montu Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 I was wondering if anyone knew if AirOrlando was a good place to train at? I heard it was a little expensive here. Is that true? I rather go here than HAI because its only about 15 min away from my house. thanks Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bristol Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 I was wondering if anyone knew if AirOrlando was a good place to train at? I heard it was a little expensive here. Is that true? I rather go here than HAI because its only about 15 min away from my house. thanks Jordan Have you looked into Tomlinson Aviation in Ormond Beach? P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montu Posted November 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 No I havent. I heard they were good. They are a bit of drive for me though.Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparks Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Whilst we are on the topic of Florida. Im going there on vacation on the 15th dec for a couple of weeks. I want to do a bit of flying, maybe one of those 5 hour packs that can go towards your ppl? Any recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gft Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Check out Tomlinson in Ormond Beach. Good aircraft and good people.The airport and tower are real helicopter oriented. Makes for a great training enviroment. The facility and staff make it worth the drive. I got my private ticket with Tomlinson and enjoyed every moment there.I've got a friend who is working on his ticket at Tomlinson now, he's having a great time. He commutes from Jacksonville as I did and like me agrees it is worth the drive.Where ever you go have a great time, after all that is what life is all about. gft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesp Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 HAI is the largest flight school/academy in the World. The quality of helicopters and instructors is very good. So if you live in Titusville or at least very close to KTIX, why look any further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montu Posted November 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Is Air Orlando any good though? I live only 15 min away. HAI and Tomlinson would be a good hour drive. Jordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 Never flown at Air Orlando, but I did stop in and talk with them. Seemed ok, but the rates are on the higher side as I remember. Also more focused on fixed wing training than helicopter Tomlinson, HAI, both good schools with excellent reputations and good equipment, HAI, very large school (pilot factory) Tomlinson, small and family orientated You should go visit all three, take a flight, talk with the instructors, other students, etc. Make your decision based on where you feel comfortable, not just over price, and who's closer. Your lucky, you have several schools within an hour or two from you. Up here in Indiana, you'll find a few people that have seen a helicopter before, but only on the TV! Schools, forget about it......My commute to fly was 16 hours each way! Of the three schools........Tomlinson would be my pick Fly safeClark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montu Posted November 20, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 How more expensive are they compared to HAI and Tomlinson? thanksJordan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
svtcobra66 Posted November 20, 2006 Report Share Posted November 20, 2006 I finished up my private through Air Orlando, they're nice guys but it's really expensive (45/hr for ground and flight instruction, and I know the helicopters are atleast 230/hr). Might want to try Tropical Helicopter in Leesburg, I live right next to UCF and it takes about an hour to get there, but the rates are great (225/hr with instructor if you do the 10hr blocks) and the instructors are willing to work with you at the pace you feel comfortable with. I've run through both my instrument and commercial ratings with them and couldn't be happier. They have a fly-it helicopter sim too, so if you want to get your instrument rating that will definitely come in handy. PM me if you have any questions about my experience at either place. Like I said, Air Orlando is a good place, but it's expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amenra Posted November 23, 2006 Report Share Posted November 23, 2006 I agree with SVTCobra. I looked at both and flew with both AirOrlando and Tropical. I continued with Tropical based on price. I say price, because both schools have 3 Schweizers, both have good instructors, both will get you all the way thru to your CFIi if that is your goal. Tropical has the sim, that will cut down on your costs. They also do not charge for ground school. Leesburg now has a tower so that will also take care of some of your requirements for ratings. I like Leesburg also, because you do not have to wait as long for clearance. Five minutes on a Hobbs meter is 5 minutes more I can practice my hover skills. My best advice is check out both, do an introductory flight with both (both can be logged for hours) and decide who you feel the most confortable with. Cheaper won't matter if you avoid flying because of conflict. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about my experiences. I am also a new student (12 hours) and did alot of looking and talking before I made my decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.