Hour Building USA - (Master thread)
Join Date: Jun 2022
Location: Poland
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silverlik
[email protected]
+1 386 235 6226
his site is down from time to time, no idea why. Those are the contacts i used when I rented a plane from him in Decmeber’22. He replies also on WhatsApp
[email protected]
+1 386 235 6226
his site is down from time to time, no idea why. Those are the contacts i used when I rented a plane from him in Decmeber’22. He replies also on WhatsApp
Join Date: Jun 2024
Location: Ireland
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Hour Building with Global Flight Training Solutions (GFTS) in Florida
I did my hour building in Florida with GFTS, based in Immokalee. I discovered them through ASG, the academy I did my ATPL theory with in Ireland and I couldn't recommend them highly enough.
They provide you with cheap accommodation in Naples for $1,500 for 4 weeks. The condo has a beautiful swimming pool outside and a gym you can use for free. On top of that you get a free Toyota Highlander you can use to travel back and forth from Immokalee as well as visit places on your days off, there are no restrictions to how far you can drive with the car. I took a day off with my roommate for a cruise through Miami once and picked up my girlfriend from Orlando which is a 615km round trip. Can't imagine getting a deal like that anywhere else and I'm not even talking about the sights and experiences you'll get around Florida, especially if it is your first time in the States.
At GFTS they have Cessna 172s and a Cessna 150H with an upgraded 150hp engine, G50 avionics and an auxiliary fuel tank with a total usable capacity of 37.1 USG so you can get around 4 hours of flying and have an hour reserve left before having to refuel. I used the C150 and absolutely loved it.
The prices for the C172s would be slightly higher but the C150 cost €132 per hour including fuel and their 6% tax.
Would suggest going there before the rain season starts around the beginning of June for better weather. The flight school manager helped me with all the paperwork I needed to complete to travel into the US and convert my EASA PPL into an FAA PPL, the process is a lot easier than you would expect. I arrived there on April 16th for 95 hours and I could have done it in 3 to 4 weeks if I didn't take days off and it didn't rain for 3 days in June.
If you come from Europe you have to do 15 hours of familiarization training with an instructor to get used to different types of airspace but those 15h count as PIC time for you even though you are being instructed, pretty sure that wouldn't happen in Europe. I got the C150 all to myself all day and was going for lunch in a different town/city every single day. There are no landing fees in the States so you can do as many touch-and-gos as you want at no extra cost.
Again, couldn't recommend them highly enough. Had insane experiences I honestly couldn't put into words, probably my favourite one being a flight all along the Miami beach with my girlfriend at 500 feet agl, wouldn't have even dreamed of doing that as a Lithuanian national that has never been to the States before.
They provide you with cheap accommodation in Naples for $1,500 for 4 weeks. The condo has a beautiful swimming pool outside and a gym you can use for free. On top of that you get a free Toyota Highlander you can use to travel back and forth from Immokalee as well as visit places on your days off, there are no restrictions to how far you can drive with the car. I took a day off with my roommate for a cruise through Miami once and picked up my girlfriend from Orlando which is a 615km round trip. Can't imagine getting a deal like that anywhere else and I'm not even talking about the sights and experiences you'll get around Florida, especially if it is your first time in the States.
At GFTS they have Cessna 172s and a Cessna 150H with an upgraded 150hp engine, G50 avionics and an auxiliary fuel tank with a total usable capacity of 37.1 USG so you can get around 4 hours of flying and have an hour reserve left before having to refuel. I used the C150 and absolutely loved it.
The prices for the C172s would be slightly higher but the C150 cost €132 per hour including fuel and their 6% tax.
Would suggest going there before the rain season starts around the beginning of June for better weather. The flight school manager helped me with all the paperwork I needed to complete to travel into the US and convert my EASA PPL into an FAA PPL, the process is a lot easier than you would expect. I arrived there on April 16th for 95 hours and I could have done it in 3 to 4 weeks if I didn't take days off and it didn't rain for 3 days in June.
