Bristow academy
 

i have been trying to access the bristow academy website of helicopter adventures in Florida and am unable to get a connection to it, would anyone have a telephone number that i could contact them from the uk. many thanks.

Contact Details
 

Presume you're trying www.heli.com?

Here is their free phone number from the UK: (0800) 169-8647

Good luck.

0800 1698647

H T H

Many thanks,

You're welcome :ok:

Bristow Academy.
 

Hi there!

I hope it's ok to post this thread here. But i just wanted to ask if there is someone here going to Bristow this September for a flight training?
I am going ther in the beginning of September for the combined JAA/FAA CPL(H) course.

And if there is someone here that went to this school, please comment and tell me youre expirience of Bristow :)

Regards,
ÞOS

Hello, there are plenty of BA graduates on the forum but you may get a better response if you had some specific questions :). Is there something in particular you are wanting to hear about?

Hey there. I did the combined course last year. Completed it in December, then finished off the FAA licenses. I was then lucky enough to be offered a job here at the school. I definitely think you made a good decision to come here. Its a busy school, so you will get used to flying in a busy airspace which will come in handy. The safety record of the school is fantastic as we have a superb maintenance team and Bristow's 'Target Zero' policy tries to keep it that way.
Weather is great most of the year, we have the thunderstorm season now, so that can put a stop to the flying during the day for a couple of hours. But September is a nice month to start because you'll have great weather until at least April.
All in all you'll have a great time here and learn to fly with professional people who love what they do and are pretty good at it!!:ok:

Bristow Academy Ground School
 

Does the Bristow Academy ground school for the JAA CPL(H) Course also cover ATPL Theory (i.e including the additional subjects for the issue of a JAA IR(H)) ?

The Bristow school is the best place to learn all you need to start off your career. The ground school is fanastic and the people are great,just beware of the strip clubs and drunken Norweigians that only speak to you when they have had a shot of yeager. Be patient with the schedule and you will be fine. The JAA has some excellent ground instructors that have been there for many years. It's offically still hurrican season until November so that's fun, Plan on spending about $3-4000 on a decent car as you will be able to get what you paid for it back after your 2 years, The honda jap import seems to be the best at holding value.

Get an apartment near the beach, Titsville has recenty appeared on Cops I hear. Keep yer nose clean and keep yer head down and you will get a job, try to get experience in the R22 after you do JAA as if you dont get a job with HAI you will find it hard to get work anywhere else if you dont have the 22.

Bring plenty of money,

And stay away from any of my ex girlfreinds

Yeah the JAA groundschool does the ATPL theory! 14 exams, lots of fun!!!:ugh:

Bristow
 

Hey Pos, I'm heading over in November for the FAA CPL course, its all I could get into. Been hearing mostly good things about the place aswell from ex-pupils etc. The combined is the ideal course alright you lucky git! Sure i'll chat you over there

(Pos - thought it might be of use to others to post my response to your PM about BA)

Hi Pos,

The job market is highly variable with time so I'll leave it to the JAA Head of Training when he does his talk in your first week regarding paths and prospects so that you have some info that's most up to date than I could give. Most people who aren't sponsored (c50% of the class) seem to aim for either instructing at BA or IR/Offshore after the course.

Typical training day is 3 x 2 hour lessons in groundschool on any of the subjects that you're studying in that phase (2 phases, each with half the ATPL exams). Eg Radio Nav, Air Law then POF. The ground instructors are all very good, covering the subject really well rather than just feeding you the minimum to answer the exam Qns.

After 7 weeks of groundschool you alternate days G'school with flying for 18 weeks. Flying days are eg: up at 6, at flightline for 7, pre-flight & briefs before lift at 8:30. Fly for an hour or so, debrief til 10. Then same process later on, say 14:00 slot. Tiring but great fun :O

Titusville isn't very lively (Shuttle launches aside :D) but there is Cocoa Beach and plenty of other places to go see or visit.

