Unfortunately consistency is non-existent out here at the moment. There is no doubt in my mind that a lot of the problems that CAE face are self-inflicted due to lack of planning, being reactive rather than being proactive and biting off far more than they can chew with number of cadets that they need to get to easyJet and other airlines (they're even trying to get a military contract at the moment, when they can't even fulfil their current contracts properly). Admittedly since being out here, the weather in Phoenix hasn't been as good as I was expecting, it's sunny pretty much everyday but it also gets incredibly windy and many of my coursemates have had missions cancelled due to it being too windy (I had one that was borderline where we had to come back and wait for it to die down). In total, we're getting around 80 hours out here, with around half of it in the sim, so there is no way it should take 6 months, but alas that is what we find ourselves in and luckily it should be in the past very soon (can't wait).

EDIT - Just did some calculations, and since starting F2 in March, I am averaging 1.6 missions (flight or sims) per week.

Hi Gilly,

Thanked for the inside info! I’m looking at starting a course next year so wouldn’t be out in Phoenix for a little while so who knows what the situation would be regarding missions per week.

i haven’t found too much online regarding accommodation, for all UK phases I’m able to commute, what’s the situation for Phoenix? Do you have so source your own accommodation and transport for however long you’re out there for or do they have their own places to stay?

Hi KJ,

So for in Phoenix, you kind of have 2 options. Source your own accomodation and transport, or you can stay in a place called Stone Canyon with the option of getting a bus into the centre. I went for the former option with some coursemates, and have purchased cars/rented a house with the intent of selling these cars onto cadets coming out as we're leaving. Obviously having your own car is much more flexible than relying on a bus getting around, but it's not unheard of and many cadets do just choose that option.

Hi Gilly,

Thank you! It’s been quite hard to find much about the Phoenix stage online. Would you mind if I asked a rough ball park figure for accommodation for the whole stage?

So for accomodation, probably you're looking at $5k-ish for the 6 months here, so it's not too dissimilar to UK rates. Car-wise, we've spent around $3k-ish each for 2 cars and then food is around $150 per week on groceries, depending on how flashy you go with your meals. It's not been cheap, but you're not going to get this time again, so why not spoil yourself a bit. All in all, I would say I've spent around $12k-ish on living out here for the 6 months. Obviously it will really depend, but if you budget for $10-15k for the 6 months, you'll be absolutely fine.

Staying in Stone Canyon is around $8.5k for the 6 months through CAE.

Hi all,

I have recently passed the stage 3 interview and am deciding on whether to join the program or not. I was wondering are there any updates on the previous delays for the core flight training phase? Has the situation improved?

I’ve literally just got back to the UK from Phoenix, so it’s still fresh in the memory and probably the most recent experience anecdote you’re going to get so, here we go.

The Phoenix setup is a bit of a strange one because you’ve got so many different groups of cadets/military guys all kind of fighting for the same resources. Luckily for you, CAE have the resources out in Phoenix to weather this, and there was never really a time personally where I struggled to get an aircraft or sim for my required activity, which was pretty consistent for everyone on my course (Seminoles are slightly different as, if a few go down due to maintenance issues at the same time, you may not be able to get the required aircraft for your mission, so bear that in mind). Unfortunately, the management are very reactive rather than proactive, and prefer to tackle problems as they come up instead of trying to prevent them, which is incredibly frustrating as i feel if they were a bit more proactive, they could have a great setup.

When it comes to scheduling, this was the bit that irked a lot of cadets - there is no consistency to it. Some weeks you could fly 3/4 missions a week, some you could fly none, but you won’t be told any different. Luckily, instructors have been given control of their schedules again, so you can get an idea of how much you’re going to fly, but for some of my time out there, schedulers had complete control over everyone’s schedules so you kind of had to sit around and wait, which was incredibly frustrating as it just seemed like you were waiting for some that was never coming (and in some weeks, never did come, especially between mid-April and mid-May where i flew very, very little).

