Godzilla

Cae Simuflight has better food and a nicer lounge area.
The training is good.
I find them a little more relaxed than FSI.

frieswiththat

I've been doing my recurrents at CAE SimuFlite in Morristown. They have an excellent training program and having been through FSI it's definitely as good if not better. Nice facility too.

cobber

Both companies are good and have met the training standards set forth by the FAA. That being said you have a couple factors that could alter your decision. The first is obviously price. If you call them and play them against each other they will tell you that they are "not in the same class" but I have trained at both and Simuflite is always less. In the end I believe that the quality of the training comes down to the individual instructor. Times are tough right now (which goes without saying I suppose) even for these training facilities, and because you are training 2 pilots and a mech you have quite a bit of leverage to negotiate a lower rate at both places.

The second issue is timing. When do these guys need to be ready? If the owner wants the plane asap then you may have to take the next available class date at either company. The smartest choice financially is to hire typed guys to begin with. I imagine the captain will have to be typed with plenty of time in type or the insurance underwriter wont sign off it anyway. Plus at around $40,000 for GV initial for the pilot thats a huge savings to the a/c owner right out of the gate. I would find designate the captain first and then start working with an underwriter to find out what type of leeway you have with the co-pilot.

Good luck though, sounds like a lot of work but it will be fun!


Greg

beaner

Simuflite is cheaper and the training you get is dependent on the instructor you get... Have had horrible instructors and very good instructors at both facilities. Luck of the draw I guess, we go with CAE simply for the discounted price...

box-hauler

The guy is buying a GV for gods sake, $40K for training is a splash in the bucket. If this is his first plane you would be wise to consider someone who has start up experience more than a type rating.

flynpig

If this is his first venture into operating his own aircraft (of any size) you would be far better off by not starting with the mindset of trying saving a few $. Hiring an experienced int'l CA on contract for 6-12 months to get this operation running would be money well spent.

While gaining experience with the various facets of operating the aircraft at a foreign airfield (unknown maintenance, security, hanger space, etc) the crew can be brought along and trained by the contract CA.

DSflyer05

I did my GV initial in Nov of '08 and just finished up my first recurrent at FSI wilmington. It was a great experience. Very laid back, the client never feels rushed and always at home. They have a great group of instructors and at the end of the three week course they will leave completely satisfied.

Lowcountryg4

LifeisGood
I worked as a sim instructor at FSI SAV. The training is top notch and the cost reflects that.
On the pilot side I am looking for a job (Early Out from NJI) and have experience on the GV and have started two flight departments. Shoot me an e-mail and I can fwd you a resume.
Cory