Student Testimonials
From
Georgia, USA
From
Wisconsin, USA
From
Michigan, USA
From Winston-Salem, NC, USA
From Nashville, TN, USA
From Japan
From
North Dakota, USA
From
Scotland, UK
From
Oklahoma, USA
From
Illinois, USA
R.L.
from Georgia, USA
"I wanted to thank you for the excellent training/experience over the 4th
of July. No doubt I had bugged you with plenty of questions prior to my arrival
given my low overall time (150hrs). I had thought about trying to achieve my IFR
ticket locally, but it's almost impossible to make it happen if you work
full-time outside of aviation. I'm glad I made the decision to take your course
and believe me, I thoroughly compared it to other accelerated programs and spoke
with previous attendees. In the end, I thought your approach and the positive
responses from previous participants made SPIFR my first choice.
My goal was not to fly in 1/2 mile 200 overcast conditions,
but to make my overall flying safer when conditions were marginal or changing
for the worse as commonly happens in the South East. I felt the training was
thorough and I really picked up on many new ideas that make me much safer in the
air.
Even my landings are better now as a result of your unique
approach technique. I was very pleased by the compliments from the Flight
Examiner after my check-ride and can thank you for the patience and instruction
during the week. On my return to Atlanta, I had IMC for about 1 hour of the trip
and shot the VOR 9 approach into KRYY after being given the Bunni2 arrival.
Feel free to post my comments or pass my name along as a
reference for prospective clients. Again, I feel very comfortable with my IFR
skills after your program and continue to practice with the co-owners in our
Cessna 182. I believe this is as critical as the course itself and would
encourage others attending to practice, practice, practice to become even more
proficient. I typically will use M.S. Flight simulator on a certain approach and
then go out in the plane to do the real thing".
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D.D.
from Wisconsin, USA
"I just wanted to thank you for the excellent
experience during your SPIFR 7-Day school. You definitely delivered on your
promise of IFR in 7 days. I was skeptical at best prior to my arrival. You met
and exceeded every claim you made.
I was told by several other pilots prior to enrolling in
your class that those 7 and 10 day accelerated IFR courses only teach you enough
to get your IFR rating…and that true IFR training had to come from months of
instruction. They couldn’t have been more wrong based on my experience with you
and SPIFR. By the time I took my check ride, I felt totally confident of both my
knowledge (oral exam, weather, and flight planning) and my IFR flying skills.
Because of the Toledo weather, I was able to experience some real IMC
conditions. The check ride was very comprehensive and by no means did I ever
feel that examiner was working for you and was just there to issue ratings.
I want to commend you on your teaching skills. You were
very patient with me and never got irritated. You corrected some of the bad
habits I’ve developed since getting my private ticket and taught me other skills
that I will retain for years to come. Your knowledge and understanding of what
you are teaching is phenomenal.
I am happy to finally be IFR rated. I own my own business
and found it difficult to fit in training via the traditional method via part
time instructors at the local FBO. Once I committed to seven days away, you did
the rest.
The best part other than actually passing the check ride
was flying with the F-16s. The air shows were daily and were welcome breaks from
the intensive instruction.
Thanks again…and keep up the good work. I am willing to
correspond with any potential students that may be a leery as I was. Best
regards".
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D.C.
from Michigan, USA
"I'm sending this note to express my sincere
gratitude for the thorough job you did in training me for my instrument rating.
Your knowledge and understanding of aviation is exceptional. In addition, your
ability to identify the learning techniques that would work for me, made a big
difference in my training and overall learning experience. The class room
environment was perfect. While I had one extremely frustrating day during the
duration of my training, you were somehow able to talk me through it and refocus
my attention to the tasks at hand. This demonstrates your expertise as an
instructor and one that I would highly recommend to others.
Since the completion of my training, I filed my first IFR
plan to a busy New York airport and highly traveled class B air space. Even
though I did not have IMC conditions during my flight, my confidence level was
high and I completed the round trip without any difficulty. In fact, I had
someone along for the trip and he was amazed at the volume of traffic around us.
He even had the opportunity to take pictures of the large commercial airliners
within close proximity to us.
