Trans Lift Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 I know a good few utility pilots that never got a CFI and they do perfectly fine without having been CFI's. Yes it is a harder route without it, but it is very possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Oh yeah, sorry OP for all the nonsense you have to weed through to find good info. This site isn't normally filled with this type of content. I'm sure you have figured out the good leads by now. I will be the first to tell you I am not experienced and the schools I suggested are purely from a quick search of who provides visa...And I am sure I missed some. Thanks. I have figured out the good leads inspite of the marketing nonsense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hey lad, Most of us here invested time, money and sacrifices into a flight school, that doesn't mean that we go around with the schools name in our username and start acting like idiots on a forum with our names and numbers all over the place. The school I went to would have frowned upon it and I'm sure there are people from BP doing the same. I have met your sort before and funnily enough, they haven't gotten far without an attitude adjustment. I've never met you face to face but if I knew you were that guy from the forum and it was up to me to give you a job, it wouldn't be looking good. Some employers will actually ask you if you post on a forum and your username. Remember that when you post. So, I would take the advice from above and change the obnoxious username and quieten down a bit!! I don't seem to understand what's the matter with this Dustin_Boatpix of a guy. People like me don't fall for such marketing gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfdoc Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hello everyone, I am new here. My name is Essien. I want to get trained early next year - around March 2012 to be precise.I wanted to go through the FW route but discovered I will still end up paying the same amount as going for RW from start. So been researching FW schools all this while. I am an international student so I can't visit any school. I have researched RW schools as well. I have a shortlist of 4. Which of these schools will you recommend I attend and why? In order of preference: 1. Civic Helicopters2. Quantum Helicopters3. Palm Beach Helicopters4. Group 3 Aviation Please if there is any other good school you feel I should look at, let me know. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfdoc Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hello everyone, I am new here. My name is Essien. I want to get trained early next year - around March 2012 to be precise.I wanted to go through the FW route but discovered I will still end up paying the same amount as going for RW from start. So been researching FW schools all this while. I am an international student so I can't visit any school. I have researched RW schools as well. I have a shortlist of 4. Which of these schools will you recommend I attend and why? In order of preference: 1. Civic Helicopters2. Quantum Helicopters3. Palm Beach Helicopters4. Group 3 Aviation Please if there is any other good school you feel I should look at, let me know. Thank you in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfdoc Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 (edited) Essien, My name is Chris, and I own SRT Helicopters in California. We actually offer a combination Rotor Wing / Fixed Wing Course. Here is a link to our website where you can download a broochure and our price list. http://www.srthelo.com/about/downloads/ Of the schools you listed, I have very good knowledge of 3 of them, and they are good schools, but they do not have all of the options for training that we do right at our location. If you really want to fly in varied terrain, to inlcude Mountains, Desert, and Class B Airspace, we can offer that at a much lower price than all of the schools listed. We can do M1 Visa's, and I think you will see that the cost of living is much cheaper as well. So if you really want to train in an enviornment that will prepare you to work in the real world, and leave with a dual rating at around 50-55k for all of your training, you may want to consider SRT. Good luck in your search and your new career. ChrisSRT Helicopterschris@srthelo.com Edited October 14, 2011 by sfdoc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ch91423 Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hello Essien, I think your best bet is to definitely look into a flight school that offers either the M-1 or F-1 Visas. Just a word of caution - you do not have to pay for any courses up front - in fact I and I think many others on this forum can agree with me. You are not leaglly required to pay thousands of dollars for any flight or ground training up front. If you can please just remember this advice - that will save you a lot of heartache and aggravation. In fact there are some great schools that are affiliated with colleges that will take international students such as yourself and will offer you more structure and peace of mind - but again be careful and do your homework - shop around! Shopping around will ensure you find the perfect flight school that suits your needs. I would be very suspect of any flight school that promises a pilot position - read the fine print! Good Luck and I wish you success in your search for a flight school in the U.S! