Training at Ari-Ben Aviator---1st Rate

WOO-HOO!!!!
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I am now officially rated as an instrument pilot!

Had the oral exam/ checkride yesterday morning. After about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour oral exam, I was cleared for the flight portion of the examination. Unfortunately, the weather was VERY marginal....the field was IFR in the early morning (500' ceilings and 1/2 mile vis.)....and the examiner prefers to conduct his instrument flights VFR to allow a degree of flexibility in performing the manuevers and approaches. So, we were looking at a reschedule for weather until next Wednesday or file a FP.
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I wouldn't have minded the filed flight plan, but I could tell the DE really didn't want to do the checkride in that manner. As a result, I agreed to the reschedule.
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I wasn't really happy about that....I was ready for the flight, and wanted to get this behind me. But, not much you can do about the weather.
However, and fortunately for me, with all of our discussion, weather evaluation and hesitation, the weather began to break and we decided to give it a shot and get as much done as possible and leave the remainder for next week.
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As a result, I went a gave the plane a thourough pre-flight and in a few minutes the DE was ready to go.
The flight exam consisted of an airway intersection hold, steep turns, several unusual attitude recoveries (some partial panel), and several instrument approaches.....of which, at least one included a partial panel, single engine approach.....lots of fun....bring it on!
We managed to complete the entire exam and.........
as I said before, I am now a rated pilot....and THRILLED!!!!
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Next thing on the list for me is to complete 100 hours of time building in the Duchess and work on my commercial requirements. However, due to insurance issues, the school requires you to have at least 80 hours of dual-received time in the Duchess. Since I've been cruising through the program, I've only got about 60 hours at this time......which means I need to burn about 20 hours with my instructor first. So, I will work on my cross-country commercial requirements with him and "kill two birds with one stone." This isn't a problem since these 80 hours are all included in the program cost......It's just that I completed my ratings Private AMEL & Instrument in only 60 hours including the 6 hours worth of flight exams for the 3 checkrides (Private, End of course exam (in-house examiner-- part 141 requirement), and the Instrument).
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So, I will probably take a couple days off to decompress and then get back at it. I'm not going to slack off during time-building though....I will use this time to get my commercial written out of the way and maybe my IGI, CFII, and FOI writtens as well.

At any rate, I'm going to enjoy this one for a couple days....from what I've heard, it's probably the most difficult exam outside of the CFI oral.
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As always, and questions, comments, concerns......feel free to contact me.

Matt
 
Congratulations on getting your Instrument! Look forward to hearing more about your experiences at Ari-Ben...
 
During the time-building phase of the program, do you do all of your flying at night with the other time-builders, or can you fly in the day time?

I'm just wondering, because they say you can go anywhere you want on your x-c flights (I know you have to pay the fuel diff.) but if you have to be back by morning that would limit your range. Are you allowed to make arrangements for longer trips, or do they need the planes back in the morning for other students?
 
Yes, the time-building portion of the training is conducted from 1800 - 0600 Local. However, on the weekends, if the plane is not being used for dual instruction, time-building can occur at any time.

It's true that you are able to fly "anywhere" for X-C flights. However, it is also true about needing to return by 0600 the next morning. HOWEVER, it is possible to make arrangements to travel farther, generally on the weekend, and keep the plane overnight/ more than one day, etc...

For time-building, the fuel is reimbursed at $1.30/ gal. So, it can get quite expensive to fuel the planes anywhere other than the Aviator ramp (refuelling included at the Aviator ramp....ie.no additional expense for the student).
 
thanks for the info Cruise, yeah I guess that would get pretty expensive with the fuel prices these days.
 
I trained at Aviator and loved it. I even gave up a deposit with ATP in Jax to go to Aviator. Good people and a great program. I got everything I paid for. I was at Aviators for 4 months and I left with 325 hours of multi with 0 simm time. I was not at all impressed with the FTD at ATP in JAX.
 