One again, I'd like to thank you for the terrific job you
did with my training. It was a pleasure working with you and I certainly hope
to come back to you again when it's time to pursue my commercial rating".
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J.P.
from Winston-Salem, NC, USA
"Just wanted to send along a note to thank you for the training. It was a
great week. I feel like my flying improved dramatically during the week. It
also didn't take long to put the training to work. Your flight planning method
kept me out of the majority of the IMC on the way home yesterday, but not all of
it. The last 100 miles were in the clouds (no ice) and the approach to
Winston-Salem turned out to be ceilings of 1500' ft instead of the 5000' that
they were calling for (a rain shower was over W-S when I was landing). But I
shot the ILS into W-S, felt very comfortable doing it, and got safely on the
ground.
Again, thanks for a great week. Please
keep in touch. You can email me info on SPIFR if you like as you expand your
program. Lots of luck".
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C.C.
from Nashville, TN, USA
"I was a 200 hr pilot who had recently bought 1/4
ownership in a 182Q and wasn't getting to really use my plane except for one day
jaunts not much over 200 nm. Weather always kept me grounded and I would drive
from middle Tennessee to north and central Florida, the coast of south Carolina
as well as the gulf coast, looking at the sky the whole time telling my wife "we
could be up there ... we should be up there".
I tried to get my instrument rating at home but between weather, my schedule and
my instructor's schedules (did I mention my first instructor never showing up
for my second lesson? Or how about the instructor I would occasionally have to
wake up with a short practice session of dutch rolls? Or losing two instructors
to airline jobs? And one instructor to a airmail route?) I never got in a
groove.
I finally bit the bullet and carved out seven days from my schedule. I was
scared and just knew I was going to get busted for every bad habit I had
possibly developed by my new flight instructor who was going to teach me how to
fly on instruments in one week!
Well, I was in for a surprise. From the first flight I knew this was going to be
a different learning experience in flying. Here was an instructor who wanted a
career in teaching people how to fly airplanes. What a concept!! This guy loved
to show VFR pilots how to become IFR pilots. It showed in the way he would
praise my techniques that were good and gently point out why I had fallen into
some bad habits that were then corrected with the lesson learned NOT just
"gone over". It showed in ground school where we got right down to the nitty
gritty of proper planning to stack the deck in favor of survival in the event of
a mishap during flight. It showed in his relentless attention to the details of
IFR technique.
About the third day things started falling into place. by the seventh day I was
ready for my checkride. I mean ready. I couldn't wait to fly with the FAA
examiner.
This is the part I love to tell all my pilot friends.
The last thing my instructor and I had been working on before my check ride was
"partial panel", and I had left the covers over the gauges. when the FAA
examiner got in the airplane he noticed the covers before I had a chance to
remove them. He kindly noted that I might want to see the gauges behind the
covers. I looked at the covers and then at the examiner and asked "How 'bout I
just leave 'em on?" the examiner said "You want to fly your check ride partial
panel??" I did and I nailed every approach to minimums. I knew what ready meant.
When the examiner shook my hand at the end of the check ride he looked me in the
eye and said "you have an exceptional touch as a pilot".
My flight home was a 3.5 hour flight. to give you an idea of the confidence I
had in my new rating, I got to log 1.5 of those 3.5 hrs as actual instrument
time because that's how long I was "in the soup". 5 days after getting home I
flew from middle Tennessee to the gulf coast on top of a 4 thousand ft thick
overcast to an ILS approach with an 1800 ft ceiling.
They had always told me the first time you pop through the clouds, lined up on a
runway you couldn't see 10 seconds before, would be a feeling I'd never forget.
They were right"!
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H.K.
from Japan
"... Thank you very much for your support. You tried to
cheer me up all the time and that helped me a lot. I am really glad that I
could pass the check ride. It is still kind of unbelievable to me! I also
think that I learned more than just flying. ... When I came home on Tuesday, my
parents were really pleased to see me safely back in Japan. They celebrated my
successful check ride. Next day, I went to the office and was welcomed by piles
of document papers and 500 e-mails. Thank you again".