If you come from Europe you have to do 15 hours of familiarization training with an instructor to get used to different types of airspace but those 15h count as PIC time for you even though you are being instructed, pretty sure that wouldn't happen in Europe. I got the C150 all to myself all day and was going for lunch in a different town/city every single day. There are no landing fees in the States so you can do as many touch-and-gos as you want at no extra cost.
Again, couldn't recommend them highly enough. Had insane experiences I honestly couldn't put into words, probably my favourite one being a flight all along the Miami beach with my girlfriend at 500 feet agl, wouldn't have even dreamed of doing that as a Lithuanian national that has never been to the States before.
Join Date: Mar 2023
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A few thoughts:
- €132 per hour for a C150 Wet is not exceptional value. You could do that in Europe. You can do it wet in the US for less than $100 (€92) per hour if you really look
- Of course the US has the advantage in areas like landing fees. It's one of the big advantages, along with the vast array of airfields in places like Florida, of flying there.
- Being instructed and counting it as PIC time is a touch dodgy, don't you think? There's a reason it 'wouldn't happen in Europe'. Did the instructor count it as PIC time as well? You don't need to answer for me to know it's yes. Under FAA rules, that might be fine once you've passed your FAA check flight (a cost and extra step you didn't mention BTW) and legal to fly as PIC, but it certainly isn't fine under EASA rules. Plenty have got away with it, I won't deny that. Probably best not to boast about it online though.
- You certainly don't need 15 hours to 'get used to the airspace'. A couple of hours should do and maybe a couple more if you're new to the Cessna. Did you pay for this 'instruction'? 15 hours is going to add up very quickly if you do.
- Did you get an FAA PPL or did you simply verify your EASA PPL? Two very different things. The latter is pretty easy to do.
- The accommodation price does actually sound very good value. Under $100 per night is challenging in Florida nowadays which that makes HB there less competitive than before.
- You can fly 500ft above beaches in Europe too. No need to go to the States to do it.
- €132 per hour for a C150 Wet is not exceptional value. You could do that in Europe. You can do it wet in the US for less than $100 (€92) per hour if you really look
- Of course the US has the advantage in areas like landing fees. It's one of the big advantages, along with the vast array of airfields in places like Florida, of flying there.
- Being instructed and counting it as PIC time is a touch dodgy, don't you think? There's a reason it 'wouldn't happen in Europe'. Did the instructor count it as PIC time as well? You don't need to answer for me to know it's yes. Under FAA rules, that might be fine once you've passed your FAA check flight (a cost and extra step you didn't mention BTW) and legal to fly as PIC, but it certainly isn't fine under EASA rules. Plenty have got away with it, I won't deny that. Probably best not to boast about it online though.
- You certainly don't need 15 hours to 'get used to the airspace'. A couple of hours should do and maybe a couple more if you're new to the Cessna. Did you pay for this 'instruction'? 15 hours is going to add up very quickly if you do.
- Did you get an FAA PPL or did you simply verify your EASA PPL? Two very different things. The latter is pretty easy to do.
- The accommodation price does actually sound very good value. Under $100 per night is challenging in Florida nowadays which that makes HB there less competitive than before.
- You can fly 500ft above beaches in Europe too. No need to go to the States to do it.
Join Date: Jun 2024
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Yes sir, you can find €130 at the very cheapest in some random small town in Poland but who on earth would rather hour build in Poland than Florida? 
The flight school owns the condo in Naples so that's why you get a great deal, plus a courtesy car, that's what makes it overall cheaper. You can forget about things like a swimming pool, a condo, a free gym, a whole free SUV and the word CHEAP in the same sentence in Europe.
You get something like a temporary FAA PPL permit you can fly with while the FAA sends out your FAA PPL and everything in regard to PIC time is perfectly legal according to FAA regulations. Not very professional of you to immediately accuse people of doing something illegal with zero evidence by the way, I just talked to the owner of the school and he said they have employees that make sure they follow every single regulation.
Usually people do hour building after being out for around 8 months doing ATPL theory exams so I for one, definitely needed 15h with an instructor to get back into it and get used to the busy traffic, different comms terminology and different airspace compared to Ireland which has about 6 aircraft flying in the whole country at any one time. Flying over there and flying in Ireland is a completely different game.