Hey Cruise!
CONGRATULATIONS!...I got my 80 hours all ready for timebuilding as well. Who was your examiner? I had Max Krull (sounds almost like my ride). Anyway perhaps I'll see you around.
Peace
 
Long overdue update on my progress!!!

So, much has happened since my last update. I'll give you the brief synopsis. Here goes:

Passed my instrument checkride on April 9th on my first attempt. Had no problems with that. I finished the instrument course with only 60 hours in the Duchess (80 are required to begin the time-building phase of training---more on that later). So, this left me with another 20 hours to burn before I could time-build. So, instead of wasting this time, I went with my instructor to work on my commercial X-C requirements. This saved me time/ money in the long run. On one of these X-C trips, we went to Biloxi, MS. That was a ton of fun. It was nice to be able to go on a long X-C trip instead of all the local out-and-back trips we generally take. Upon the completion of my 80 hours, I went home for a week or so to unwind.

When I returned, I began the time-building phase of training (100 hours of twin-time to work towards the commercial hour requirement--250 hours TT). This was a very enjoyable phase of training and it is amazing how much you learn when you're out on long X-C flights with another student instead of an instructor. Great fun, highly recommended. Unfortunately, during my time-building, I was still working and it made me a VERY tired person. After flying all night and, on more than several occasions, seeing the sun come up, going to work by 0800 was not fun at all. But we all do whatever it takes to reach the goal. However, I didn't bust through the 100 hours at an overzealous rate as some try to do.....I wanted to enjoy my time, and that's what I did. In fact, I took a trip with another student to Ohio & Pennsylvania over the course of a weekend......was able to knock out over 20 hours on that trip alone.....what a great time! Anyway, I finished my time-building in about 4-5 weeks and then it was back to the instructor for the commercial work.

So, it was a bit awkward at first to be flying VFR rules again, after having spent the last 140 hours or so flying IFR. Definitely had to think about things just a bit before doing them. However, I had a strong foundation, so the manuevers weren't very difficult to remember and that was that.

I built up exactly enough time (250 hours TT) to be eligible for the commercial checkrides and as such recently passed both my multi- and single-engine commercial rides (June 4 & 9 respectively). Now it's on to instructor land!!!!

I hope to complete all my instructor ratings by the end of July or no later than the beginning of Aug. We'll see how it goes. These are just arbitrary time limits I've placed on myself....it helps me to pace myself if I have set goals to shoot for. This will have me completely finished in 7 months....including at least 4-5 weeks that I've taken off to travel, and visit home. After all, all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy...
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If I don't include the vacation time, I will be complete with all ratings in 6 months time....that's from 0 time to an instructor with students of his own.

Ok, I realize this is somewhat brief considering all that has taken place in the last two months, but that's enough for now......tired of typing.
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I have only recently gained internet access again....had been without for about 5 weeks.....Can't keep up-to-date on my posting if I don't have access to the net.
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As always, any questions you might have, feel free to post them to the thread or PM me and I'll do my best to help out/ answer questions.

One last thing.......Here's to being a newly unemployed commercial pilot!!! It's great!!!
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Hey ILS....congrats as well to you on your accomplishment. Getting by the instrument is a big rating.

Guess I'll see you at the airport and we can compare checkride experiences.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I took a trip with another student to Ohio & Pennsylvania over the course of a weekend......was able to knock out over 20 hours on that trip alone..

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Cruise, was that a pain in the neck to schedule? If I go to Ari it would be great to fly back to NYC to visit family. How much extra did it end up costing you guys for gas? I know you have to pay the difference for the gas if you go out of Florida.

Anyway Congrats on the progress and keep up the good work!
 
