Finding a flight instructor

Hello! I'm living in europe, but now I decided to take the step and
become a real pilot with everything and such. I want to travel to the
United States next summer and get some flight training there. I already
have some flight time (~40hrs) on C-152s, C-172 and some much more
powerful planes. Being a pilot also helps me with my career (I'm
working in aerospace). I don't want to go to a flight school but
instead pay a free instructor to teach me. But I couldn't find anything
on the net, I only found flight schools. Can someone here help me or
give me some advice? What I'm looking for is a free experienced
instructor (ex-military or active military pilot preferred) located
somewhere in the California, Nevada or New Mexico area. If he has it's
own high performance plane that would be even better.

Does anyone know where I can look for a suitable instructor? Or perhaps
someone already can recommend a instructor.

Tom

I would suggest calling around to some local flying clubs to get some names.



"Tom" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello! I'm living in europe, but now I decided to take the step and
become a real pilot with everything and such. I want to travel to the
United States next summer and get some flight training there. I already
have some flight time (~40hrs) on C-152s, C-172 and some much more
powerful planes. Being a pilot also helps me with my career (I'm
working in aerospace). I don't want to go to a flight school but
instead pay a free instructor to teach me. But I couldn't find anything
on the net, I only found flight schools. Can someone here help me or
give me some advice? What I'm looking for is a free experienced
instructor (ex-military or active military pilot preferred) located
somewhere in the California, Nevada or New Mexico area. If he has it's
own high performance plane that would be even better.

Does anyone know where I can look for a suitable instructor? Or perhaps
someone already can recommend a instructor.

Tom

Just calling around from europe is somewhat impractical. I even don't
know whom to call either ;-)

Tom

On 18 Dec 2005 16:01:31 -0800, "Tom" wrote:

Just calling around from europe is somewhat impractical. I even don't
know whom to call either ;-)

Tom


Try AOPA, even if you aren't a member. 1 800 USA AOPA. Tell them what
you want to do and that you are looking for a list of flight schools.
They may help you out. At least then you'll have a list.

HTH.
z

Do some Yahoo or Google searches to find flight schools and try emailing
them.

"Tom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Just calling around from europe is somewhat impractical. I even don't
know whom to call either ;-)

Tom

Florida seems to be the state of choice for europeans on a budget. You
can do it anywhere. The way things are USUALLY set up is there is an
FBO (fixed base operator). If you go to Airnav.com and click on an
airport there will be a list of FBO's and flight "schools". Most
instructors are rather independent and work by the hour. Get a school
with at least 4 planes and 4 instructors, that way you have some
choices. There are actual "schools" that teach "part 61" and have
official type curriculum. Avoid those. Find an instructor you like (one
you get along with) and schedule as much time as you need. With your 40
hours, you can probably get it done in another 40 hours. Make sure they
understand the foreign student requirement and any other issues you
have because you live in europe like license conversion.

zatatime wrote:

Try AOPA, even if you aren't a member. 1 800 USA AOPA.

An 800 number isn't going to work from Europe. Log into their website at
http://www.aopa.org and take it from there. They do have an international
organization.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

zatatime wrote:
Just calling around from europe is somewhat impractical. I even don't
know whom to call either ;-)
Try AOPA, even if you aren't a member. 1 800 USA AOPA. Tell them what
you want to do and that you are looking for a list of flight schools.
They may help you out. At least then you'll have a list.

then, when you have a more precise idea of where you'd like to
go, we'll be happy to comment on this or that flight school :-)

note that you might want to focus on flight schools with some
*recent* (as in, post 9/11) experience with training foreign
students; there is additional red tape to go through, and
you can save yourself a lot of trouble by picking the right
school in this regard (another thing to ask AOPA)

--Sylvain

I'll send AOPA an email. IIRC the service numbers don't work from
outside US. I wonder if they also answer to non-members.

Tom

I had some of my hrs in C-152s and C-172s at a flight school in
California. Before I went to them I searched the web with google and
mailed every flight school I could find. Most of them answered, but
honestly from most of them who answered I got the impression that the
main priority is my money. That's one reason I want to avoid flight
schools as much as possible and go with an independent instructor
instead.

Tom