Inquiring Diamond Flight Centre London

[clairvoyant]

Is this place still in business?
I heard this training facility had the best rate in Ontario as far as fleet, student instructor ratio, etc.
Any comment and feedback is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[4Stroke]

It certainly is!
I can't comment on how DFC London compares rate/fleet wise to other schools, but I can say it is an all-new Diamond fleet. DA20 C1s, DA40s, and DA42s.
Most aircraft are equipped with the Garmin G1000 or G500 glass cockpits. 1 Level 5 FTD for the DA42, as well as 3 Level 2 FTDs for simulation and IFR training.

DFC London is the supplier of flight training for the Commercial Aviation Management program at Western University.

I am not employed by them, but do know most of their staff and management. They are always welcoming to new folks looking to begin training, or complete an advanced rating.

Give them a call (519) 457-5777 or stop by for a visit!
http://www.dfclondon.com

cheers,
4Stroke

[clairvoyant]

I emailed them several weeks ago but no response so far. I'd like to visit but I am about 7 hours driving distance from that facility.

It certainly is!
I can't comment on how DFC London compares rate/fleet wise to other schools, but I can say it is an all-new Diamond fleet. DA20 C1s, DA40s, and DA42s.
Most aircraft are equipped with the Garmin G1000 or G500 glass cockpits. 1 Level 5 FTD for the DA42, as well as 3 Level 2 FTDs for simulation and IFR training.

DFC London is the supplier of flight training for the Commercial Aviation Management program at Western University.

I am not employed by them, but do know most of their staff and management. They are always welcoming to new folks looking to begin training, or complete an advanced rating.

Give them a call (519) 457-5777 or stop by for a visit!
http://www.dfclondon.com

cheers,
4Stroke

[cdnpilot77]

I emailed them several weeks ago but no response so far. I'd like to visit but I am about 7 hours driving distance from that facility.

Give them a call (519) 457-5777

Why are people so afraid of phones?

[clairvoyant]

The same reason why I am afraid of radios.

Why are people so afraid of phones?

[4Stroke]

The same reason why I am afraid of radios.

Not sure what that means. Are you being sarcastic? Or is it a genuine fear of talking on the phone or radio? If the latter, that is likely going to impact any training you wish to do. A pilot is required to talk on the radio. A lot. You progressively learn the A-B-C's of ATC communication, and nobody expects confidence right away. A good instructor helps you build radio skills along with your flying skills.

In case you didn't notice on the DFC website, there is also a toll-free phone number to call, if you are worried about the long-distance: 1-877-458-5777.

I hope that helps.

Cheers

[5x5]

Why are people so afraid of phones?

A lot of people these days seem to think that the phone app is one of the least useful ones in their fancy new Texting/Selfie handheld.

[SheaAllan]

I am just finishing up my PPL at Diamond Flight Centre and have nothing but good to say about both the equipment and instructors.

A couple notes that come to mind:
- CYXU is controlled but there a number of uncontrolled airports in the vicinity which gives you a good mix of controlled/uncontrolled experience. I would have the confidence to, for example, fly into Toronto City Center airport once licensed (while waving at the parking lot that is the Gardiner Expressway these days)
- They host a squadron of air cadets during the summer. If your instructor gets assigned 2-3 air cadets you will likely have to (temporarily) switch to a different instructor.
- Throughout my 9 months of training 2 of my instructors got jobs elsewhere.
- The instructors I worked with would frequently go above and beyond to accommodate requests (e.g., coming in on off days)
- I got to train on both glass panel and steam gauge DA20's
- Current rates are $145/hr + tax (wet) for the DA20, and the instructor is $65/hr + tax.
- It was easy to book an examiner for my PPL flight test as there is one who works in the control tower at CYXU, and I believe the Chief Flight Instructor at the school is licensed to do them also.
- Very good availability of aircraft - it was never a problem renting a plane
- Very well maintained fleet - I did not experience any operational issues with any of the aircraft

Once I complete my PPL (I need 3 more hours of instrument time which I am scheduled to do in a simulator tomorrow and the day after) I will sum the costs (I estimate about $13,000 for ~ 55 hours of flight time, about 40 of which were dual).

[Taiser]

$210.00 an hour for dual...? I forgot how expensive getting instruction on a rental is now-a-days...

Nice that places are still getting good word of mouth though... seems like I read of a lot of places lately getting crappier reviews!

[PropToFeather]

CYXU would have originally been my choice had I not had to move there (and rent while training) to get my licenses done. So there's something to think of as far as costs go.