Hi!

Just a little question :

I am looking for the word wich means "murrissement" in french, is it "maturing" in english?
It is when we have to get 150 hours after the PPL for starting the course CPL.

many thanks!

sam, frenchi

Usually called "hour building". Maturing seems an unlikely prospect for a pilot :p

Hour Building at Stapleford
 

Hi
Does anyone have any expereince building hours around the Stapleford area? I'm heading over in a few weeks and am a couple of hours short of 150.
What are the chances of me getting 20 hours a week done? Slim I think.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Hey Too Sleepy

I have just left SFC after completing my PPL, Night, IMC and around 35 P1 hours (including my 300mn CPL QXC). Im currently in the US doing some more P1 before starting my ATPLs...and to be honest if I could have done it all my time building out of Stapleford I would have. Everything is second to none, the people, the airspace, the atmosphere...everthing! Im not trying to blow smoke up their ass, I just really enjoyed my time there and cannot wait to return in December.

As for getting the time in, well its all weather dependent! My IMC helped, along with a copy of Flyer, Pilot and Todays Pilot Magazines (Free Landing fees every month). Also if you get a chance and have a little extra cash, try and get a check out on their single engine DA40D - its the muts nuts! The only other thing I would say is avoid Elstree in any time building flight - I got a pretty cold reception there, and Im not the only person to have said that!

do you know if we can staying in the accommodation at Stapleford while some days after the course ? It is the time to find an other accomodation for example...

Stapleford - Commercial or cluby?
 

OK, can someone please tell me if stapleford is actually a flying club, or it is a serious commerical training centre?

The reason i ask this is because there seems to be no definition between people who are coming every few weeks for a few hours circuit bashing, and people that are paying £30,000 to get a career and a (f)atpl. Would it not make more sense to, in principle, operate the commercial side as a seperate more proffesional outfit as this will be the world the students will be moving into.

Aswell as this, there also seems to be no structure to the hour building that you do there. It seems to me you could spend 100 knocking about in the circiut, write anything into your log book, and no one will ever know. Would it not seem logical if they are trying to get you to a high standard that is required by an airline and more importantly pass your cpl / IR in minimum hours, they would monitor your progress and how you are flying, and at least have maybe 40 of the 100 hours set aside for pre-planned routes by instructors that are more challenging and include land aways.

Please dont get me wrong, i have heard that the INSTRUCTION IS 1st RATE!! so please dont get me wrong, i just want to know that if stapleford want to be in the leagues of OAT, Jerez, and Cabair, (all intergrated, but like SFC, ALL have very close links with major airlines), then maybe a uniform or trousers and a shirt at least wouldnt go astray?

Can anyone who is there, or has any ideas about this please give me your thoughts.:confused:

Stapleford is a very well run flying center with an equally well run and organised commerical center. I get your point that it may not look as proffesional as say OAT or Cabair from the outside but it is certainly from the inside.

The lack of uniforms, ties and knee high socks doesn't make it any less of a school, in the same way as not wearing a tie to church makes you any less of a catholic.

I think you have to realise is that Stapleford, isn't about all the pretence and attitude that may be percieved with OAT and CABAIR its all about the flying and making you the best you can.

I'm probably completely out of order here and this is only my opinion but I get the impression OAT treat you like children/teenagers ( in the fact they tell you what time to get up, eat breakfast, goto lunch, do your homework and when you can visit your parents so you can get more money off them ! ) and can vouch for the fact Stapleford treat you like adults.

Also once you have finished your training at Stapleford you will always be welcome back and you can always have a cup of coffee there, where as OAT once you leave you're just another satistic to them!

As for the hour buildings, well I haven't started yet so can't really comment..but if you need someone to hold your hand all the way through the 100 hours then Stapleford isn't for you! The Instructors are more than willing to help out and guide you if you need but it's upto you to make those decisions.

You decide..

Personally I think structured hourbuilding built into the package would be better, if you don't know the area you may inadvertantly choose routes that are not challenging, experienced instructors could set challenges for you eg MATZ penetration etc. Just a thought.

Can anyone tell me if the professional traning (CPL/ME/IR) is done Mon-Fri or does training continue on the weekends too?

7 days a week, tests included

I think the idea of building hours "under the guidance of an instructor" isn't actually pusing you and developing your skills. Yes by all means make suggestions of places to go to but the emphasis has got to be on you. You're the Captain, you're building hours with the intent of one day Captaining an airliner.

The hour building has got to be you developing yourself as Captain and furthering your experiences and scaring yourself when you get into the sticky situations where you go "oh crap.." ... .. . .. .

