This Review Overall Rating
I was a modular student who initially joined FTA from November 2016 to May 2017 to undertake the ATPL Theory. Theory consisted of 3 modules (5,4,5) with the exams taken at the CAA 2 months after each module. The pairing of subjects in each module made it easy to study and prepare for the exams as some overlapped with each other (GNav with RNav, Perf with Flight Planning, etc.). ATPL Theory instruction was good and the TKIs (Martin & Dave) were very knowledgeable and helpful with any questions I had during the Theory. Padpilot books were used during the theory, which I find wasn’t quite the best available (compared to BGS or Jeppesen Books), nevertheless, the amount of resources and learning material made up for the lack of depth of knowledge in the Padpilot books. In the end I achieved an 84.5% average with one re-take across 4 sittings, before going back to University to complete my Degree.
Following the completion of my University Degree, I underwent the MEP, ME-IR & ME-CPL Course Package Training at FTA from June 2018 to April 2019. My overall experience was that FTA was very professional with high standards. The relative medium size of the flight school allowed students and staff form a close knit community that supported each other.
The 6 hours MEP course was followed by jumping straight into 56hr ME-IR (Sim and Aircraft) then by the 15hrs of CPL Training. Other than getting used to looking inside for the IR, then outside again for the CPL, the training was brilliant and allowed me to improve my navigation skills. I required a few more hours upon completing the course to achieve test standard; although this stretched my budget a bit, it was with the help and relentless effort of the instructors I was able to achieve a first Series pass on the IR & CPL.
All Information and learning resources are more than plentiful on Flightlogger and in the Ops room. FTA created a friendly environment where students can socialise and help each other out. All you need is self-motivation and the courage to go around and ask. Furthermore, FTA provide employment support via a 3rd party company called AirlinePrep, who usually would come over every 6-8 weeks. They assist with CV preparation, Interview techniques and the Interview Process, which I found incredibly useful.
Positives:
- Aircraft are all maintained at Shoreham, which usually meant a quick turnaround.
- Operations staff (Dave & Sam) are very professional and helpful. They were extremely diligent at helping with submitting flight plans, booking slots and arranging schedules to accommodate students' needs. This was especially important to me as I was working part-time as well as commuting from London for the course
- Facilities are well kept and useful to students for pre-flight planning and post-flight de-briefing.
- Great Location: Social life is great as Shoreham town centre is just a short walk with pubs, beach nearby. Brighton is a 20 minute bus ride away.
- School SOPs are well laid out and followed by the instructors.
- Instructors - 5/5 for all of the instructors I flew with (Dave, Paul, Olivier, James, Phil). The depth of experience, knowledge and teaching skills is hands down the best you will find. The professionalism expected of an airline pilot is taught from day one and I have had various comments regarding my own professionalism that I have to attribute directly to the instructors and how they teach. They were always available and happy to answer any queries and questions I had
- Instrument approach is available at EGKA (but may be a bit tricky at times to arrange slots for them)
- Back-seating is often welcome for others' lessons, which allows students to learn from each other.
Negatives:
- DA42 Availability: Aircraft are kept to a high standard and there were never any major issues, however, with only 2 DA42 aircraft available and a large number students reaching the Multi-Engine stage, there came a point where slots were limited when both DA42’s were in and out of maintenance. This was more due to bad timing with maintenance schedules; however, a good Plan B would’ve been nice to resolve this issue
- Shoreham Airport surroundings - High ground north of the runway gives an MDA of 810ft; this coupled with the typical British weather led to a number of flights having to be cancelled and rescheduled.
- Weather - Obviously, this is no reflection on the school whatsoever, I do feel it has to mentioned as this is the most frustrating thing to deal with training in the UK. Whilst training in bad weather definitely makes for a better pilot, losing days and sometimes weeks at a time takes patience and resilience to overcome (especially whilst on a budget and having to commute from London!). Definitely take this into consideration when planning time-scales of training and just be prepared for days where you wait around, or your flights are cancelled.
- Landing & Instrument Approach fees slightly caught me out, although my budget and savings was enough to cover it. There could be some more transparency in the admin department in regard to over runs and extra charges. This would allow prospective students to know what to expect to therefore budget accordingly.
All in all, I would highly recommend any UK based student pilots to consider FTA. Tours can be booked via the school website (not sure if they are still on due to COVID-19) but I definitely recommend having a look around. Thank you to all the instructors and staff here for a top level of training, and atmosphere!
Course(s) taken:
General
Aircraft
Simulators
Theoretical Training
Practical Training
