Port Alfred Sth. Africa
 

Hi Prunners
Can anybody give first hand account of the FTO in Port Alfred? I know there was an initial group from Ireland headed that way earlier this year, I believe it was managed by Sigmar Aviation Dublin, in close ties with Cityjet...maybe you have some background on it you could share or better still maybe you are studying there....I am considering it for Integrated to fATPL

Would love to hear from you if you're in the know!
Dobo

Have a search for the 43 Air School Thread. I was talking to them at the FLYER Show and they seemed like a very professional organisation, but are a bit pricey.

About 43...
 

I went to 43- finished licence there late June last year. It is a really good school for airline cadets to go to- you'll come out a very good procedures pilot! I flew with the guy who does the JAA training and he is a top class instructor (been doing it for over 10 years!)
Port Alfred Town is tiny though- nothing alive except the flying school and a few dodgy bars.
It is more expensive than most South African ones, but it is leagues better and the airlines know it!!
Ground training is also great- ex military guys do the lectures.
You get to do some really awesome flights, and the weathers good for crosswind practice! They also train their own maintenance guys so everythings really well maintained.
Don't go out expecting to get a job in Africa though. :sad:

Dobo, I am an Irish student here in the 43 right now with sigmar. The school is top knotch you won't be dissapointed. PM me if you want any details.

It really is fantastic here.

Miles

Dobo,

The course your talking about is indeed up and running but at a price of 95 000 euros if Im not mistaken. :yuk: :yuk:(this is without a type rating) Ridiculous rip off but I suppose that is the price you have to pay for a JAA licence with POSSIBLE employement at city jet once the course is completed. :rolleyes: :* :* 43 does have a good rep but you can get a school just as good (if not better) and at a much cheaper price. As with any school you will find critics but I do beleive that in this case its not worth the money. It really depends on the kind of person you are and whether your the type who has to be spoon fed or are willing to take it upon yourself and work your bo**ox off on your own initative. Personally, I can see this scheme ending in tears but then I've been living in Africa too long and may be a little cynical. :( :( Do not get me wrong, the training here is first class but like anywhere you do get your bad eggs.

You might find this site interesting as you will find a good deal of info on all your queries. Shameless plug but what the hell............... www.avcom.co.za

:ok: :ok:

There are places in Europe where you can do an integrated course for a lower price. Also, I think the latter part of your training is in Galway IRL, and the MCC is in Dublin with Parc (who seem to have a bad rep. according to some of the posts on PPRuNe). The Cityjet scheme was a sort of trial run by the airline who selected a bunch of Irish guys to undertake the course (at their own expense). I suppose that if you were given a good recommendation by the staff at 43 you would have a good chance at getting a job with Cityjet, but the same can be said for other FTOs. I do think that 43 would provide excellent quality training, but there are better overall alternatives at the moment. The course there is quite new and it may take a few years for the airlines to really take notice.

(MD - Kind of Blue?) :ok:

Hi guys,
The JAR course here which I'm on is run completly independant of CityJet though some of us have been lucky enough to be preselected by the airline. The 43 is not a JAR FTO. Sigmar Aviation are the first Irish Integrated FTO and outsource the majority of training to the 43 Airschool. The IR exam is done in Inveren in Galway and the JAR written exams in Dublin, but apart from that all training is carried out in Port Alfred.

The course is expensive. No argument there. It is priced the same as FTE Jerez and OAT roughly. As to it not including a type rating, neither of the two above schools do either, a moot point frankly. Only consider it if you're really interested in the financial hardships of integrated training.

The MCC is not done with PARC.

Happy flying folks:ok:
Miles

Sigmar JAR
 

Miles
Not sure if you are one of the 'Famous Five' that I have read about on the very extensive and lengthy thread covered on 'Flying in IRL' that I was just kindly directed to? If so, hats off to you guys, there must have been a distinct feeling of being the guinea pigs on this one. I see the distinction that Sigmar is actually the FTO and not 43 ( which had a good many SA's getting excited at the thought of a JAA approved FTO down there.....unfortunately not).

Can I ask the following: Would you put a lot of the 'negative press' that this programme had received down to the ineffeciencies of Sigmar (uncertain and changed dates/ lack of real info) or are there other deeper problems with the school there that need ironing out? There was a lot of people with reservations, myself included, when I explored it, but I can't help feeling now that it's simply teething problems and no more?