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M.M.
from North Dakota, USA
"I did not get the chance to properly thank you for
everything. The program is absolutely outstanding. From the genius flight
instruction, to the sporty rental car, on down to the free upgrade on the 182
[promotion at the time] . . . every aspect of your program is amazing. One day
if I ever get off my behind and get a CFII I would love to do a similar program
if not work for you. My experience at SPIFR has inspired me to continue on at
full speed and learn everything possible about flying! I have already made
several recommendations to friends! Although I have much more to learn, I am
literally feeling on top of the world.
And finally, thanks for your patience, professionalism,
courtesy, and objective insight into the world of flying. It is because of you
that I am truly a better pilot and a better person. Thanks again".
(2nd letter)
"At first I was skeptical, now I'm a believer! I spent 7
days at SPIFR and left with an instrument rating! If I had to describe this
course in just one word it would be phenomenal! I highly recommend SPIFR to
anyone who's considering an instrument rating"!
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C.A.
from Scotland, UK
"I undertook instruction here (SPIFR Flight
Training) for a single engine I.R. at Toledo Ohio in October 2001. I previously
held a UK IMC rating. His operation met my best expectations, exactly what a
busy private pilot like myself wanted.
One to one instruction, 9/10 hour days without much of a
stop, coupled with an ideal location at Toledo where there were no other flight
schools, got me up to the level where I was able to take the check ride early
and with a satisfactory outcome.
There were no delays, no hanging around while the
instructor changed pupil, no time lost recapping, and little or no A.T.C delays."
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S.V.
from Oklahoma, USA
"Just a small note to say thanks for your work in
preparing me for my IFR Check. I can not wait to finish my commercial now"!
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Context: This is a reply email
from a past student to a prospective client requesting a reference for our
primary flight instructor, Andrew Ike.
"Mark,
I would be happy to.
I went through the same experience as you. Spent a lot of time
and money and got really nothing for it. When I started with Andy, I had about
100 hours but was just punching holes in the sky. Altitude control was horrible.
Andy was remarkable. He cured me of my altitude problems in
a single day. He taught me real life IFR flying versus the "out of the book"
flight training I was getting from a nationally known firm. In 5 days, I was not
only proficient but safe flying in any type of environment. Since at the time I
was flying in the LA area, that says a lot, actually.
Not long after getting my ticket, I was flying VFR from
Dallas to Galveston when I ran in to a rain storm that was incredible. It went
from a beautiful day to crap really quick. I watched my family turn white.
After getting through it I told them, "that is why I spent the money a few
months ago". I was still on course and at the same altitude I started on. It was
a long 30 minutes, I have to admit, however.
Two more experiences that I can say I "owe to Andy" are
once when I was coming in to Burbank, I started this slow turn to the left. I
caught myself, remembered my training, and landed on the numbers in 600 foot
visibility with mountains all around me. The other experience was a time when I
turned around and went home. Although visibility and conditions were "okay", I
remembered some of the signs Andy taught me of how I was ABOUT to get in to
trouble. I decided to go flying another day.
In short, I have 2 Master Degrees so I have sat in a lot of
classrooms. I would recommend Andy without hesitation. He is a hell of a pilot
who may not teach you everything but will teach you how to fly safely and
effectively. I have recommended him to several friends.
You won't go wrong with Andy. If you have any other
questions, please give me a call at ***-***-****. Honestly, next to having LASIK
surgery, this is the best money I ever spent.
Let me know how it goes".
C.F.
From Illinois, USA
SPIFR is one of the best flight training decisions that I
made. The accelerated course is definitely the way to go. The
instructors were excellent and they thoroughly enjoy what they do which makes it
fun for all. They take complicated ideas and break them down into easy to
understand concepts. This made me feel confident during the check
ride. Being a little skeptical before training, I now realize that
Accelerated Training at SPIFR is the way to go. I would highly recommend
this course to anyone interested due to the instructors and their high level of
professionalism.
Thank you again,
Give us a call
today to speak with one of our flight instructors. We will
answer any questions you have regarding instrument training or
scheduling. Remember that once you have your training dates
picked out, we'll take care of the rest!
We look forward to working with you!
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