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Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 8:37 pm
by jdcs747
Good afternoon, I am interested in getting a PPL, and I would like to know which of these academies are better, Canadian Flight Centre or Brampton Flight Centre, keeping in mind that I would be an international student. in terms of costs I think both are similar, and also both are designated learning institution that is a requirement to get the study permit. I am a fan of aviation but I have never had a flight experience so I would like know, what do you think about both academies?, and which would be a better option to me?.

Thanks.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:49 am
by ZBBYLW
If cost is important check out Harv's Air in Steinbach or St. Andrews. Good school and more affordable accommodation than the bigger cities. While they also have many local students they cater very well to international students and are very knowledgeable about the process of converting your licenses back. Try and contact Adam for details.

Full Disclosure: I used to work there but have been gone for 7 years.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:47 am
by jdcs747
thank you for your opinion, but I'd like to know what do you think about these academies, and which would be a better option.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 1:11 am
by vignesh2528
jdcs747 wrote:thank you for your opinion, but I'd like to know what do you think about these academies, and which would be a better option.
To be honest,I have no idea about Brampton Flight Centre.I came to Canada as an International Student for Pilot Training. I did my initial training with Canadian Flight Centre in Boundary Bay.
The Problem with them is they always want money from you.They don't have good instructors anymore from what I've heard recently.

The other issues are common for most of the flight schools in Boundary Bay:

1.Waiting time on the Ground since its the 5th busiest airport in Canada in regards with aircraft movements (I'm not surprised if you hear #8 for Take-Off)
2.The time which you fly to the practice area and back.(You pay for almost 25 mins every lesson for nothing.) CFC has started going towards Chilliwack. Because the practice area in Glen Valley is almost occupied by 11 flight schools everyday.
3.They rip you off with Briefings even if they don't do any ( 0.3 x 55$ = $17 each flight minimum).
4.The Fuel Surcharge..!! This is where you lose the money.. $35/hr for a C172 which is ridiculous!!
5.They make money by doing hell lot of check-outs (Class C Checkout,Mountain Checkout,Island Checkout,High Crosswind Checkouts)
6.The Groundschool is ridiculous.. I'd recommend don't ever do the ground school with CFC.Because the Ground School is taught by the new upcoming instructors where they are not supervised in the teaching session.It goes damn slow and not much information provided.(I'd recommend the Harv's Air pilottraining.ca for the online groundschool where it's only half the price of which they charge.)

When CFC e-mails about the program information,please double check as the prices are listed in USD.
Basically every flight you lose almost [$17 Briefing + $120 based on Dual Flight (to & from practice area) + $72(Hobbs Time in the Ground)] for nothing.

Canadian Flight Centre Base in Kamloops is even more worst because of the instructors.

On My Personal Opinion, If you want to do your training in BC, TylAir Aviation Ltd. in Kamloops(Where the weather is great all round the year) & Langley Flying School Inc. (The most inexpensive flying school and most transparent in BC) are the best..!!

I believe I've given you enough information what all I learnt from my experience.

Happy Landings and Good luck with your training..!!

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:06 am
by redlaser
If you want to fly in good weather year round there are several schools in southern Ontario, Goodluck.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 5:46 am
by Aviatard
redlaser wrote:If you want to fly in good weather year round there are several schools in southern Ontario, Goodluck.
Southern Ontario has a lot of bad weather days in winter. The Great Lakes are fantastic weather generators. I'm not aware of any schools that have good weather year round. Care to share which ones those are?

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 9:41 am
by PilotDAR
I have not been a student at Brampton FC since the '70's, but I stop by from time to time, and happily, it always seems to be thriving. I was well trained there for my PPL back in the day, and pleased with their service. Their continued success shows that they are still doing things well. Unlike any other flying club in Canada, Brampton Flight Center owns it's own airport, which gives them ultimate control of operations on behalf of their members. While I was training, the airport was occasionally closed to non members, to enable the busy training fleet and membership to have the best access to the facilities.

