Flight Training Europe, Jerez
 

I'm just wondering if anyone has any good or bad points on the above FTO I'm interested mainly in their Integrated course.

THings like what’s the price like and are the people friendly. If anyone could help us out it would be much appreciated.

Jerez
 

Visited Jerez when it was still BWoS (British Aerospace) the complex is very good and it seemed a happy place. But this is a while ago. Now under new management, that should be an improvement. Turn over of staff was high. You should visit their web site www.flighttrainingeurope.com .

Good Luck

thanks for the advise unowho

Hi grafity,

I'm also interested in the flying school, and recently sent them an email (yesturday), and they replied (this morning)!!!

For the integrated course, the price quoted to me was €92,000!!! yikes!!! but that did include everything (appart from shoes). In the price was accomodation, full board lodging, renewal of 1st class medical...........

Give them an email and they will probably send you the same stuff.

Good luck

G-ANDY

Well Oxford charges near 100,000e with-out accomodation so it's not that bad. It's hard to no. I might go to one of their seminars their having one in dublin at the end of the month I think there's is one in England around the same time

Grafity,,

i didn't realise Oxford charge that much!!! it makes Spain seem even nicer!!

I was talking with someone at my flying school the other day, and they say that integrated courses tend to cost about £20,000 more than modular courses. although, i feel the real benefit which comes from an integrated course is that you go through the course with a group of people which adds encouragment, banter and support.

Keep me informed with your plans, you never know, i might make it there if i win the lottery or rob a couple of banks!!

G-ANDY

I accually made a bit of a mistake it's 60,000 pound sterlin so it works out at about 88000e. The exhange rates have changed over the last while I thought it was 6:10 but it's accually nearer 7:10.
But theirs still full board at Jerez.

hey guys
 

i was at that seminar in dub in holiday inn in september, it was interesting enough. it would be interesting now to c why BAE pulled out. flight training has gone very slow recently with most airlines opting against sponsorship. im travelling over to spain in 2 wks to look at jerez also im going to visit 2 fto's in madrid aeromadrid and aerofan these places are relatively cheaper and would be worth lookin in to pm me if ya wana give me shout etc.

good luck with it folks which eva way ye end up

"it would be interesting now to c why BAE pulled out."

Basically BAE have pulled out of virtually everything that, to them, is not a "core" business. Just look at the RJX programme. Once they cancelled that civil flight training lost a lot of its relevance to them.

Also as BAE are desperate to become a major US company a little flight school on Southern Spain was just a pain in the *rse.

I understand that BAE want to concentrate on their core business, and agree that this relatively small operation from BAE's point of view had to go. But why have they kept their schools running in Aus?

My opinion is that it is due to general lack of cadetships in Europe at the moment, and indeed forseeable future. Whereas their school in Adelaide gets plenty of cadets which is a nice steady source of cash.

I have visted FTE and was very impressed, and would have no reservation in recommending them to anyone who wants to do a full time integrated course.

just my 2c

Visted the school and have friends who are going through the course at the moment. Great facilities, great people and the food was pretty decent too. The aircraft are really well maintained, which makes a change from some other schools I have visited, that was one of the biggest selling points for me. So, yes, expensive, but also worth it considering whats included in the bill! Good luck with your decision!

Been there, didn't do it...
 

Hi

I went to Jerez last year when it was BAE Systems. I also know people who have completed the course and people who are out there now.

I was due to start an integrated course but had to withdraw because I was borrowing all the money and would have found myself overstretched on the repayments if fuel prices went up or if I had to pay for a type rating following graduation.

Given a choice, Jerez or Oxford would still be my first preference for an integrated course as the training is top notch and highly regarded in the industry. The staff are great at Jerez, and they are totally professional. There were no problems when I had to withdraw from my contract, and my decision was fully supported.

There is nothing to read into BAE's withdrawal from Jerez. The company has been trimming non-core assets for some time now all across the world. Basically anything that's not military is being sold off, and that is purely a business decision to focus on their key market rather than anything to do with FTOs. The management in Jerez bought the flying school and are passionate about it, to the extent that standards have been maintained and the facility overall has probably improved as a result of its future being secure.

I used to believe integrated was the only way to go for an airline career, but now I believe that modular routes are just as valid, and almost certainly cheaper, even if it takes longer to get onto jets. It comes down to personal circumstances and preferences as well as the specific requirements of recruiters.

My only caveats on FTOs including Jerez are as follows:

1) Always remember that times are hard in the industry and FTOs are running a business just as are the airlines. There is no room for sentiment and you should treat funding your own training as a business decision. FTO staff are professionals, not only in flight training, but in sales and marketing too!

2) The fATPL course in Jerez might be E92,000 all in, but remember that you will need extra spending money to maintain your cash flow, whether that is for taxis, trips home at Easter and Christmas, washing, clothes, small luxuries(?!), or beer and snacks. These little things all add up over 14 months, and are one of the factors for my not being able to take up the course (because the bank wouldn't loan me the extra).

