Progress vs 43 airschool
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Progress vs 43 airschool
Hi there fellow wannabes,
I'm interested in hearing from anybody who has done serious training at either Progress Flight Academy or 43 Air School in South Africa.. .I'm considering them for professional training.. .I am South African but living in London so I already know all about the country, prices,crime etc.etc.
Cheers
I'm interested in hearing from anybody who has done serious training at either Progress Flight Academy or 43 Air School in South Africa.. .I'm considering them for professional training.. .I am South African but living in London so I already know all about the country, prices,crime etc.etc.
Cheers
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Flight deck chap,
I did my CPL/IR with Progress. Admittedly it was 1 & 1/2 years ago now but for what it's worth here's my summary.
Progress is run by John English and a very fine pilot, instructor and flying school operator he is too. However, the accommodation and food on site were way below what you might expect. Progress is a small school and you benefit from the personal attention that allows. The facilities for when you are not flying are not as good due to the lower turnover.
43 is a good school too, I believe. It is MUCH bigger and has better non flying facilities but it's a production line.
From a flying point of view, Progress is far better situated for all your IR work as it's an 8 minute hop into the beacon at PE. From Port Alfred you have a 40 min transit to do every day before you can even start your profile. Believe me, when the OAT is 25deg at 5000' you want to be into the profile and out of it ASAP. You know what the weathers like down there.Very nice until you are 1 engine down without your AH, DI and visual reference, trying to hack a NDB approach with a 30Kt X wind ( that berg wind can really make flying interesting).
The way 43 get around all that transit time is to use it as your X country training hours.. but really, how much value do you get out of flying down the coast every day - not a challenging trip. The Progress X country on the other hand will see you up in Queenstown, George, Oudtshoorn, PA, and some very interesting spots out in the karroo ( Heard of Henry's flats? ). Final advantage of Progress that once you have passed your type ratings, John will let you take the aeroplanes away at the weekend so you can nip down to Capetown in 3 hours. I spent a very pleasant w/e in Plett.. nice to be able to fly yourself away for the w/e - and it all counts towards your x country and P1 time.
The choice is, big/small, facilities/flexibility, personal/factory production, transit/no transit.
Don't expect anything from the accomm at Progress but you will not find finer flight training.
And no, I don't work for Progress - wish I did, might get to fly once in a while!! Enough of my gripes.
More discussion available upon request. Good luck.
Nevergo.
I did my CPL/IR with Progress. Admittedly it was 1 & 1/2 years ago now but for what it's worth here's my summary.
Progress is run by John English and a very fine pilot, instructor and flying school operator he is too. However, the accommodation and food on site were way below what you might expect. Progress is a small school and you benefit from the personal attention that allows. The facilities for when you are not flying are not as good due to the lower turnover.
43 is a good school too, I believe. It is MUCH bigger and has better non flying facilities but it's a production line.
From a flying point of view, Progress is far better situated for all your IR work as it's an 8 minute hop into the beacon at PE. From Port Alfred you have a 40 min transit to do every day before you can even start your profile. Believe me, when the OAT is 25deg at 5000' you want to be into the profile and out of it ASAP. You know what the weathers like down there.Very nice until you are 1 engine down without your AH, DI and visual reference, trying to hack a NDB approach with a 30Kt X wind ( that berg wind can really make flying interesting).
The way 43 get around all that transit time is to use it as your X country training hours.. but really, how much value do you get out of flying down the coast every day - not a challenging trip. The Progress X country on the other hand will see you up in Queenstown, George, Oudtshoorn, PA, and some very interesting spots out in the karroo ( Heard of Henry's flats? ). Final advantage of Progress that once you have passed your type ratings, John will let you take the aeroplanes away at the weekend so you can nip down to Capetown in 3 hours. I spent a very pleasant w/e in Plett.. nice to be able to fly yourself away for the w/e - and it all counts towards your x country and P1 time.
The choice is, big/small, facilities/flexibility, personal/factory production, transit/no transit.
Don't expect anything from the accomm at Progress but you will not find finer flight training.
And no, I don't work for Progress - wish I did, might get to fly once in a while!! Enough of my gripes.
More discussion available upon request. Good luck.
Nevergo.
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Howdy Nevergo,
Thanks for all the info and for such a quick reply.. .I have been to visit both schools but both were very quiet (just after Xmas). You're right about the accom at Progress. I found it a bit depressing, especially when I try to visualise many months of it(how did you cope?). 43 on the other hand were very impressive as far as accom and facilities is concerned. Despite this, I just can't help liking John English and his philosophies with regard to flight training. Also his fleet, although very small, seems more modern and better equiped than 43. . .If my training was going to be by John, I would be there in a flash.. .How good are his instructors taking into account that his most senior one has just left to work for an airline? I know its been a while since you were there, but how were the younger instructors, especially the ones just doing instruction as a stepping stone to that right hand seat? Also, how was the groundschool? Are the aircraft well maintained?
Sorry to bombard you with all these questions but you know how it is when you're at this stage of the game.
Many thanks again
Thanks for all the info and for such a quick reply.. .I have been to visit both schools but both were very quiet (just after Xmas). You're right about the accom at Progress. I found it a bit depressing, especially when I try to visualise many months of it(how did you cope?). 43 on the other hand were very impressive as far as accom and facilities is concerned. Despite this, I just can't help liking John English and his philosophies with regard to flight training. Also his fleet, although very small, seems more modern and better equiped than 43. . .If my training was going to be by John, I would be there in a flash.. .How good are his instructors taking into account that his most senior one has just left to work for an airline? I know its been a while since you were there, but how were the younger instructors, especially the ones just doing instruction as a stepping stone to that right hand seat? Also, how was the groundschool? Are the aircraft well maintained?
Sorry to bombard you with all these questions but you know how it is when you're at this stage of the game.
Many thanks again
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I went to 43 many moons ago. Great school, great social, but you need a car (to get out every now and then) The Fish river casino, Rhodes uni etc... I hear that it is a bit more serious and professional now than it was then, but I guess that might not be a bad thing. I cant comment on the fleet, it was fine then, but that was a few years ago. I guess that 43 suits the visitor more than the local, as it takes away the hassle of accomodation, laundry, meals etc. I cannot comment on Progress, except that whenever we landed in PE for a break in training or what ever, they were very welcoming and friendly. To be honest, I guess that you need to go and look at them both and see which would suit you more, as the standards are similar I imagine. Enjoy either way!
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FLight Deck!
drop me a mail and I'll answer your questions. Just can't spend the time on line to answer in the forum... the bosses are watching! 8-).
[email protected]
In short, couldn't say about the instructors unless you can tell me who they are. Most of them are trained at Progress and finished by John so they know the drill... very competant.
Aircraft, the C150s are a bit ropey but then they always are. C120 is a dream, rockwell is my favourite aircraft and the seminole is perfect for giving you a hard time on twins.. very reliable.
I'm probably going to have to go back to Africa to find work so I'll be revalidating with John at progress. It's a shame that Hennie left.. he's one of the best.
Later,
N.
drop me a mail and I'll answer your questions. Just can't spend the time on line to answer in the forum... the bosses are watching! 8-).
[email protected]
In short, couldn't say about the instructors unless you can tell me who they are. Most of them are trained at Progress and finished by John so they know the drill... very competant.
Aircraft, the C150s are a bit ropey but then they always are. C120 is a dream, rockwell is my favourite aircraft and the seminole is perfect for giving you a hard time on twins.. very reliable.
I'm probably going to have to go back to Africa to find work so I'll be revalidating with John at progress. It's a shame that Hennie left.. he's one of the best.
Later,
N.