You sound happy and content there which is reassuring, as unlike OAT & FTE, it's just too far to travel to check out. So there is that additional element of risk that when you get down there you won't like it, and it's by then too late. Are there any significant critisms or is all running smooth for the first group.

Any hidden snags? If you don't make min hours or have to sit additional exams, does it hit finances hard?

What major European airlines, if any, have cadets training there?

Appreciate the help and hope the PPL is going well

Dobo

The famous five, jeebus didn't know we were called that.

Yes all there were some teething problems as we are the lab rats alright. Were they serious? Not at all. My uniform trousers took a week or too longer to arrive. Not exactly crucial stuff. The important stuff, groundschool and flying training no complaints at all, very happy altogether. The Bristol materials are really great. Though I have the first batch of folders for them as well as my SA Comm folders which is a rather intimidating amount of paper on my desk but just gotta get on with it.

As regards "negative press" most I read was by people who frankly did not know what they were talking about. People very unhappy with cost of integrated training (who is?) and others who didn't make it through sigmars selection.

There's always a worry being the first of any program but so far it's all good.

Miles

Hi Dobo
I am also one of the "famous five" if thats what you wanna call us! The negativity that was put on flying in ireland, if you read, was by a small number of people who have hardly any flying experience. Read carefully and you will see its the same few people who place threads and they really don't know what they are talking about. Our ground instructors here are all ex South African Air Force. The 3 that we have are all retired colonels. Where else would you get that experience? The school is extremly professional and have done everything and more for us here. South African Airways currently have cadets here and British Airways Comair have trained cadets here. Do some research on the two airlines and you will see that they rank up there with any European airline. I have been here 6 weeks now and have found everything about this school excellent and have absolutly no complaints. If you need anymore info PM me, I would be happy to talk on the phone etc. about any questions you haveor anyone else out there.

Hi all,

Dobo, Again im on the course along with Miles. I agree with everything he has said! I cant say much more with out repeating everyone, re the airschool! All of us had our reservations before coming down here 6 weeks ago! Me included-i can assure u that this school is of the highest standard, the instructors and the facilities are nothing short of amazing! The school has alot to offer but unfortunately the only way of getting JAR licences at the end is through Sigmar Aviation in dublin! At the moment there are 5 of us down here and Sigmar intend to have 20 students here by x-mas of this year!

As Miles said there were a few issues that needed to be sorted out but we have already been visited by our course director and also had the cheif examiner of the IAA here last week! Also the Chief training captain of CityJet is due down here the 6th of June! So all is going wel on that front!

What you wil read on the Flying in Ireland forum is from a select few individuals who have no basis for their claims. There are 5 of us down here who KNOW what is going on and if u have any questions at all contact any of the 5 of us!

Best of luck with the decisions u have to make!

43'ers
 

Miles
Just popped you a PM
Dobo

Hey all,

Heading to an interview/assesment with Sigmar on the 12th - any tips? :cool:

I hate to ask but I'm curious, but did any of you take the Paul Kinane finance option and how painful was it?

Thanks in advance :)

Great setup down here, you wont be disappointed! Check your PMs.

How are ye Sigmar guys getting on in South Africa?

Unrelated question: Has anyone trained for a SA CPL/IR and converted to JAA? How much does it cost to train for SA CPL/IR, and how much to convert?

Regards

SA CPL/IR about 20 000,00 pounds flight tickets +accom.
To Convert CPL/IR MCC + Groundschool. 10-11 000 pounds.

Might be a bit more expensive but you will end up with loads of multi time.
Cheers
GgW

Flights and accom weren't included in that £20k? Did you train at 43? Where did you convert?

Cheers :ok:

No I did not train with 43 and working with a exchange rate of 1 to approx 13 and 600 pounds for a plane ticket than you will more or less get to 20000 pounds. Do a google search for schools in South Africa. R220 000.00 to R240 000.00 is about what it cost in SA to go from 0-CPL.
Accomodation included.

To convert , there is many schools in the UK that will do it.

PM me and I will give you my training ''plan''

Cheers
GgW

At the school I use in SA, you can get a studio flat with a pool for about £200/month that is a 15 min walk from the school or they can lend you a mountain bike to cycle it.

Try a searh for Algoa Flight School or Algoa Flying Club in Port Elizabeth.

:D

How are the Sigmar guys getting on? How far along have you come in training?

Who do you complete the IR and licence conversion with? Where do you do the MCC? How often do Sigmar run the courses?

(Please post on the Flying In Ireland forums too if you have the time!)