Naples Air Center

Foxcow

Foxcow

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

just a heads up on this place. STAY AWAY! Weather you are renting or looking for a job, this place is the defininition of crooked.

Instructors:
First of all, all of the instructors are crammed into this room (6'x12')with 4 chairs (8 instructors). There is a computer but we are not allowed internet access, a printer, or a copier. We are required to stay 10 hours a day even though it is raining cats and dogs and the winds are gusting to 45kts. We are only paid $15 per flight hour. I moved down here for a few months to get some good flying in but I didn't think this place was this bad.

Management:
Mismanagement is more like it. There is a trifecta of terror that runs the place. Customers are not treated with respect at all. Even though an aircraft is coming up on an inspection, they urge thier clients to fly anyways because of some made up technicality in some obscure reg. They care for nothing but making sure the hobbs meter is ticking away. Every converstation is a confrontation or a test of your competence.

Aircraft/Mx:
The aircraft are the typical run of the mill training aircraft. 152s, 172s, Warriors, an old Seminole, a few AMD Alarus, and an Arrow. First of all, the FAA instructors rarely see any multi/complex time. The chief instructor usualy hogs it all. They never want you to squwak anything because they just call the MX guys to "repar" it. One aircraft in particular comes to mind (flaps will not retract sometimes). All of the aircraft have at least one piece of equipment broken.

Building/hangar:
Overall, the hangar is in a good location and in pretty good condition but they have 4 cats! Is this a place of business or a zoo? During business hours, the cats are up on the counters, walking/sleeping/sitting on dispatched aircraft clipboards and books. There is cat hair everywhere. It is disgusting.


Stay away from this place. They get most of their business from European students that come over for FAA conversions so they don't know any better. It is a terrible place to work and not a good place to rent.
 
Well that really sucks, and you sound very fustrated to say the least.

Naples you mean Florida, right? (Well I wouldnt think is Italy :insane:)

Theres plenty of places to work as a cfi in Florida, I think. You should move out of there
 
Foxcow said:
Instructors:
First of all, all of the instructors are crammed into this room (6'x12')with 4 chairs (8 instructors). There is a computer but we are not allowed internet access, a printer, or a copier. We are required to stay 10 hours a day even though it is raining cats and dogs and the winds are gusting to 45kts. We are only paid $15 per flight hour. I moved down here for a few months to get some good flying in but I didn't think this place was this bad.

Management:
Mismanagement is more like it. There is a trifecta of terror that runs the place. Customers are not treated with respect at all. Even though an aircraft is coming up on an inspection, they urge thier clients to fly anyways because of some made up technicality in some obscure reg. They care for nothing but making sure the hobbs meter is ticking away. Every converstation is a confrontation or a test of your competence.

Aircraft/Mx:
The aircraft are the typical run of the mill training aircraft. 152s, 172s, Warriors, an old Seminole, a few AMD Alarus, and an Arrow. First of all, the FAA instructors rarely see any multi/complex time. The chief instructor usualy hogs it all. They never want you to squwak anything because they just call the MX guys to "repar" it. One aircraft in particular comes to mind (flaps will not retract sometimes). All of the aircraft have at least one piece of equipment broken.

Building/hangar:
Overall, the hangar is in a good location and in pretty good condition but they have 4 cats! Is this a place of business or a zoo? During business hours, the cats are up on the counters, walking/sleeping/sitting on dispatched aircraft clipboards and books. There is cat hair everywhere. It is disgusting.
Click to expand...
That describes MANY MANY flight schools!


.... and quite a few airlines!


Seriously, if this type of thing bothers you, it may be prudent to reconsider your career choice. I did!
 
Mr_Creepy said:
That describes MANY MANY flight schools!


.... and quite a few airlines!


Seriously, if this type of thing bothers you, it may be prudent to reconsider your career choice. I did!
Click to expand...


I have worked at a good number of schools and have seen this type of thing before but this place is the worst by far.
 
"Even though an aircraft is coming up on an inspection, they urge thier clients to fly anyways because of some made up technicality in some obscure reg."

Gee, I wonder if that's the obscure reg where if an aircraft is only a rental and no instruction is given that it is considered not to be for hire and therefore doesn't need a 100 hour inspection. A school I worked for would occasionally take advantage of that loophole and one of the local DPEs even said it was ok. As to whether I believe it or not, well let's just say I wouldn't take the risk renting an airplane solo that's at or past 100 hour.

Will
 
goindownthepipes said:
"Even though an aircraft is coming up on an inspection, they urge thier clients to fly anyways because of some made up technicality in some obscure reg."