Hey Cruise,
I think that we have met before, I came down to tour the
school in March or April of this year. My tour guide was
Scott and I believe I spoke with you and three other guys
at your house. I was reading one of your old post and you mentioned that you were in the medical field. I think that we had the same conversation at your house/dorm. I'm African
American and a Stock Broker for SunTrust Bank in MD. Let me know if this is you.
Chuck.
 
yes chuck, that was me. Scott generally brought prospective students to my house because we kept the place presentable for visitors.

flyallday, the weekend trip was not difficult to arrange. Provided you give the school plenty of lead time when you'd like to go (typically weekend), it is usually not a problem.
The trip wound up costing us about an extra $150 each after reimbursement.....well worth the cost though. This is just fuel costs.....needed new AFD, IFR charts and plates as well for the regions we travelled through. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable trip and worth the extra expense!
 
Cruise,
It seems like I'll be joining ya in early August, I'm just getting some final things taken care of at home but I should be there farely soon. I'm really looking forward to getting everthing started and hopefully it will be a real good adventure. If you have any tips to give as far as moving or things to do when I come down, it would be greatly appreciated. Hit me on my
e-mail if you want- chuck9191@msn.com

Thanks, and see ya soon.

Chuck.
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Hey Cruise,
Got to meet you back in April. Had a great conversation with you in the lounge late that evening. Your instructor @ the time (can't remember his name) spoke highly of your accomplishments. You guys were going down to Tampa for the following weekend. Keep us updated on your progress. When do you estimate your completion date and will you be pursing to instruct @ Ari-Ben? If you fly up to ORF on your cross-country dinner & beers are on me.
 
Hi Cruise,
good to know that all is going so well for you at Ari-Ben. If you don't mind me asking, how are you financing the bulk of your training? I'm interested because I'm thinking of enrolling at the Aviator sometime in the near future as well and I will have to take out a loan. I'm just looking to see how others managed to pay for their flight time.

Before I forget, a few more questions:

How many students are there with you? From what I can gather from your posts, this is not a problem, but have you had any difficulties with scheduling aircraft? Are the costs about the same as what you had planned on from the beginning? How much would you say everything has cost you so far?

Thanks and take care.
 
Hey Hellmuth. I would venture to say that 99% of incoming students that do require some financing get it from Key Bank. They have special 'Aviation' loans set up for students in our position. It's a pretty easy process and the money is sent directly to the school. You also have the option of borrowing more than the cost of school for living expenses. In this case, the school receives the money and will cut you a check for whatever amount you added in for living. With regards to scheduling planes, I can't really speak for the Duchess but as with anything, the earlier you schedule your flight, the greater amount of options you will have in terms of timeslots. I just finished my Private yesterday and I can tell you that I think I had to cancel one flight due to maintenance which I think is great. You can also plan ahead because you know how many hours each plane has until scheduled maintenance like the 100 hour inspection. I've found the training to be top notch and I have an instructor who has a great ability to teach the material. I finished my Private yesterday with 41 hours and I'll soon be in the Duchess to get my Multi-Private. I hope this helps with your questions and if you have others, ask away. Cruise has been here a great while longer than me and will probably be able to answer your questions with greater detail but I'll do what I can as well. Have a great weekend!
 
Thanks for the reply WVUflyer. I guess your in the pro course, as well, huh? Do you already have your degree out of the way or are you still working on it? The reason I ask is that the Key loan requires you to be enrolled at least part time to be eligible (according to their website). Does one have the time to be taking college courses while going through the pro course at the Aviator? Or is the training there completely self-paced? I was thinking of getting all of my certificates and ratings and then taking online courses at UVSC while instructing.

Thanks again for the info!
 
Hey Hellmuth. I'm not really sure how the online degree works. I finished a 4 year degree in May and then enrolled at the Aviator. I know that some people are doing it at the same time they are doing their flight training. Wish I could help you more on that aspect of it. You might want to make a post on the general forum about UVSC or search for posts relating to it because I know that many flight schools use this as a means of obtaining a 2 or 4 year degree. Hope this helps.

Mike
 
haha I damn well hope so. I'm sick of losing to them but it's no fun anymore without being able to kick McBrien's ass. Took that picture after school was out in May. It was a sunday and they left the tunnel open so I thought...what the hell! i'm going in. took a bunch of pictures from all different angles in there:)
 
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