Summerhill is good, bit better than Windover but I think you pay for it. I'm biased though :p

Anyway, you'll have a fantastic time. just listen to the other posts re bringing plenty of money, in particular a few $k right from the start as you cannot do anything in the US without a car. Also, suggest you aim to be out at least a week before you're due to start because you want to get all the boring admin squared away before the course starts; it is intense:}. (I mean buying a car, takin FL driving tests, TSA fingerprinting, FAA Medical, place to live, furniture etc etc).

Hope that helps.

BM

Funfinn,

It was actually Redheads and Cocoa beach...

BTW,
Brandy says hi...

Ketchup

Wardy20,
What are you planning to do with just FAA ratings in Ireland ?
Has anyone got a job in Eu land with a FAA cpl, or are you planning on converting when you get back .

FAA
 

Howaya Mac, I'm planning on getting as many hours as I can in the states and then trying the middle east as the FAA licences are recgonised there. If not, it'll mean doing the conversion.

sounds like a plan..........:ok:

Hey Wardy, I think you should do the FAA IR CPL and then CFI at Bristow then get a job to get hours up. you on a J1 visa?? When ya get a job you could do the distance learning JAA in spare time.

Ketchup!! Brandi is a drop in te Ocean


Say Hi for me

It could be an idea to start with the M1 visa until you get your private licence plus 50 hours, then change it to a J1 visa, that buys you a lot of time, some people do it here at Hillsboro and some dont, I did it and I am happy I did, it buys you a lot of time to seek jobs and so on.

Good luck. :ok:

Wardy,

I would highly recommend doing your JAA CPL/ATPL when you're there and in learning mode. There is one school where you can do the consolidation courses in Florida and I think the exams as well. Just email PACO. The Middle East thing is very unlikely to work as you won't get enough hours to go there, and you need an ATP.

Hi guy's!

Does anyone know about any good apartments or good place to live at during the training? I've heart that Titusville is not the best place, but does anyone know anything about Rockledge? How far it is from the school?

Regards,
ÞOS

Rockledge is a dormitory community about 20-25 miles away. With traffic may take 45 minutes to drive. Not all of Titusville is bad. I have a home in a deed restricted area of Titusville that I am trying to sell?????

Flightline interview
 

There's a terrible lack of info on this site regarding the Flightline interview!!! What are they currently asking at interview? What questions? What is the interview like? Does anyone know?

I have an interview soon. Can anyone help?

Sanford

thank you Gordy.

Does anyone know about any good places to rent near the school?

ÞOS :O

If you want to be close to the school with not alot of distractions, I would recommend Summerhill.....its right down the street. If you choose to stay in Titusville, stay away from Windover...that place is horrible.

If I had to do it again I would find a place in Port Canaveral, not to far away, but alot closer to things you want to do on your time off. Just my 2 cents.

Mike

There are hundreds of places to rent near the school--it may be easier to wait till you actually get there and take a look around.

I would agree...Summerhill is pretty nice:

Summerhill Apartments - Apartment Rental Community in Titusville, FL offering one, two and three bedroom apartment homes

Only 5-10mins from school, pool, gym, Walmart nearby...easy living

POS - As many have already said, Titusville is not the most exciting of places. Rockledge wouldn't really be an option either. Best places to live are Port Canaveral (about 20mins to school and right by the beach), Cocoa Beach (a few mins further but, again, right by the beach) or Merritt Island (about 15/20mins to school and 5mins to the beach.

Summerhill Apts are nice but the problem you'll find is that there is nothing around the "neighbourhood".

Best advice I could give you would be to try and get a house with a few other students around Merritt Island/Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach area. Difficult to organise before you get there but worth it if you can do it. The school should provide you with the contact details of your future classmates so you could email a few of them to see if they're interested in sharing a place.