Delay wise, I ended up being 3.5 weeks delayed to leave Phoenix. This was due in-part to one of the F3 instructors becoming ill for an entire week which definitely slowed everything right down as the other F3 instructors was busy completing his own ATP training at the same time, so prioritised that over getting us out, understandably. So, without that illness of the instructor, I reckon I would have been 2.5 weeks delayed, so not amazing but certainly by no means bad considering it doesn’t have an impact on my next stage of training, and CAE to help you somewhat financially with payments after your contracted time out in Phoenix if you are still out there. However, I would not be surprised at all if you see reports of these delays increasing in amount in the next few months, as policy changes that luckily didn’t affect my course take hold. But have an open mind, it is just a stepping stone to the next stage of your career, and it is a finite time, regardless of how long it feels it takes. Yes, it is frustrating, but look at the bigger picture and compare it to other flight schools too - I have heard rumours other flight schools have 6/7/8 MONTH delays to their training, and most of those don’t even have a job attached at the end of it, at least many initially. So yes, there are delays, are they frustrating? Yes. Would you avoid the course because of them? No, absolutely not. You’ve got a great opportunity to join one of the best and safest airlines in Europe right from the start of your career, take it, you will not regret it.

Feel free to PM if you still have any questions, don’t want to clog up with chat with too many walls of text.

Thank you so much for the sharing! That is really helpful!

Hi
Currently starting ground school now for the MPL. Any delays over in Arizona now? I've heard they improved but interested to know what the current situation is.
Can['t wait to get up flying tho

Hi, some people are getting behind because of a mix of factors for example lessons cancelled by the CFI, or they just didn’t get scheduled that much, but there a lot of variables.Other people are more or less on schedule, it’s quite a case by case scenario. By the time you’ll finish ground school the situation would probably be different so no point in asking almost one year before your arrival.

Stage 3 delay and flight training delay
 

Hi, I'm from Europe and I want to join the Ezy MPL next year (I know it's closed, but I contacted CAE, and they replied, saying it will likely reopen in spring 2026). I'm going to be finishing my last year of school by September 2026, and I've heard that some people waited months to do Stage 3, so I want to know how long I should take (e.g. 1,2 or 3 months??)to prepare for Stage 2 in order to be promptly prepared,not wait months for stage 3 and still start in 2026. It wouldn't be cool to wait several months after school while I could have started an ATPL in my own country. And get some progress ahead of time.
Oh,and if someone is willing to answer this also- Are the delays in the practical part in Phoenix being resolved and should be more stable in a while? (Just asking because I heard they are persistent)

The delays in Phoenix are persistent and I very much doubt the situation will improve until something changes and there is no longer a world wide pilot shortage. I would be very surprised if anyone encounters less than 2 months delay.

With respect, literally look 2 comments above and you will see my breakdown of Phoenix after having come back a few weeks ago.

How to ace the ADAPT test?
 

I'd like someone who successfully passed the course to tell me the best resources to help me prepare.

I'm going to buy the Symbiotic Essentials package, but I've heard it's only useful for an overview of the test format.So it might not be enough.

Since I haven't taken math or physics in a while, I want to prepare well. I'm thinking about buying the latest pilot jobs 1 month bundle although I'm afraid it won't be as focused as it should be.

Hi there,

Does anyone know when the course fees are due? Are they due on receipt of an offer or x days before your specific class start date?

Thanks

Fees are split into 5 payments of varying amounts, due before starting each section essentially.

1 - Prior to Start Date (Course Deposit)
2 - 10 days prior to start Core Phase
3 - 10 days prior to start Basic Phase
4 - 10 days prior to start Intermediate Phase
5 - 10 days prior to start Advance Phase

Thats actually quite enticing as there's much less risk to failing the initial theory than I expected.
Do you have any resources to practice for stage 2 and the type of interview in 3?

Stage 2 I paid for the Symbiotics practice ADAPT set and was like for like the real tests just different numbers.
Stage 3 guidance is provided after passing stage 2 and is quite helpful, but research easyJet and why you want to / are a good fit for the role.
Also think of situations where you've shown leadership / dealt with people in a difficult situation.

Thank you very much, I appreciate the help.

Actually...they tend to send the bills out late.
I have been very impressed that the quoted price in € is exactly what you pay.