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Essien, My name is Chris, and I own SRT Helicopters in California. We actually offer a combination Rotor Wing / Fixed Wing Course. Here is a link to our website where you can download a broochure and our price list. http://www.srthelo.com/about/downloads/ Of the schools you listed, I have very good knowledge of 3 of them, and they are good schools, but they do not have all of the options for training that we do right at our location. If you really want to fly in varied terrain, to inlcude Mountains, Desert, and Class B Airspace, we can offer that at a much lower price than all of the schools listed. We can do M1 Visa's, and I think you will see that the cost of living is much cheaper as well. So if you really want to train in an enviornment that will prepare you to work in the real world, and leave with a dual rating at around 50-55k for all of your training, you may want to consider SRT. Good luck in your search and your new career. ChrisSRT Helicopterschris@srthelo.com Chris, Thanks. We exchanged some emails in September regarding this but I didn't get reply to some of my queries, so I moved on. Will the 50-55k take me to 250 hours in the airplane? How many helicopter hours will I log? If I want only helicopter time, will the 50-55k do it? Of the schools you listed, I have very good knowledge of 3 of them, and they are good schools, but they do not have all of the options for training that we do right at our location.I will like to know the three schools you referred to. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 Hello Essien, I think your best bet is to definitely look into a flight school that offers either the M-1 or F-1 Visas. Just a word of caution - you do not have to pay for any courses up front - in fact I and I think many others on this forum can agree with me. You are not leaglly required to pay thousands of dollars for any flight or ground training up front. If you can please just remember this advice - that will save you a lot of heartache and aggravation. In fact there are some great schools that are affiliated with colleges that will take international students such as yourself and will offer you more structure and peace of mind - but again be careful and do your homework - shop around! Shopping around will ensure you find the perfect flight school that suits your needs. I would be very suspect of any flight school that promises a pilot position - read the fine print! Good Luck and I wish you success in your search for a flight school in the U.S! Just a word of caution - you do not have to pay for any courses up front - in fact I and I think many others on this forum can agree with me. You are not leaglly required to pay thousands of dollars for any flight or ground training up front. Thanks for the advice. I am aware of that. The only fees I will pay in advance will be for visa processing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) So, does it also say; I'm better than you because I'm a CFI? I'm just a lowly commercial pilot, and apparently not even a man!,...so much for a "good" debate? r22butters, if you can testify to why you think someone racking up hours for boatpix can even BEGIN to compare to being a CFI... I would love to shoot out a solid rebuttal. Edited October 16, 2011 by Logan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 A few posts up you stated that Leading Edge was for fixed wing training. Untrue. There is a fixed wing school, however, the Leading Edge Aviation that was refereed to you is located in Bend Oregon and is a top notch Helicopter Flight School. Leading Edge offers all rating and is associated with Central Oregon Community College. This association keeps the program pretty busy. School is located right next to the Cascade Mountains so definitely get some much needed mountain time and High DA operations. I recommend you check it out as much as you can. Good Luck in your search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r22butters Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) r22butters, if you can testify to why you think someone racking up hours for boatpix can even BEGIN to compare to being a CFI... I would love to shoot out a solid rebuttal. They are two completely different jobs (much like Tuna Spotting which you also claimed "sucks"), but valid jobs none the less. All jobs will build experience. Why do you insist that being a CFI is the only way for a "man" to build his? Oh' yes, one more thing. I have flown with both regular CFIs and Boatpix CFIs, and can assure you there is no difference in piloting skill, knowledge, or professionalism between them! Edited October 16, 2011 by r22butters 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 A few posts up you stated that Leading Edge was for fixed wing training. Untrue. There is a fixed wing school, however, the Leading Edge Aviation that was refereed to you is located in Bend Oregon and is a top notch Helicopter Flight School. Leading Edge offers all rating and is associated with Central Oregon Community College. This association keeps the program pretty busy. School is located right next to the Cascade Mountains so definitely get some much needed mountain time and High DA operations. I recommend you check it out as much as you can. Good Luck in your search Thanks. I have already checked them out. I like the school. It looks nice. I spoke with the Administrator and the price she sent me was high - $92,560 for room, board and tuition though she said was an average cost and that I can do it for less depending on various factors. I have dropped my interest in the school because of the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 They are two completely different jobs (much like Tuna Spotting which you also claimed "sucks"), but valid jobs none the less. All jobs will build experience. Why do you insist that being a CFI is the only way for a "man" to build his? Oh' yes, one more thing. I have flown with both regular CFIs and Boatpix CFIs, and can assure you there is no difference in piloting skill, knowledge, or professionalism between them! Can someone back me up here? Are we really going to let Butters get away with saying that there is no difference between a CFI and a boatpix CFI? I mean come on!