While reading Vingesh2528's post, I remind myself that in the early and rental pilot phases of one's progression to become an experienced pilot, flying and associated activities are the whole point!
2.The time which you fly to the practice area and back.(You pay for almost 25 mins every lesson for nothing.) CFC has started going towards Chilliwack. Because the practice area in Glen Valley is almost occupied by 11 flight schools everyday.
A part of flying is going somewhere in a plane - perhaps the practice area! There is a transit to the practice area at Brampton too, it's difficult to put practice areas right beside airports.
3.They rip you off with Briefings even if they don't do any ( 0.3 x 55$ = $17 each flight minimum).
Well, if the ground briefing is not being provided, I would ask why. Otherwise, it's an important element of your training, and worth $17.
5.They make money by doing hell lot of check-outs (Class C Checkout,Mountain Checkout,Island Checkout,High Crosswind Checkouts)
Excellent! The flying school is there to make money training the student, and the student is there to get training - checkouts are training.
6.The Groundschool is ridiculous.. I'd recommend don't ever do the ground school with CFC.Because the Ground School is taught by the new upcoming instructors where they are not supervised in the teaching session.It goes damn slow and not much information provided.(I'd recommend the Harv's Air pilottraining.ca for the online groundschool where it's only half the price of which they charge.)
I'm confident that any groundschool and instructor at an approved flight training school are supervised, and the training material delivered as required by the course content. The quoted comment should be taken in the context of the experience of the person quoted - which was at the time....?

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:04 am
by Shiny Side Up
I'm confident that any groundschool and instructor at an approved flight training school are supervised, and the training material delivered as required by the course content.
I'm somewhat less confident that is the case anymore. If only because I've sat through a few ground schools where I was shocked how bad they were. Even as CFI myself, it gets tougher and tougher to get instructors who want to teach ground school, and even the ones that do to stick to required material instead of how they "feel" it should be taught.

Among many problems with the whole idea of ground school any more.:(

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:32 pm
by redlaser
There are excellent flight schools in Hamilton, St.Catharine's, Tillisonberg,St.Thomas and London, where weather conditions are excellent during the winter months, Last three winters there has been little snow fall mater of fact I drove my motorcycle all year round, unlike Western Canada where temperatures are minus 30 most of the winter months.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 1:53 pm
by 5x5
Ok, I'm not sure what would motivate you to make a totaly false statement like .....
redlaser wrote:....unlike Western Canada where temperatures are minus 30 most of the winter months.
It may occasionally get that cold in the West, but rarely does. And the storms that go through Ontario can be pretty severe as you know. Perhaps you're desperate to get students and think that conveying misinformation to potential foreign ones might help you?

People do come here for information and certainly many of us provide our opinions on where and what may be the best, but making outright incorrect statements is pretty bad.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:25 pm
by Rookie50
If it was me simply based on the excellent ground school materials, coming in as an international, I'd choose Harvs.

I did my IFR and CPL self study ground school with them online and combined with a few questions of helpful friends, found it excellent training.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 9:53 am
by redlaser
I spent two weeks out west and temperatures remained at minus 30, You just have to check the metar"s to see that temperatures remain very cold in Alberta, and western Canada, I don"t promote flight schools only mentioned cities where temperatures are suitable all year for flying,

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 2:19 pm
by 7ECA
It often remains very cold and gin clear in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in the winter - that's not suitable flying weather?

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 2:46 pm
by Rookie50
redlaser wrote:There are excellent flight schools in Hamilton, St.Catharine's, Tillisonberg,St.Thomas and London, where weather conditions are excellent during the winter months, Last three winters there has been little snow fall mater of fact I drove my motorcycle all year round, unlike Western Canada where temperatures are minus 30 most of the winter months.
Weather around the lakes is often nasty for flying of any light AC. 30 + knots often and ice laden clouds don't help training days much. Problem it's often not cold enough to dry the airmass out, compared to the prairies. Maybe London is a bit better.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2016 3:23 pm
by CpnCrunch
redlaser wrote:I spent two weeks out west and temperatures remained at minus 30, You just have to check the metar"s to see that temperatures remain very cold in Alberta, and western Canada, I don"t promote flight schools only mentioned cities where temperatures are suitable all year for flying,
It doesn't usually stay at -30 for two weeks in Alberta. In Manitoba, it can. However, if you dress appropriately it's not an issue.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 1:54 pm
by redlaser
Today I'm sitting in the lobby at London airport, temperature is 20 degrees C, Winnipeg is a 5 degrees C, and its 5 PM here, a difference of 15 degrees, and its only fall, winter months are yet to come.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:10 pm
by 7ECA
And again I ask, what is the issue with lower temperatures when it is gin clear? I'll take the lower temperatures, and clear conditions, over warmer and dull any day of the week.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:01 am
by LousyFisherman
I have flown in both areas. I do not know the individual clubs. I took 6 hours aerobatics at Harv's once.