Final bit of advice is when you attend school to be as professional as possible. You are being watched from the start (in terms of your suitability for a job and for references onwards) and it is important that you keep your head down and show you're working hard. The school has grown over the past couple of years and things may not always run as smoothly as you'd like so you can expect to get p*ssed off at some point but just keep smiling!!!!

The commute from Cape Canaveral / cocoa beach is about 20-25 mins pending on traffic. nice place to live and its within walking distance of everything you need.Stay away from Lido's!!
Titusville, aka hepa-titusville or ****usville (for obvious reasons) isnt exactly the most exciting place to live in.More suitable to the locals who drive their 6ft raised pickup trucks around in mud and watch nascar 24/7 when drinking their budweiser. Still... there are plenty of students around there so your not going to be on your own.


Ketchup and Funfinn... Erin said to say hi too! ;)

Hi fellas!

I'm joining Bristow in the beginning of September, and will start my Combined FAA/JAA training 8th(or10th) of September. Is there someone here starting on this same course and same time? :O

ÞOS

I'm heading over to the academy in May '09 so looking forward to meeting some of you guys.

I have a quick question for those in the know..

How much does a newly qualified FI earn at Bristow's?


also, I found this...

YouTube - Peter Coombes Bristow Academy JAA 22 - Casualty to Captain

A new CFI is starting off at a pretty poor wage but the amount of hours which they can fly is far greater than that at any other school. I dont know the exact amount but im sure that there arent too many of them out of the streets!

Great vid of the next JAA class to graduate in August!:D :ok:

That will be my video. :)
We have just a few more exams to go and we will be out your way.

It's been a tough but brilliant year and I’ve made some great friends, it's an excellent school, I would recommend 100%.

Your love it.

Peter

i'm starting in September, and i can't wait! Are there any special books you would recommend read before the training?

anybody els starting in September??

ÞOS

Ive been around to the Summerhill apartments too. Quite a nifty place and very close to the ground + flying school. Windover Oaks was a famous area for students from the school. Although not quite as nice as the summerhill area. But im not too sure how the prices of both weigh up. Then again,SUmmerhill apartments just opened when i went around,so might have changed since then. And Titusville isnt really a bad place to stay,you get your dodgy areas, but you`ll know which those are as soon as you start rolling through them streets.
As a whole,not too much to distract you from your flying studies, except for frequent trips to the good ol Irish Pub. :=

I had to make a few change's, the new video can be seen here.
YouTube - Peter Coombes Bristow Academy JAA 22 - Casualty to Captain

Enjoy and see you all in September.

Anyone need a car :ok:

Very nice new video pilot pete!:ok:



How much is the car going for?:}

Rockledge
 

I stayed in Rockledge during my studies at HAI/BA in '06. Sure its 35 min. drive away, but not too bad of a drive actually ..

Had a nice, friendly and helpfull roomie (the owner), nice newer sturdy house, all expenses incl. in the rent. Felt very welcome there, nice neighbours, shopping nearby and I95 a blink away, quiet clean neighbourhood ..
I know she, my former roomie, is looking for a new roomie, so if anyone wants to stay in Rockledge, drop me a PM and I give you the details and contact ..

Pete,

if you don't mind answering, could you say how much you've spent on:

training
accomodation
misc [food etc]

over the period of the course.

also, do you have any flying work lined up?


i seriously looked into bristows about 3yrs ago but plans changed and the cash wasn't there. now it is and i'm still interested but a little hesitant - those extra 3 years i guess!

cheers,
phil.

I'm from the UK, I went to Bristow's Academy March 2005 - March 2006, from zero hours to CFII, all FAA, my total training cost including all flying and books etc was $49,700, rent was $5,000 (shared 2 bed in Windover), phone, gas and leccy bills were about $2,000, food was about $3,000, about $5,000 was spent on fuel and car depreciation, so $65k was my total. I got employed by Rotors of the Rockies in Denver because I had a friend there. I was lucky, one of my friends was driving all over the USA looking for work for over 4 months.