TESTIMONIALS
Teddy Simmons, Jr.Bahamas
During the course of life, one must admit that some persons that we meet can help us to determine our decisions or develop or change a mindset. In my case, I was grateful to meet my best friend, Lavan G. Paul. He also shared the same aspirations in life just as I did. However, he is further along in his career and life than I am considering he is already employed with the largest domestic airline in the Bahamas, Western Air Ltd. Therefore, I followed his example. Lavan reviewed all of my internet searches and inquiries regarding flight schools. I researched about (13) thirteen schools within the United States and discussed each with my dad, too. The school which Lavan attended still came out on top and that was Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach, Florida.
My excitement was beyond measure as I heard my father say that Sunrise Aviation was also his school of choice for me. Sunrise Aviation was my choice due to the quality of the employees and the “pocket-friendly” prices. I should also not forget Mr. Portz, my Admissions Counselor, who assisted me in every way possible.
I’m currently a student at Sunrise Aviation. I enjoy everything at Sunrise though the weather is not always ideal for flying as there are sometimes thunderstorms in Florida during the summer time afternoons. I arrived at Sunrise Aviation on June 22, 2010. Now it is August 19 as I’m typing, but I’ve already gained my Private Pilot License and am working expeditiously toward my instrument rating. I have accomplished a lot in only two months at Sunrise Aviation.
From my observation, the focus at Sunrise is more about safety and learning than just about making money. The instructors are professional and well trained. Some of the instructors have backgrounds in air traffic control making topics like airspace, air traffic and ATC communication a breeze. I, for one, will suggest Sunrise Aviation to anyone considering a career as an airline professional pilot.
Ahmed Mustafa KhiderSaudi Arabia
Ahmed completed the Sunrise Aviation Professional Pilot II course designed for students from Saudia Arabia on 30 June 2010
All my flight instructors at Sunrise were very good. I was able to solo in 15 hours. My instrument instructor was intense but he helped me focus and helped me prevent making mistakes. My commercial instructor emphasized procedures. The Piper Seminole was a good training aircraft for the multi-engine portion of the course. But my favorite aircraft was the Cirrus SR-20. I flew 10 hours in the Cirrus plus some hours in the Cirrus simulator. Both helped me to learn glass cockpit procedures including the use of the autopilot and flight director.
I enjoyed living at one of apartment complexes which is only 5 minutes from the school. Many of my friends at school also lived there so it was almost like being at home. The weather was good the entire time I was at Sunrise. The aircraft are well-maintained and whenever an airplane had a problem it was fixed quickly.
I received not only the Aviation English transition course but did the school's TOEFL preparation course as well. I passed the TOEFL test before I went back to Saudi Arabia.
I feel I was well-prepared for my career as an airline pilot and am confident I will do well when I interview at the airline.
Lavan Paul
Bahamas
Lavan completed his CPL in 2009 and recently returned to help another student from the Bahamas get settled at Sunrise Aviation.
I am now a first officer at Western Air based out of Nassau (The Bahamas ) flying the Saab 340. I came to Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach, Florida soon after after completing high school. I had little knowledge of aviation when I arrived in Florida. Sunrise taught me all I know and all I needed to know for any airline company out there. The course is expected to take 6 months from start to finish but with determination and a slight change of the schedule to fit your needs that can be done even faster. I took only 5 months including minor delays to finish the Professional Pilot Course. The main difference between Sunrise and many other schools were the amount of planes that Sunrise had. At the time of my course there were over 20 planes but only a year later Sunrise has over 40 with more on the way. There was always a plane available in excellent condition. Maintenance is always done when it is needed but because they have many aircraft it rarely will slow down your training.
The training at Sunrise is also like no other! Even after completing my course with just 250 hours, I was instantly accepted into the airlines because of the knowledge instilled in me at the school. I have even had the opportunity to fly with multi-millionaires and popular stars such as Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson.
At Sunrise Aviation everything is done in a team effort. No one is left behind and all questions are answered. It’s almost like family with everyone looking out for each other no matter what their rank may be, just to get you finished up and have your shot at the airlines.
In Florida, the weather is also naerly perfect all year around for flying with an average of 8 miles of visibility and clear skies having no real off season with nice skies and an average temperature of 75 degrees. The beach is less than 5 minutes away from the airport. There’s always time to sit back and relax and enjoy a vacation like stay on the beaches of Daytona.
Overall, my stay at Sunrise Aviation was a pleasant and great one that started my whole aviation career. I would recommend anybody no matter what age or knowledge of aviation to give them a try. I’m sure you will end up in success if you give them a try.
Lester PatelIndia
Lester completed his CPL at Sunrise Aviation in February 2009. He recently returned to do his annual recurrency.
After I completed my CPL course, I returned to India to do the DGCA exams. I am now preparing for interviews at Indigo and Air India.
I was very pleased with my training at Sunrise. The owner made sure all of us got through. I finished my CPL course in 6 1/2 months. The instructors were good. The airplanes are very well-maintained. The checkrides were efficiently scheduled. I passed all my checkrides and written tests on the first attempt. I did my recurrency training in only 3 days.