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred0311 Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 How about you start a separate thread to debate him in stead of filling this guy's hunt for school information with junk posts. Despam I apologize as I'm now part of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick1128 Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Thanks. I have already checked them out. I like the school. It looks nice. I spoke with the Administrator and the price she sent me was high - $92,560 for room, board and tuition though she said was an average cost and that I can do it for less depending on various factors. I have dropped my interest in the school because of the cost. Essien, One important thing to keep in mind is that the majority of schools will quote you costs based on the FAA minimums. Not everyone finishes the courses with the minimum times. They are not lying to you, they are telling you what the costs are based on a known amount. Each student is different. That school's administrator was telling you what the average student total cost was based on past experience. You will most likely find that figure is much closer to your actual cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftbl74 Posted October 16, 2011 Report Share Posted October 16, 2011 Have you checked out Whirlybird Helicopters in Ogden, Utah. I trained there and they were a great school to train at because it offered mountain training, high DA was regular in the summer time as 7200' and up. The airport its self is controlled with a military base 4 miles away and Bravo airspace from Salt Lake International. They are a pay as you go school with no pre and post charges or fuel charges. They can also arrange accommodations with some of the instructors they have there. You can check out their web site for the total cost on programs they offer at FLYWHIRLY.com. If you have any other questions feel free to email me and I will try to answer any questions you may have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azhigher Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Getting back to the original poster, I went to Quantum for all my training and have nothing but positive things to say. Was good training, good location, fleet, instructors. Went Pvt-CFII and then worked there as a CFI until I got the time to move on. As was stated above they are big on really knowing your info backwards and forwards, high standards for their students and their CFI's, but I think I came out all the better for that. The Chief pilot can come off a little rough at times, but I never had any problems with her. The owner Neil is a super nice guy, very easy to get along with. The other nice thing is that Quantum has a pretty good reputation with some of the companies you'll be looking at to get your first turbine job, specifically Papillon. Of course this is nothing officially linked to the school, but still a nice little caveat. I also work/worked with some guys who went to Civic and they also seemed to have good things to say about the place. Feel free to msg me if you have any more questions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Next_12 Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 I with Butters...lol, sorry man, been away for the past few days studying...I agree with you a 110%, oh well cant always win the world over, but to each there own...good luck Despam, butters, you crack me up man...ttyl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary-mike Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Have you checked out Whirlybird Helicopters in Ogden, Utah. I trained there and they were a great school to train at because it offered mountain training, high DA was regular in the summer time as 7200' and up. The airport its self is controlled with a military base 4 miles away and Bravo airspace from Salt Lake International. They are a pay as you go school with no pre and post charges or fuel charges. They can also arrange accommodations with some of the instructors they have there. You can check out their web site for the total cost on programs they offer at FLYWHIRLY.com. If you have any other questions feel free to email me and I will try to answer any questions you may have. Does WhirleyBird offer Visa for international students now? I have been on thier site multiple times and have not seen it advertised. If so, they should advertise it like the rest of the schools that offer it, it would probably help boost business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Despam Posted October 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 Does WhirleyBird offer Visa for international students now? I have been on thier site multiple times and have not seen it advertised. If so, they should advertise it like the rest of the schools that offer it, it would probably help boost business. WhirleyBird is not on the list of SEVP Approved Schools as at 03 October, 2011. As a result, the school cannot issue visa for international students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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