Boing

Wasn't really suggesting hours building under guidance of instructor, instructor could suggest various qx's each getting more challenging, you could after all plan your own routes and miss out on some challenges and end up "boring proverbial holes in the sky". Human nature dictates that we generally find the easiest way out, by being set challenges I think it would make the hour building a far more productive experience. But hey, I am not disagreeing with your method, if it works/worked for you cool, I just feel that I would need a little prodding or my QX's would probably become a little unimaginative.

SFC - Great Place for Hour Building
 

Hi All,

As I said before, I'm currently flying through my hour building block at SFC. I think the great thing about Stapleford is its positioning:

Relatively clear airspace to the SE,
More complicated to the South (Gatwick, Southampton)
MATZ experience to the NE (Wattisham, Coltishall etc)
Complicated to the NW (Stanstead, Luton etc)

As you can see, there's airspace for any level of competence within the area. I got my PPL at an airfield in NW Kent so I know the South East area pretty well. So when I moved to SFC I began to fly North to start building up some MATZ experience.

Towards the beginning of the block I asked an instructor where to fly and he pretty much said what I have written above... If your not that experienced then fly down to the SE. As you develop start pushing yourself to plan more challenging flights.

I agree with Boingy in that the emphasis is on yourself to push yourself and develop your skills. Training for the PPL was the time for being told when and where to go. I think now's the time to develop those decision making skills that will be vital to the commercial world.

And where better to train than Stapleford? :ok:

Cheers,

CapCon

Stapleford, Coventry or Cabair
 

Hi All

I have a PPL and 110 hrs. I am going to start my ATPL Modular course this September.
I have wittled the schools (for various reasons) down to either STPLEFORD FLIGHT CENTRE or COVENTRY ATLANTIC.
Does anyone have any experience of these schools and how well you achieve Airline selection afterwards

rgds
damicod

There are scholarships offered to PPL holders with Atlantic Flight Training Coventry in conjunction with Air Atlantique/Atlantic Airlines. They will pay for the full cost of your training if you are accepted. :ok:

True - but one thing to bear in mind is that Atlantique sponsorships also involve a lot of work on a daily basis, be it in Operations, at Atlantic Flight Training, ramping/cleaning/refuelling/ferrying planes etc.

While this makes the cadets (or "Fuglies") well-rounded professionals, it's not for everyone because it's bl....y hard work and the days and weeks can be long. Forget about getting most week-ends off for instance.

Other than that, it's actually a good way to train people (quite close to how it would be done in the military); the selection is obviously quite hard because the Fuglies are top guys (and consistently achieve first time passes).

I have been through AFT (while not sponsored) for CPL/IR and I'm happy to recommend them. I would also advise you to head to CVT and visit the FTO; they will be happy to answer whatever questions you may have and you will be able to see for yourself the whole setup - and the planes; they have 2 (soon 3) Diamon TwinStars for the last part of the CPL and the IR, and will soon have 3 DiamondStars for CPL (with glass cockpit, AFDS, single lever, FADEC, etc.)

They are also soon to be a Flybe training partner, so I would think that could open doors...

A top outfit :ok:

Cheers :cool:

ta very much for the info.

I don't know whether it's just me but I phoned AFT to enquire about their course and I wanted to do an hours flying in a warrior and have a look around the school and I was fobbed off to the flying school around the corner, seemed a bizarre way of treating somebody who was about to spend £20,000 with them.

Any more info/reviews?

:)

AreYouForReal & Others
 

There has been a few questions asked on this thread regarding SFC's position as a flying club or serious commercial training outfit. I trained at SFC, recently gained my fATPL and can say without a doubt, SFC is a very, very good place to learn.

If you want to pay a fortune to "look like a pilot" in your smart pants and tie, then this is not the place for you. But just because you're not wearing a uniform doesn't mean the quality of the tuition you receive isn't good.

Colin Dobny, the Head of Training is a very straight talking guy. He won't massage your ego when giving you feedback, he'll just tell you how your flight went and where you need to improve. He has a lot of contacts in the airlines (Not just Astreaus), and if you impress him, word will travel in your favour, believe me.

By contrast, a friend of mine who went to one of the "other" establishments where you wear a nice uniform and shiny shoes found the whole atmosphere "more of a production line". He paid twice the amount I paid for exactly the same peices of paper I have, and exactly the same employment opportunities.

The atmoshere at SFC is superb. You arrive as an individual and leave not only with a first rate CPL ME IR, but as a member of an extended family. I recently went back to SFC for the annual dinner dance and it was like going to a family re-union. I had a great time and will continue to return to SFC now and then to see everyone

I'm NOT an employee of SFC. I'm just a great believer in getting value for money. Why pay a fortune when there's a cheaper option that affords you exactly the same opportunity as those "other" schools?

I had a look on their site, and for the price at some other schools you can get your FATPL, with accommodation and a type rating, pretty much lol.

Not that i'm saying, other schools charge £60k, so go and spend £60k here and get more things done. That would be silly ;)