EFT Florida
 

Hi

I'm doing a bit of research on Flight training in the USA.

I was looking at EFT in Florida and the APP course they offer.

Was just wondering, if anyone on this forum has trained there. what it was like and would they recommend it? why?

I'm currently in the process of looking at different options for Commercial flight training. I am looking at Florida as the weather is suitable, cheap living cost and of course training costs are also lower.

If anyone has any reasons why or why not I shouldn't go this route please do let me know.

Sorry for bringing up this question up again on this forum, I'm sure many of you are sick of it but I'm only doing it to get a more updated answer as Flight schools do change frequently.

Haven't flown with EFT myself but got told by a number of people they are pretty good.

In case someone comes along here and tells you some garbage about why you shouldn't go to Florida or the US as a whole for flight training because of costs or whatever their reason may be, just ignore it. I've flown both in the UK and Florida, and will go back to Florida later this summer. It's a brilliant place to learn to fly. Lots of traffic to dodge and lots of busy airports.

Only thing is, I don't really see any point in a "Professional/ Commercial Pilot Course" or whatever it's branded. You could save some good cash by doing all your modules in different places. As an example, EFT wont let you hour-build for any less than $115/ hour. And there's lots of places around the US which will give you a C152 for $69-$84/ hour.

Im off to EFT for APP in October, Heard some great things and spoke to a few of their former students and they couldn't fault the school!

There is a chap doing a diary at the top of this Forum, Also a few other diaries on here that may help
?

Just don't do it.... Not if you want a flying job in Europe afterwards.

Lol, there are no jobs in Europe anyway so it doesn't matter where you do it.

Thanks for all the replys!

Any reasons why you would say not do it if I want a job in Europe? EFT seem to be the only place that can offer a school where there is good weather accommodation and at a competitive price. I would love to train in europe but with the high prices such as various flight schools offer does not make it possible.

Hope you have brilliant time in EFT Mike and please do let me know how you get on.

Who said i wanted a flying job in Europe? I know 7 former students of EFT all flying within Europe as we speak. But no you must be right.

Just my opinion of course... But the guys I've come across who trained in the states at the so called JAA accredited schools can't fly for toffee...

Especially when it comes to the IR. Even basic things like flying an attitude or proper trimming...!!!!

IR is done in Europe under JAA license requirements!

Green Penguin, you've simply no idea what you're talking about.

I bet you think guys that go to Oxford to do an integrated course are the bees knees. I recon around 80% of their flight training is done in the States....so what can you say about that?

I did my initial training (where arguably the bad habits begin), followed by hour building etc etc in Florida. About to jump to the left seat of a B738 shortly....training in USA didn't do me any harm other then meeting my wife haha

Yes you can have a bad instructor here and there, but generally the level of pilot, students turn out to be is down to them, no one else is to blame!

Oh yes, there are a lot of jobs in Europe now. Better check it! ;)

I'm a PPL, did my training at EFT. Loved it and thought the academy was awesome, no complaints at all. When I got back to the UK and joined Flying Time at Shoreham I took 3 lessons with 3 different instructors just to familiarise myself with airspace, UK radio etc, and all 3 said my flying was superb. They ALL said that EFT had done a terrific job in training me.

Here's my fairly in depth review....

http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...e-ppl-eft.html

Thanks for all your positive reviews on the school! Sounds like a fantastic place to train in and hopefully I will be able to start there very soon!! :D

Grounschool details
 

Hi,

Has anyone got feed back on their groundshool and instructors, do the instructors have actual experience in the subjects they teach? or is it like other school that have fresh graduates teaching?

Alzandor,

Go on their website, it lists all their Instructors and their Experience.

All set to go for the 29th Of Oct, TSA Interview booked, PPL Ground school underway. Soon to get those flights booked.

Anyone else doing the APP?

AVOID THEM!!!!
 

EFT and Aviator College are essentially the same school. Both owned by Michael Cohen. My experience with EFT was really bad. They tried to overcharge me and when I challenged them about this they withdrew my Visa and this meant I had to return to the UK to restart the whole process again. Although it was their decision to withdraw my visa, I was charged $4000 because they classed it as me withdrawing from the course.

They are friendly and nice until your money is on their account.

The airfield, accommodation and aircraft are shared between both schools (Aviator and EFT) and even thought the aviator students pay less for both accommodation and the same aircraft, they charge EFT students a lot more for exactly the same thing which doesn't make any sense.

Beware the lead cowboy fronting this school. If anyone has any questions about my experience or the claims I am making I am happy to post photographic evidence of all my email interactions with EFT and provide a printout of my account reflecting the $4000 they stole off me.

Kyarer, are you sure you want to go down this route?

EFT has links to Aviator, but the two are owned by different people.

I think you may need to take a deep breath.

kyarer - I'll defend EFT in the same way I defend OBA.

Would you be happy for them to publish your student records? There's always two sides to every story.

It's also not fair to say they pay less for the same aircraft - your getting a completly different product for a different licence and qualification - it's not comperable.

Also you have to rememeber they're accounting is regulated by department of education at the college so whatever they did to "steal the $4,000" off you was probably well within reason.

Your story just doesn't add up.

I don't know about stealing money, but I could see it could happen. When I was there the accounting was horrific. I remember one occasion when someone flew an airplane but they had no record of it. They selected a random student, billed him, and when he complained, billed another. I think that they went through six or seven for the same flight before finding one who didn't pay enough attention to his account.

This was, of course, well before the manager of EFT was arrested for stealing tens of thousands from the company.

I also heard several accounts of fraudulent claims from the school relating to Visas. When I switched schools, I had the new school talk to the state department on my behalf to ensure it wouldn't happen to me. Ari Ben usually claimed you had withdrawn or misconduct to make it impossible for you to transfer to another school.

The problem was Ari Ben's corrupt management, who cared only about getting money rather than providing the training paid for. I don't know about ownership of EFT, or it it's possible to deal only with them. If it's more expensive, then it's money well spent to avoid interacting with Ari Ben. Personally, I wish I'd just started elsewhere.

Interesting that they have managed to get one of the better reputations of the Florida schools, yet looking at their new website staff page shows someone who's reputation with schools current and past shows somebody that to anybody doing their due diligence might put people off!