Need Flight School Recommendations.

[TPointer]

Are there any pilots out there who have trained in florida that can recommend an excellent flight school? I have been thinking about Helicopter adventures Inc., and Elite Helicopters. I have heard good things about HAI. but not sure about Elite Helicopters. Also, what schools in Florida should I stay away from, in other words the ones that have earned a bad reputation? Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Edited February 20, 2007 by TPointer

[joker]

HAI

Tomlinson seem to be getting very few negative reports these days.

Air Orlando Helicopter Training at Orlando Executive

Palm Beach Helicopters

 

These all have a fairly good rep, as far as I can remember.

 

Be wary of schools whcih are predominantly fixed wing orientated. There is a couple I can think of. Also, I would not be drawn into any 'PPL in 21 Days' sort of courses.

 

You have certainly come to the place for help on this topic. You must help yourself too. Take some time to look around this site. You will find a 'search' feature, a 'flight school reviews section' and masses of information which already address the issues you are looking into.

 

As you can imagine you are not the first to ask these questions!

 

Joker

Edited February 20, 2007 by joker

[jet trash]

Tropical Helicopter.

 

You can check them out under flight school reviews on VR.

[RaymondKHessel]

Also, I would not be drawn into any 'PPL in 21 Days' sort of courses.

 

Hey Joker,

what are your thoughts on the PPL in 21 days? is it an issue of that being too fast or is it the expectation that the PPL can be completed in a defined time period? isn't flying regularly generally better (4-5x per week, as opposed to 1-3x per week)? i had a guy recommend doing as many as 2 lessons per day for Fri-Sun as a strategy for getting training intensity (reinforcing techniques from lesson to lesson) while still working a real job.

thanks,

--c

[Bristol]

Are there any pilots out there who have trained in florida that can recommend an excellent flight school? I have been thinking about Helicopter adventures Inc., and Elite Helicopters. I have heard good things about HAI. but not sure about Elite Helicopters. Also, what schools in Florida should I stay away from, in other words the ones that have earned a bad reputation? Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

 

Call Brian at Tomlinson Aviation. They are great, not too expensive and are located at a perfect airport. I've been training there for about 9 months now and are very happy with their operation.

 

Paul

[ascott20]

Call Brian at Tomlinson Aviation. They are great, not too expensive and are located at a perfect airport. I've been training there for about 9 months now and are very happy with their operation.

 

Paul

 

Tomlinson Aviation, hands down, is a great school. I know I keep posting this, but they are a great organization. They have adequate 300s that are kept in top-notch shape; but they are not so big as that you can be lost in a factory type program like HAI has happen every now and then... I don't know much about Elite.

 

Also, be wary of those rapid certification programs. No school can guarantee you a license in a certain amount of time... especially 21 days. It is good to flight regularly, but with anything remember overload can occur and you eventually stop progressing because of too much information... you'll find your comfort zone, and that will be your ideal learning pace.

[svtcobra66]

I second Tropical Helicopter, its a great school and they have the best rates around. They also have a Fly-It Sim which is great for instrument training, and they operate the Schweizer 300C models. Definitely worth checking out, they're in Leesburg, FL.

[joker]

Raymond,

 

Re: the 21 day courses

 

I have always been wary of this sort of 'crach course' ('scuse the pun). I don't believe that a flight school can, in all good concious put a cap on the training time (particularly one that low), and deliver a full course to every student.

 

Let's take some unreal statistics just for an example:

 

Say the average person 'could' stomach a 21-day course. That means that 50% of the students that sign up are going to struggle. Now the school is faced with either not meeting their advertised claim (although I'm sure they have small print to cover that), or teaching a partial course in 21 days. Either option is unsatisfactory.

 

In reality, I would suggest that a student has to be above average to handle a 21-day course to the fullest.

 

My reservations were confirmed in a student I once taught, who had taken one of these courses. He came to me a very poor pilot, unprepared for the jump in level of detail that I demanded. He openly admitted this - a hard thing to do since he had spent much money already. His honesty was reflected in his approach to my training, and he went on to become one of my best students, but it took a great deal of unlearning / relearning to get him there.

 

Of course, there may be a tactical reason why this sort of course may be perfect for someone. However, generally for a new pilot who is interested in persuing Helicopters beyond the stage of being able to gloat in a pub about his licence, then I don't think there is enough time for consolidation of the training and reinforcement of the knowledge and skills. This includes 'private pilots' who wish to fly for pleasure as well as career pilots.

 

Just like Ascott20 says, regular flying will help you get through your course much quicker. You do need time to rest your mind though, so there is an optimum 'intensity' for everyone. I dare say the people who can do a 21-day course justice are few and far between.

 

TPointer - You're welcome!

 

Joker

Edited February 21, 2007 by joker

[Tobias]

I currently train at Tropical Helicopter, in Leesburg FL. It is an excellent school with a fun, layed back atmosphere. Check out their web site: www.tropicalhelicopter.com, or feel free to contact me.

 

 

Are there any pilots out there who have trained in florida that can recommend an excellent flight school? I have been thinking about Helicopter adventures Inc., and Elite Helicopters. I have heard good things about HAI. but not sure about Elite Helicopters. Also, what schools in Florida should I stay away from, in other words the ones that have earned a bad reputation? Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[cruise475]

Helicopters of America, Pompano Beach Florida, is a great school.. That is where I am training. www.helicopterflightinstruction.com

[LFGuard10]

TPointer, I'm going to have to jump on the Tomlinson Aviation bandwagon. When I was searching for flight-schools, I considered very many until I ran across Tomlinson. From talking to former students and going to talk to Matt (The instructor in NC), I decided that this would be my flight-school. I haven't started my training yet so I can't tell you first-hand how the training is, but like I said, from the former students I've talked to, this is an outstanding school. Good Luck

Edited February 9, 2008 by LFGuard10

[rjl2001]

Anyone know if Tropical Helicopter is a VA approved flight school, or who they provide financing through?

 

I'm looking for a good VA approved school in Florida. As far as Tomlinson goes I agree they are the best looking school I have visited and spoken to. Unfortunately, Tomlinson is only VA approved for their commercial course. Since I plan on using the GI Bill all the way till CFI that won't work well.

 

My choices that I know of so far are Bristow, and Aquila Aviation in Jacksonville. Bristown sounds good, but would really like a smaller school that is more 1-on-1. Aquila looks OK, but is one of the fast paced style schools. Not real sure I'd like that style, might feel a little too rushed.

 

Let me know if there are any others I have overlooked. thanks