3) Also, don't forget that if fuel prices rise, so might the cost of your training (check your contract!), and you might still need to fund a type rating before an airline will take you on.

4) With points 2 and 3 above taken into consideration, you need to budget for £100K sterling before commencing self funded integrated training. That means being able to meet loan repayments of up to £1000 per month for the next 10-20 years starting from six months after you graduate, with no guarantee of a job. There are probably more than 1500 fATPLs already out there looking for those jobs.

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I wish you well but keep a cool and mercenary head, because things get a whole lot tougher from here!

I forgot to say that the price at Jerez is actually about average for the training and accommodation you will get, which is also the bare minimum you will need. Don\'t get fooled by massively cheaper courses because half the time you are not comparing like with like. Any airline will confirm that it costs at least £65,000 to get a fATPL + CPL (IR)+MCC/JOT worth its salt.

Also, it goes without saying - at the risk of being patronizing - that you should not go to Spain just because it\'s Spain. It gets foggy, rains and snows there too, and you are not going there for a holiday. The downside of all that sun is that if it gets to 34 degrees you can\'t fly, and most of the time you will be on campus anyway (at the airport - whoopee...). If it is Spain you are interested in, take a year off, learn the language and go travelling instead! It would be a darn sight cheaper and you\'d see more.

Straightandlevel80kt

Thanks I'll keep it all in mind, you made some interesting points.

You say that you'd want to be budgeting for 100K sterling. This would be leaving nearly 60,000e to spare after the 92,000 euro do you recon that such a reserve is needed or was this an error.

I doubt very much you'll need £100K. There have been a few exceptions. If you begin to fail test after test, it can get very expensive.
You should definitely have a plan to cover re-test/extra training costs even if you don't see it happening.

In terms of living expenses, I managed to get by on about £5-6K for the year.

redstar

The commercial school at Adelaide is up for sale, too although the "military" school at Tamworth is not.

Oddly enough, BAE are investing heavily in the civil school at Qatar, even though "civil training is no longer a core business" - an investment made AFTER selling off Jerez.

I'm ex-Jerez myself and can vouch for the fact that most of the instructors are very good (most, but like everywhere, not all!). As to how busy they are these days I just don't know - it was VERY quiet bwhen I left at Christmas.

Moggie,

Just out of curiosity, are you now job hunting, and if so how is it going?

Is anyone going to the FTE seminar in Dublin this weekend?

Gratify, am planning to go to the 11am session, will see you there :ok:

Hey up all!

I am also an ex-cadet of Jerez and much more recent one at that. I found it to be good fun. Jerez is not too close to the airport as to be a distraction, but it is also close enough for large nights out at the weekend!!!:E

The campus facilities are second to none. So when it gets too hot to fly... "To the pool Gentlemen... and Woman (Sorry lads only one left when I went)"

Lets look at the serious issues... Instructors ground and flying are quality, even though some of them have their quirks.

Aircraft no fault there... well except for the few which suffered at my hands:}

I did find that if you do not push to go flying in the beginning, you will not go flying in the beginning... Push them... you are paying. This is the mistake I made and found myself really working hard in the air towards the end. When you are learning, two flights a day turn the brain to mush... I did a lot of threes.:ugh:

But still the school is really good all rounder and Peter Sadler knows what he is doing! The sad part is... AFTER, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN!!!

Now that I am trying to get that first job, it looks like a lot of luck, timing and effort is going to be needed!!!

Any more Qs? PM me!

I trained at Jerez in 2001/02. No real regrets and a good few of the guys (all self funded) are now airline employed. If you go out there with a PPL and manage to save a few SEP hours, they will write you a nice refund cheque to take home (mine was for around £2,000).

We did manage to get out and about in Spain a little, many an afternoon spent on the beach, and many an evening out sampling the local delicacies ;) . Malaga is about 1hr 45mins drive (or 35mins by seneca)!! and Gibraltar about 1hr 10mins where you can stock up on all the usual goodies that you will be missing from home (like decent beer, indian food, FHM and galaxy choc)!!

I got by on around £500 per month for spends, and managed to run a car (shared with two other guys), and pay for several return flights home to the UK.

The weather was generally fantastic, but as already stated, this can it's self cause problems with poor visibility, high X winds and tarmac temperatures of around 40 deg! (good reasons to make for the beach or the pool again)!! On the other hand, when it rains you can expect short term flooding and severe storms!!

Food was ok but repetitive, it may well have improved since. We didn't go hungry. Accomodation is top notch! Ground school was pretty good, some notes were poor, but we made our own and most people passed the exams without too many problems. Flight training was great fun, with good instructors and a fantastic fleet of aircraft (all identical spec)! Again, test results were generally very good.

I do actually miss the place, and might plan a weekend visit over the summer.

Best of luck,

w.s.