Ari Ben

[slpilot]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of the flight school Ari Ben Aviator out of Ft. Pierce, FL (formerly somewhere in TX I think).

If so, I would be interested in knowing impressions of the school/instructors/aircraft.

Thx

 

[FamilyMan]

Follow the link to see a very detailed post from someone who went through the "Air Ben" program. The link can be slow sometimes, but the info is great. This pilot gives both the pros and cons as well as talks about aircraft, scheduling and accommodations. If you go be sure to give this board a debrief of your experiences their.


Good Luck,
FamilyMan
Cliack here for the link

 

[slpilot]

thx for the info

that's exactly the kind of info i was looking for.

i have spoken to the owner several times and those posts are right on about the customer service. all this guy seems to want is to get people in and out of there and get their cash.

still thinking of going, let you know how it is

 

[ipilot]

The info given in the link was for mostly time building. I don't know slpilot what u want to do there. but somethings r right. don't worry bout customer service but sure u'll get special attention from ur instructor if u need to. the main part of a flying schools are the airplanes and the level of training. i think ariben is good in both parts. they've grown in fleet and they've atleast 4 to 5 multi aircrafts working at one time. the instructors r really good and they really take care of u. the managment is a bit grey area and u should ask for a clear quote of ur price and if u keep ur account clear then u won't have to deal with them anyhow. if u need to know anything specific about the company then PM me and i'll be more than happy to help u out.
good luck!!!!


_________________________
Check that its three greens.......

 

[FlyToVegas]

Ari Ben Aviator...stay away!!!

I am a former student at Ari Ben Aviator. I highly recommed anyone who wants a career as a pilot to stay as far away from this "school" as possible. In a nutshell:

-They violated my training agreement regarding hours and cost to the point of thousands of dollars.

-thier staff examiners are after you for checkride fees. I was failed the first time because the examiner "didn;t feel comfortabel flying with a female." The second time the examiner said "I didn;t hear you say feather." So, all this is on my pilot record!

-My instructor had a history of failed checkrides, didn;t follow the 141 syllabus, and mostly flew the twin at my expense saying "taken me over here, just for fun...take me over there let's watch the shuttle launch." Well, ok, but at dual twin time, he should"have fun" at his expense. Management didn't care.

-Horrible mainetenance problems...in fact engine failures in flight aside, the magnetic compass was even dripping on my hand.

-Instrument ground school ($450) lasted just a few sessions and things that were never discussed included: WEATHER (not even One word!), approach plates, communications, and I asked the instructor to discuss Lost Comm, and he just said "Oh, that's complicated" and never said a word about it!

This is the short version!

Please, please stay away from Ari Ben Aviator.

 

[naviator]

I didn't want to respond to this thread since I'm currently instructing at Ari Ben, but after reading the last post I just couldn't not respond. So bear with me.

I'm sorry that FlyToVegas had such a horrible experience at our school, but I also have to say that I don't recognize our school in what she wrote.
I started at the school in July 2000 and enrolled in their pro course that gives you 200 hours of twin time and all ratings for 25 000 dollars. That price is unbeatable. My training went without any problem at all, and I have now instructed here for a year. But what the person said in one of the first posts on this thread is 100% true: the instructor is the key!

If you have a good instructor that do his/her job, and if you study hard, you'll be fine. No doubt about it!

But I don't want to sell the school at this board. The best thing you can do is to call and talk to the students, and maybe also us instructors. Mike (the owner) will also recommend that you do that before you make up your mind.

Also, I don't know when FlyToVegas attended Ari Ben but remember that prior to 9/11 instructors got a job at the airlines with maybe less than 1000 hours so they didn't stay instructing very long. All of the instructors at our school have been here for at least a year and I must say that I think Ari Ben has pretty good instructors.

But like I said, don't take my word for it, check it out yourself. And even if you don't end up at the Aviator, one advice is to make sure that you have a good instructor. It can make a huge difference in your training and even in your career.

Good luck!