy it.
Disclaimer - I never did any flying in the US and I don't hold an FAA license. My advice is based on my own experience converting an ICAO license, so your mileage may vary.
Last edited by S00; 20th Oct 2015 at 09:32.
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Oh the 'we do it better' in the UK make me laugh. I'm surprised 50North hasn't mentioned how you'll hand to learn about QFE. QFE is what makes the UK such a great place to operate and sets us apart from the world. Until you you realise every commercial operator uses QNH, just like they do stateside and when flying commercially you'll never use QFE. EVER.
I came back, did a standard one hour check out with a local club and away I went. I also got a major UK airline to fund my TR. Took just as long as every one else on the course to complete the training.
The crowd that claim the US is inferior usually have a vested interested in getting you to train in the UK. Back in my day when the US have less than half the price of the U.K., you'd see people frantically posting on here a la 50North. Now that it's not that much cheaper to fly in the US (and therefore is less of a competitor), they've calmed down somewhat.
I came back, did a standard one hour check out with a local club and away I went. I also got a major UK airline to fund my TR. Took just as long as every one else on the course to complete the training.
The crowd that claim the US is inferior usually have a vested interested in getting you to train in the UK. Back in my day when the US have less than half the price of the U.K., you'd see people frantically posting on here a la 50North. Now that it's not that much cheaper to fly in the US (and therefore is less of a competitor), they've calmed down somewhat.
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What?
"Let me think? (not to hard to) you have been to a US sausage factory, made to fly twice as much as you would have had to in the UK, spent twice as much as a PPL would have cost you in the UK (about $12,000) and you are still waiting for a check ride?
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!"
What? Are you serious? I was an FAA CFI and still keep my certificates current; but this is one of the more ridiculous things I have read on PPRUNE....I instructed JAA CPL guys that came to the States to hour build and was shocked at what I saw with some of them.....Navigating around the LA basin in all the Bravo and Charlie airspace was an eye opener for most of them...All that JAA bravado went down the tube real fast and they got super quiet when they needed to speak with ATC...So much for being experts at navigation.... FAA PPLs not knowing the correct procedure for stall recovery???WTF...Sorry buddy, they need to know that before they'd get a solo signoff ...FAA student pilots and PPL applicants perform stall recovery in their training as well as the check-ride ..... Read up on FAR 61.87 and the FAA PPL PTS....So yeah, keep talking nonsense....
I'm willing to bet that it takes just a bit longer to train in high density airspace areas like So. Cal for example than it does in the middle of nowhere in the UK. I flew with PPL's that got their certificate in 45 hours in the middle of Kansas and had the look of a deer caught in headlights when we would go flying around in So Cal.....Whereas the So Cal trained pilots (or pilots trained in other areas in the US with complex airspace) were at ease flying anywhere in the US.
On the flip side, there were also a lot of great JAA pilots that I had the pleasure of instructing...
And when you come back to the UK, you will have to be taught how to navigate and the correct procedure for carrying out stalls!!"
What? Are you serious? I was an FAA CFI and still keep my certificates current; but this is one of the more ridiculous things I have read on PPRUNE....I instructed JAA CPL guys that came to the States to hour build and was shocked at what I saw with some of them.....Navigating around the LA basin in all the Bravo and Charlie airspace was an eye opener for most of them...All that JAA bravado went down the tube real fast and they got super quiet when they needed to speak with ATC...So much for being experts at navigation.... FAA PPLs not knowing the correct procedure for stall recovery???WTF...Sorry buddy, they need to know that before they'd get a solo signoff ...FAA student pilots and PPL applicants perform stall recovery in their training as well as the check-ride ..... Read up on FAR 61.87 and the FAA PPL PTS....So yeah, keep talking nonsense....
I'm willing to bet that it takes just a bit longer to train in high density airspace areas like So. Cal for example than it does in the middle of nowhere in the UK. I flew with PPL's that got their certificate in 45 hours in the middle of Kansas and had the look of a deer caught in headlights when we would go flying around in So Cal.....Whereas the So Cal trained pilots (or pilots trained in other areas in the US with complex airspace) were at ease flying anywhere in the US.
On the flip side, there were also a lot of great JAA pilots that I had the pleasure of instructing...
Last edited by TheBiggerD; 21st Oct 2015 at 20:08.
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Yep. All this EASA Vs FAA / UK Vs US stuff is getting old, it needs to stop already. They got what they wanted for the most part, with almost no-one from Europe going to train stateside now so there's no need to rub it in. I suspect that they might know a little bit about flying in the United States, dunno why really - I mean it's not like it's a country with a long history of aviation achievements or anything - just a hunch I have.
