//COPY OF MY E-MAIL// Dear Madam, Sir, Hereby,…

[RomeoJuliett]

//COPY OF MY E-MAIL//

Dear Madam, Sir,

Hereby, I would like to inquire about the possibilities for flight training (CPL ATP) in Florida.

I have researched several options, and your school matched with my personal interests; that is, highly rated student satisfaction, connections with airlines (network), and a professional training environment with a personal touch.

A little background knowledge about myself, I am from the Netherlands and my name is Richard (Ric) Jan Eshuis. I am 28 years old and I recently graduated from my university with an Aviation Engineering degree with a specialization in Flight Operations Engineering after finishing my thesis at Boeing Global Services (Jeppesen) in Germany.

I already started the theoretical part for a modular flight training in Lithuania; however, due to the covid-19 regulations, I cannot travel there and due to the limited opportunity for flying due to the climate there I am looking for other options.

I am interested in the Airline Pilot and the Airline Direct programs. As some things are not clear yet, I would like to ask you some questions:

Is it possible to work as a flight instructor afterward after obtaining a CFI license as a foreign citizen at your school in case I would be eligible for a working visa?

What are your exact admission criteria for students? Here in Europe, it is common to do aptitude testing; however, from research, I understand this is not so common in the USA.

Are there enough instructors and aircraft for the students to have a reasonable flight schedule? How many hours per week is normal?

How many students are admitted to the school and is there enough time for each student and his personal educational needs? (I have heard enough horror stories of pilot mills)

I saw on your website that you do not offer EASA training and license conversion or dual program at this moment; however, are there any options for this, e.g., with a close associated flight school?

Overall, how long does it take to get to the US from the start of the application and visa process?

What is the payment structure for the programs (in parts, all at once, etc.)?

If I need additional hours for flying, how are these calculated, tacho, off block on block and what are the landing fees at the airport/aerodrome?

Is the training field towered or FIS/Uncontrolled?

If possible, I would like to have a video meeting to get to know the flight school better and maybe you can answer my questions in that manner.

[Jonell – Epic Staff]

Hello Richard,

Here are the answers to your questions:

Is it possible to work as a flight instructor afterward after obtaining a CFI license as a foreign citizen at your school in case I would be eligible for a working visa?
If you currently have a working visa, that would be possible. But at the moment we do not offer our Flight Instructor courses to international students.

What are your exact admission criteria for students? Here in Europe, it is common to do aptitude testing; however, from research, I understand this is not so common in the USA.
To become a trained airline pilot at Epic Flight Academy in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA you must:
1) Be at least 17 years of age
2) Speak English proficiently
3) International students must have a valid passport (Passport information: https://epicflightacademy.com/passports/) or two other forms of identification if you are from the USA
4) Completed high school or secondary education (Grades don’t matter, only that you completed school.)

Are there enough instructors and aircraft for the students to have a reasonable flight schedule? How many hours per week is normal?
Epic Flight Academy is extremely proud of our student-to-instructor ratio. We typically enroll between 200 and 250 students on campus at any given time and employ approximately 70 to 75 flight instructors, many of whom trained right here at Epic. This means we keep our student-to-instructor ratio at approximately 3 or 4 students per instructor ensuring a high degree of personalized instruction.

Epic Flight Academy is one of the most time and cost-efficient flight schools in the world. Many flight students worry that they won’t have ready access to training aircraft, but that is never a problem at Epic. We ensure our students can fly at least 5 times per week by maintaining a growing fleet of Cessna 172s, equipped with the G1000 glass cockpit, and twin-engine Piper Seminoles/PA-44.

How many students are admitted to the school and is there enough time for each student and his personal educational needs? (I have heard enough horror stories of pilot mills)
We have a new class starting each month. Epic enrolls approximately 35 students on each new class start date. Based on our previous experiences, this is the best number so that every student can be accommodated and can finish their training at their expected dates.

I saw on your website that you do not offer EASA training and license conversion or dual program at this moment; however, are there any options for this, e.g., with a close associated flight school?
We are working on our EASA program. At the moment Epic can’t recommend any.

Overall, how long does it take to get to the US from the start of the application and visa process?
The application process can take up to a week but the visa process varies depending on the US embassy in your country. Most international students get their visas approved within 3 weeks to five months.

What is the payment structure for the programs (in parts, all at once, etc.)?
We are happy to offer the “pay as you fly” option. You are required to pay at least $10,000 as a down payment before your classes begin. Then, you will start using the funds on your account until you have $1,000 left on your account. Then, you will need to add funds to your account to continue flight training.

If I need additional hours for flying, how are these calculated, tacho, off block on block and what are the landing fees at the airport/aerodrome?
We have a shared time building that costs 102.78 per hour.

Is the training field towered or FIS/Uncontrolled?
We are in a controlled training area and our airport is also controlled airport class D.

Thank you very much for using our forum!

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