Gee, I wonder if that's the obscure reg where if an aircraft is only a rental and no instruction is given that it is considered not to be for hire and therefore doesn't need a 100 hour inspection. A school I worked for would occasionally take advantage of that loophole and one of the local DPEs even said it was ok. As to whether I believe it or not, well let's just say I wouldn't take the risk renting an airplane solo that's at or past 100 hour.

Will
Click to expand...


That is one of them but I think an annual was overflown also.
 
Mr_Creepy said:
That describes MANY MANY flight schools!


.... and quite a few airlines!


Seriously, if this type of thing bothers you, it may be prudent to reconsider your career choice. I did!
Click to expand...


John did the redtail cessna's do that to you?
 
Redtail, FSA, Communist Air, Phoenix East, AOA, etc they're all running on shoe string budgets ... "A Wing and a Prayer."

Never seen any flight school and very few airlines that fix everything as soon as it is broken. Midway planes were held together with MEL stickers. Same with the Eagle Shorts.

Mesa was not so bad, but I attribute that to the newness of the planes. Probably worse now.
 
Would these airlines fix engine failures and major oil leaks? I think so. This place is def crooked. It will bite the owner big one day. I had two engine failures on the ground when the I pulled the power to idle. The owner said "well don't fly with it at idle." I asked him if he were serious. And he went into a fit about when I would fly I idle. That was my last day there, thank the lord. He says the idle needed adjusted, I later found out the aircraft needed a new carbureator. Planes had major oil leaks and they say they are holding oil. You could see oil dripping onto the front tire. He wanted me to fly a 152 not knowing how much fuel we had. No dip stick and the reasoning is because he is too cheap to hire a fuel guy on Sundays. Rule #1 in flying, it doesn't fly without fuel. The students are trapped there, which is basically why he treats them like s***. They are here on a visa, if they were to go to another school, they would have to go back to their country re-apply and then come back. STAY AWAY! And yeah the cats are gross, walk in in the morning and dead mice with guts everywhere. One morning there was actually a possum that came in through the cat door. I could go on and on but I will stop here.
 
Hold it there sport.

ENGINE FAILURES? How are you going to dispatch a C-152 with no engine?

MAJOR OIL LEAKS? Well depends on what you mean by major. I remember one Brasillia captain told his FA - "Tell me when it STOPS leaking. Then we have a problem!"

I had two engine failures on the ground when the I pulled the power to idle. The owner said "well don't fly with it at idle." I asked him if he were serious. And he went into a fit about when I would fly I idle.
Click to expand...

Excuse me those are not engine failures. PLEASE use the right terminology. That's simply an idle adjustment problem and what the owner said is correct. Think about it. The only time the engine will stop at idle is when you are on the ground. You can still pull the throttles back to idle on final.

AARRRGGHHH doesn't anyone teach these student pilots about engines anymore?
 
Tim said:
John the new planes today are all about the glass panels
Click to expand...
LOL I'm laughing but I am sad at the same time.

Just because there are glass panels doesn't change what the pistons and cylinders do :D
 
Foxcow, what happened to the Luscombe place? Couldn't keep you busy? You ever get out West at all?
 
DE727UPS said:
Foxcow, what happened to the Luscombe place? Couldn't keep you busy? You ever get out West at all?
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I would have loved to stay there and instructed full time but I am allergic to grass. I could have gotten a lot of flying and made some good money. After I get 135 mins in a few months, I am thinking about heading out west. Do you still have your Luscombe?
 
Yeah, it's in way in the back corner of a hangar but the guy doesn't charge me much as long as I don't bother him. I'm getting the itch to go fly it some.
 
DE727UPS said:
Yeah, it's in way in the back corner of a hangar but the guy doesn't charge me much as long as I don't bother him. I'm getting the itch to go fly it some.
Click to expand...



I will be sure to let you know if I am heading out that way. :D
 
Mr_Creepy said:
LOL I'm laughing but I am sad at the same time.

Just because there are glass panels doesn't change what the pistons and cylinders do :D
Click to expand...

You are right you still have to fly the plane and piston and cylinders still have to work but thats not what the dealers are promoting. They want to show you the pretty glass panel and and the great engine monitoring functions. But as well all know those can go out then what is the pilot to do.
 
Tim said:
But as well all know those can go out then what is the pilot to do.
Click to expand...

small pistons fly fine with the mixture full rich. not optimum, but it won't bring down the plane...

and if you wanted to save .05 gallons of gas on your way to a mx facility you could always just lean by sound?
 
I am just saying with all the pretty panels now many pilots will forget how to fly as if they were back in a 152 with just basic instruments.
 
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