Paris

Check your PM's

VFR

In this particular instance it sounds to me that the whole UK vs US cost analysis is irrelevant. It sounds to me that VFR Transit has already set his heart on doing hour building in the US - correct me if I'm wrong. If that is the case then he only needs to compare prices in the US (obviously). As for OBA, like some of the other posters, PM me if you want up to date photos of the last few weeks or so, including shots of the new Cadets. If it's of any help, I shared a room at OBA with an hour builder on the PA28 and he was battering in around 30 hours a week easily. He had the aircraft for the entire day in some cases but for the most part, an entire half day. It's really up to you how committed you are. Turn up on time, make good use of the aircraft and you'll be fine. The guys that came a cropper where the ones who had the aircraft for the entire day and used it for an hour.

You are correct that i am 100% doing hour building in the USA, while on a business trip.

Where i do the Hour Building has not yet been sorted.

You have a PM

VFR

Has OBA added to their fleet of PA28s

yeh...well...cadets at least.....they bought some from flight safety i believe...fairly nice too!!!! about 4-5 sitting on the ramp i's told!!!!

FAA register states they have 6 on the books at this time.

Dont believe AT on the refunds. Your refund is subject to a 'cancellation fee', and your cash 'follows' you home after you get back in the UK. It required a letter from me to get the refund about 6 weeks after my return. Didnt get my hours because of student overload, and hardly any instructors. Go elsewhere, trust me.

watch out for the payment
 

I have heard that they hav a tendency to cancel flights for stupid reasons, and if you cancel the block bookings you only get back a percentage of the cash you have put in.

Good luck any way. :)


"listen to sw" :ok:

I know of someone who waited several months for their refund to "follow them home"

I went out to FL last year to do some flying as one of my UK instructors regularly goes out there to teach and can do CAA examinations. I did an FAA multi and a CAA night rating in a week with Sunrise Aviation at Ormond (across the tarmac from OBA) and was quite happy with the airport and the instruction. The instructor (UK one) wasn't very flattering about OBA, but then he wasn't very flattering about Sunrise either, and has since moved his 'operation' to St. Augustine.

I couldn't complain much about Sunrise as I was thoroughly impressed with the amount I got done in one week. For example, the Seminole I was learning on had an electrical failure at one point, but was ready for a lesson in less than an hour. As with OBA, a lot of the instructors were Embry Riddle graduates and really knew their stuff.

The chap from the UK I mentioned flies for Western Air at Thruxton when at home, so you might consider giving them a call if you want to find out more.

Ginger ;)

P.S. Ormond is a great little airport. Do some night flying and a few touch-and-go's at Daytona - it's unreal, especially for someone who never used a 'proper' airport while training. By proper I mean one that had big jets parked at it.

Daytona is a fantastic place to land and the speedway is an added extra to see (not that you should be looking anywhere other than at the runway on approach of course)

Is it legal?
 

This Thruxton 'instructor' apparently works in the U.S.A (whether at Sunrise or St Augustine) so what immigration status does he hold?
Also, as a competitor for courses/exams, it is unsurprising that he would be negative about a legitimate FTO such as Ormond Beach Aviation.
How does his training/courses/exams meet statutory reqs. when NAC, OBA, OFT etc have all had to be CAA/JAA approved FTO's?

Sunrise has the same immigration approval as OBA.

They might not be JAA approved, but that's hardly a sign of quality. Unless you're doing a JAA CPL, that's a good thing. Generally FAA schools offer better training.

Their quoted price is half that of OBA's, and even with the extra costs that usually go with these deals it's easy to see where the value is.

Lads having spent a lot of time at OBA on different occasions doing both ATPL prep and CPL i can highly recommend it. I've seen the students that moan and b***h and they are the 1's that go drinking at night and dont get up in the mornings and somehow its adrians fault when they dont pass there exams or finish there ppl's. I have made many great friends from my time at OBA and none of us ever had any problems because we always put in the work. If it costs 5000 at oba its well worth spending, cheapest isnt always best. I can always say i got excellent instruction at OBA and i even had the pleasure of Adrian instructing me for the CPL. Somehow he got me by. Think i was the first to fly the new Cadets as well. Also the planes are really well kept. Greg and the boys in the hangar are fantastic mechanics and always had the planes in tip top shape.

Niall.

I wouldn't be over awed at fuel being reimbursed at $3.00 per gallon.

I went to do hours building in San Diego earlier this year when AVGAS was about $5.25 a gallon. I had it away uplifts reimbursed to me at $4.75, so $3.00 is going to set you back quite a bit.

I'd be more inclined to look for somwhere with better reimbursements than that.

I was reimbursed in full for all my away fuel at OBA.

Still not legal
 

It is simply unbelievable that Sunrise is half the price of OBA, if comparing like with like. When I was there, Sunrise fuel was way over the price charged by OBA, although OBA is a 24 hour self-service 'filling station'.
BTW 'Immigration status' relates to an individual not to a corporation.
So, whatever Sunrise has or offers, still wondering how this Thruxton instructor manages to work (legally) in the USA.

Why is that relevent, exactly?

I'm English and I work legally as a flight instructor and charter pilot in the USA (not for any of the schools in question). It's not exactly difficult!

Why do you think it's any of your business? It's up to the flight school who they choose to employ.