Schools in U.S.A., help me.
 

Hi my name is Jacopo, I live in Milan, Italy and I have intention to go to America to take the course PPL and ATPL. I'm looking at the schools on internet but I cannot know if they are competent or not. I have looked at the schools to Miami. can you give me some suggestion? thanks. Jacopo:)

Prairie Air Service, Inc

They have worked with many foreign students. The owner, Herb, is from Austria.

His Apache is a fixture in Wichita. If you hear a rumble and then an old twin does a low pass it's him with an instrument student.

Don't waste your time with an FAA ATPL....you can't get your American ATPL until you have built 1500 hours anyway, so what you are trying to do is actually impossible.

There is no such thing as a frozen ATPL in the American system.

Go to Oxford, do the integrated program and graduate from the most prestigious FTO in Europe. A JAR ATPL is far more usable worldwide than an American ATP.

Is the Apache safe? I think it was built in 1953 and both the inside and outside look pretty rough. When I visited, there was oil leaking from the left wing and Herb said it was cheaper to let it leak than get it fixed, which really made me question whether or not I wanted to fly that plane

Do you work for Oxford? I can tell you, Oxford is NOT the most prestigious of them all. It is however the most expensive.

IBR

heres a few hope this helps:

ATP professionals (nationwide)
Flight Safety International Academy (Vero Beach)
Pan Am Academy (Arizona)
Dean International (Miami)

a few that have good programs I said Dean cause I used to fly there and they are in Miami. Feel free to PM for details about Dean and ATP I did some flying at both.

I was wondering if you could share more about your visit to Prairie Air as I am currently considering enrolling there? Thanks.

Alright then. Well, who is? .....and don't say CABAIR; I've heard enough jokes today.

He can't go to ATP. They can't sponsor a visa.

Jacopo,

If I may offer a suggestion, whatever you do, get a degree in engineering. I take it from your question that you are interested in being a pilot. The flight training is only one part of your education and although you can get a job without a four year degree, an engineering degree can always be your backup plan. The engineering degree can even get you to the NASA Astronaut program.

As far as schools, I would highly recommend Parks College of St. Louis University. Believe it or not, St. Louis University has a campus in Madrid Spain. I am sure if you wanted to come to the U.S. that you could transfer easily into the USA from this campus to the main campus in St. Louis Missouri.

I've been in the aviation industry for over 20 years. I went to medical school at St. Louis University. Then became a pilot.

Let me know if you have any additional questions. Here is a link to the campus in Madrid Spain.

Saint Louis University. -HOME PAGE- SLU. Universidad americana en Madrid (España). Universities Madrid Campus. Colleges Spain.

Here is a link to the main campus in the USA. You can check here to see if they have a sponsorship program.

Parks College Home : Saint Louis University : SLU

The Madrid Campus has an engineering degree program where you do two years in Madrid then transfer to the USA. You could start this program, then come to the USA and finish while you do the flight training here. Here is a link to the engineering program.

http://parks.slu.edu/departments/ame/index.php


The link below will tell you about all the different programs that transfer to the main Campus here in the USA. Again, I highly stress the importance of the engineering degree. You could even get a great high paying job with Boeing when the airlines are all furloughing.

http://spain.slu.edu/academics/ac_intro_overview.html



Best of luck!

Whale

Jacopo,

You mentioned Miami, but is that where you want to go? There are schools all over the country. You'll likely hear of schools in places ranging from Miami to Seattle. Where are you thinking of going?

I cal also recommend Dean International in Miami. The two other schools on that field (KTMB) are ADF and Silver Express.

Who mentioned Cabair? I agree, they suck. But there are only two approved schools here that can conduct the course from zero to CPL. Oxford isn't one of them. All they do is charge UK aircraft prices and have a name.

Yes their name is recognized as a good name, but that is in the UK. Not AZ.

I know a few out that way. Its what I have heard from them. But I do have experience with both schools in FL, and I know they are the only ones who are fully approved for the course without constant treking back and forth across the atlantic.

I would suggest the poster look at where he wants to train, and for what licence, then look at schools that can do the job in that area.

I'm not saying Oxford is a bad school, because it isn't But OAT is not the red-brick uni we all know! And their intergrated course is waaaay too much considering half of the flying is done in the USA.

IBR

Thanks to all for the help. I hope to find a school not very expensive , qualified and with links in some companies. I have heard that some people after having spent so much money for the various licenses, they don't find job. That makes me scared.

I don't know where I will go, I have only decided to study the licenses in the foreign countries. in England or U.S.A.
My dream is to work in a big airline company, maybe flight long distance ( paris<-->newyork for example)...but but but. I'm 20 years old and I don't now how to do that. And I don't know how this beautiful and huge world works.

Hi Jacopo

There was just a seminar in London for just those questions. I heard that there is another in Dublin later in the year.

Buy FLYER magazine and look for the seminars. If you are from Europe, maybe you should just be looking at the JAA licences.

Best of luck

IBR

Hi, I have the same issue as Jacopo. Looking for a school and if being more precise pofessional airline program.
Currently I am considering Mazzei Flying Service and Westwind School of Aeronautics. But incline to Mazzei.
Does anybody know something good/bad about them? Comments wanted)))

Maxim

I'm an instructor at Mazzei, so feel free to ask me anything you like. I graduated from Mazzei's program a little over a year ago.

We have been training students that come from all the corners of the earth. At one point in time I had students from Taiwan, India, Germany, Cayman Islands and the USA.

We utilize a rather unique aircraft control techniqe that initially takes a little longer to get then basic airspeed flying, but it allows for a much smoother transition to other aircraft types further on down the road in your flying career.

3GreenKSNA, that is cool )))
So I am from Ukraine, 23 years old with no previous exp.
I've been thinking about enrollment in 205i or 205 program, could U tell me the main difference, cause the number of flight hours are almost equal and time diff. is 2 month.

Regarding Housing, I don't fully understand if the school chages fees ar not?
I am planning to start my studies in Aug or Sept of 09, so do I have to book a place on a program in advance? I heard that U are quite busy. And it usually takes up to 3 month to get a US visa from my country. Therefore I need to book in like 6-7 mounth advance? ))))))
About FAA medical examination, the nearest examiner is in US, as far as I know ))) SO what should I do about?
And finally do I need to present any statement that shows my English level? Like TOEFL or some other.

P.S. I am also wondering if there is a lot of Physics and Math involved into studying process ?

The 205I program is geared towards our students from India, which in order to meet their governments aviation requirements they need to fly in the piper Seneca which is more expensive to fly accounting for the higher expense, also they need to do additional flying above and beyond the US's FAA Commercial reqs. Which accounts for the extended length of training.

Housing is one area of our program I'm not well versed on, I had my own housing.

I would hurry and begin the process of applying; there are numerous govt. hurdles one needs to jump before they ever set foot in an airplane. I also know there is a waiting period to start training at our school.

I have no idea about the FAA examinations being able to be conducted abroad. Pretty much as long as you have vision correctable to 20/20, good health, normal hearing, normal color vision you are good to go.

The FAA and Mazzei requires you to read speak and write English, does not need to be perfect, you just need to be able to carry on a conversation.

The physics and math of aviation from a pilot perspective does not get anymore complex then simple algebra. Hope this helps check out the schools website and fill out the information form.