In regard to the 500ft, the point was that it was over Miami beach compared to doing it over some random beach in Europe that no one has ever heard of. I'm guessing you are from the States so it's probably no big deal to you but to people from Europe it is a crazy thought to visit, let alone fly over a place you have only seen in movies. I could have went to Croatia or Poland to do my hour building for the same price per hour, ignoring the expensive car rental and Airbnb, but the experience you get doing it in Florida for a European is a million times cooler.
The flight school owns the condo in Naples so that's why you get a great deal, plus a courtesy car, that's what makes it overall cheaper. You can forget about things like a swimming pool, a condo, a free gym, a whole free SUV and the word CHEAP in the same sentence in Europe. You get something like a temporary FAA PPL permit you can fly with while the FAA sends out your FAA PPL and everything in regard to PIC time is perfectly legal according to FAA regulations. Not very professional of you to immediately accuse people of doing something illegal with zero evidence by the way, I just talked to the owner of the school and he said they have employees that make sure they follow every single regulation.
Usually people do hour building after being out for around 8 months doing ATPL theory exams so I for one, definitely needed 15h with an instructor to get back into it and get used to the busy traffic, different comms terminology and different airspace compared to Ireland which has about 6 aircraft flying in the whole country at any one time. Flying over there and flying in Ireland is a completely different game.
In regard to the 500ft, the point was that it was over Miami beach compared to doing it over some random beach in Europe that no one has ever heard of. I'm guessing you are from the States so it's probably no big deal to you but to people from Europe it is a crazy thought to visit, let alone fly over a place you have only seen in movies. I could have went to Croatia or Poland to do my hour building for the same price per hour, ignoring the expensive car rental and Airbnb, but the experience you get doing it in Florida for a European is a million times cooler.
Join Date: Mar 2023
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Did you read what I wrote?
I know two people claiming PIC can be legal under FAA regulations. I think I was clear with that. However, it is not under EASA regulations and you wouldn't have 100 hours of EASA legal PIC you need to get an EASA CPL. Yes, you'll probably get away with it. However, it's certainly not advisable.
I note as well you never said whether you were paying for this person to be in the plane for 15 hours. Even for a cheap FI (CFI in American talk), that's going to add up.
And 99% of American CFIs are counting up their hours to 1500. I really can't see him/ her sat there not logging those hours. It would be extraordinary in fact.
You can get €130 in several countries. Yes, Poland, but also Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Spain etc. I am sure there are more. Accommodation in Europe also tends to be a lot cheaper than Florida - though you did get an unusually good deal.
You can fly over many of the beaches at famous resorts in Europe at 500ft. Not just random ones. Marbella is one example.
I hadn't flown for two years when I did the bulk of my hour building (SEP was still valid though). I did 3 hours with an instructor and thought it was sufficient. That was in a totally different country and airspace setup to where I did my PPL/ some HB and was on a type of plane I'd never flown before.
Though each to their own. Glad you enjoyed it.
I know two people claiming PIC can be legal under FAA regulations. I think I was clear with that. However, it is not under EASA regulations and you wouldn't have 100 hours of EASA legal PIC you need to get an EASA CPL. Yes, you'll probably get away with it. However, it's certainly not advisable.
I note as well you never said whether you were paying for this person to be in the plane for 15 hours. Even for a cheap FI (CFI in American talk), that's going to add up.
And 99% of American CFIs are counting up their hours to 1500. I really can't see him/ her sat there not logging those hours. It would be extraordinary in fact.
You can get €130 in several countries. Yes, Poland, but also Hungary, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Spain etc. I am sure there are more. Accommodation in Europe also tends to be a lot cheaper than Florida - though you did get an unusually good deal.
You can fly over many of the beaches at famous resorts in Europe at 500ft. Not just random ones. Marbella is one example.
I hadn't flown for two years when I did the bulk of my hour building (SEP was still valid though). I did 3 hours with an instructor and thought it was sufficient. That was in a totally different country and airspace setup to where I did my PPL/ some HB and was on a type of plane I'd never flown before.
Though each to their own. Glad you enjoyed it.