Differences:
At Steinbach, 4 minutes in the Citabria, you are almost anywhere with empty sky, 4000 AGL, start practising. Do this 250 - 300 days per year. Lose 30-40 days to cold, 10-20 days to low cloud. Book 90 minutes flying for every 2 hour lesson, actual flying 80-85 minutes. Do 1.5 FTGU lessons per flight.

South-western Ontario 15-30 minutes in the Cessna, you are at a training area with others, 4000 AGL, start practising. Do this 150 - 250 days per year. The weather is just more variable. Book 75 minutes flying for every 2 hour lesson, actual flying 60 minutes (I assume a busier airport). Do 1 FTGU lessons per flight.
7ECA wrote:And again I ask, what is the issue with lower temperatures when it is gin clear? I'll take the lower temperatures, and clear conditions, over warmer and dull any day of the week.
+1 As 7ECA has said, the dreaded 150 is a lot of fun to fly when the temperature is between 0 and minus 10 Celcius. It actually feels like it has power. Apart from, that lake trout rise to the surface as the the cool weather arrives!!!!

I would do my PPL, in the winter, at Steinbach, where they would teach me to FLY, then I would do my CPL at one of the corporate schools in SW OnterribIe where they would teach me to operate a plane. That way you will have learned enough about aviation to assess a flight schools operations and know which is better when you choose a place to do your CPL.
redlaser wrote:Today I'm sitting in the lobby at London airport, temperature is 20 degrees C, Winnipeg is a 5 degrees C, and its 5 PM here, a difference of 15 degrees, and its only fall, winter months are yet to come.
The prairies are cool, crisp and sunny from December to March. Expect 30 days of -20 to -30 below
SW Ontariario is grey, damp and dingy from November to February. Do not expect to see the sun during this period. It rarely gets as cold as -10 C. A minimum of 30% of the days will not be suitable for flight lessons

Flying in most training aircraft is very pleasant above -15C, I have flown at -15C but I found I was getting a little cold in my extremities.

HTH
LF

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:49 am
by pelmet
7ECA wrote:And again I ask, what is the issue with lower temperatures when it is gin clear? I'll take the lower temperatures, and clear conditions, over warmer and dull any day of the week.
It depends on what the minimum temperature for flying is at the flight school, if they have one. Clear weather is useless if you are grounded due to it being too cold for the flight school.

As well, if a student doesn't like the very cold temps, that is an issue(depends on personal preference). Especially with a nasty windchill.

If you have a forced landing in really cold temps, things would be better if it was warmer. Winter kits are nice but some airplanes are close to their max weight already.
LousyFisherman wrote:SW Ontariario is grey, damp and dingy from November to February. Do not expect to see the sun during this period.
Completely false. There are plenty of sunny days in this period. Expect that sunny days will be frequently fairly cold days but that is not always the case.

Lake effect snows affect some regions more than others and they do frequently hit on days that would otherwise be sunny and are sunny nearby in areas not being affected. London FSS is a good place to ask on which areas get affected most by this. I used to call them specifically on Lake effect days for their local knowledge of the subject instead of the further away FSS guys.

Re: Canadian Flight Centre and Brampton Flight Centre

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 10:07 am
by photofly
Winter kits are nice but some airplanes are close to their max weight already.
What kind of winter kit are we talking about here that is a weight issue?