Meshal AlemranSaudi Arabia
Meshal completed his 270 flight hour Professional Pilot Course including a glass-cockpit transition in the Cirrus plus extra English (TOEFL) preparation in about 7 months.
The #1 benefit at Sunrise is the availability of aircraft. You can fly as many times a day as you want or need. All the instructors have a lot of experience. They all display patience when necessary but also push you to get you done on time. Ormond Beach is a nice area with a nice, quiet atmosphere. I enjoyed the beach and the weather. My program included flight time in the Cirrus simulator and airplane. I liked the look of the Cirrus and the performance. It is very comfortable but also challenging. I enjoyed the challenge of flying the glass-cockpit. Flying a joy stick instead of a control wheel was interesting, too. I recommend new students coming to Sunrise practice as much English as they can before they arrive.
Jehangir ChinoyIndia
Four days is fast for completing the recurrent training program (as i was told it will take about four days). But at Sunrise Aviation I completed the course in 2 days and one morning, within the DGCA limitations and with every requirement met at a very reasonable cost. It cannot get better than what Sunrise Aviation offers.
Arish DaverIndia
I just returned back home from a very positive trip to the United States of America.
Having been to Sunrise before, I knew what to expect when I was going back for my recurrency. But I didn't really anticipate such a vast improvement. I am flabbergasted by the transformation that has taken place.
I had a chance to experience each and every instructor with the opportunity to fly with some of them and to interact with the others. The thing about Sunrise is that it's one big Family, who's not always happy, but they know how to work together. When you come back to Sunrise after a year you notice changes, - administrative, technical etc. A superb job, well done.
Whether it's the new C-172 G1000 equipped a/c, or the newly acquired state of the art Cirrus or even the 2 new Avidyne simulators in hangar 25.
The owner has gone all out to revamp a new line up of 152's as well create a new innovative call-sign bearing the “Sierra Alpha” for Sunrise Aviation on the new a/c's. The changes include brand new upholstery, new plastic panels, and a new, smart paint scheme.
It was just refreshing going back to Sunrise. Thanks guys!
Mohammed-Shamsuddin Sardar Yar KhanIndia
Khan originally completed his CPL at Sunrise during 2007-2008. He recently returned to do his annual recurrency.
Sunrise was able to arrange for me to renew my medical exam on the same day as my arrival. I did my recurrency in just 3 days. Everything was well organized. The instructors were friendly and I had a good time flying with them. I appreciate the concern Sunrise Aviation shows towards their students.
Laureano RocaCanary Islands, Spain
I am now Captain at Binter Airlines in the Canary Islands (Spain) flying the ATR-72-500.
I came to Sunrise Aviation as a commercial pilot with the intention of accumulating flying hours in the US. I must say, that in the six months that I was at Sunrise Aviation, everybody made it an excellent stay. Planes were always available for us to fly, the team provided us with excellent accommodation and helped us in everything we needed to make our stay the best possible.
Flying in the US is amazing because aviation is brought to another level. In Florida, the weather is amazing and there are many & diverse airports, so flying there was a very enriching experience. I must say that even now, flying in a commercial airline, I sometimes miss being there, in a country where aviation is at its maximum level.
In the six months that I was there I managed to gain 700 flight hours, which would not have been possible if there had not been a good team behind, willing to work as hard as I, in order to reach my objective. I must say that we also had time to have fun and go out and we had a hell of a time. Flying in Ormond/Daytona was amazing and I recommend it to any pilot willing to gain experience and acquire flight time.
Asma ShaikIndia
Asma completed her CPL at Sunrise Aviation in May 2008. She returned in January 2010 to Sunrise to do her license recurrency.
Everything was fine at Sunrise Aviation. My training was really good. My instructor was really good – I’ll never find another instructor that measures up. The Chief Flight Instructor was excellent. If there are any problems the owner will find a solution. When I returned for recurrency I was able to complete my flying in only 2 days. When I returned, Sunrise was able to arrange for me to take my RT exam.
Abdullah AlbassamSaudi Arabia
Sunrise Aviation has good instructors. There was always good cooperation. Sunrise Aviation was like a second home to me. Ormond Beach is a quiet area for living. Ormond Beach is a small airport but good for flight training. The air traffic controllers at Ormond Beach Municipal Airport are helpful, even when I would make mistakes.
Mustansir LokhandwalaIndia
I originally graduated from Sunrise on Oct. 19, 2008. I completed all my ratings including CPL multi and single at Sunrise. I returned to Sunrise to do my annual recurrency. I completed the recurrency in only five days. Flying is fast at Sunrise. Instructors are good. The airport is good. Weather was good most of the time. There are more than enough airplanes for the students here at Sunrise.. It is nice to see improvements including the addition of more advanced aircraft.
Rohit Mateti
India
My time at Sunrise was short but very sweet. Prior to coming here, I was in need of a recurrency as per DGCA (Indian Aviation Authority) requirements and as I hadn't flown in a year and a half. In addition to that, I was in need of a Multi-Engine Endorsement on my existing CPL.
Now that my course is complete, suffice it to say that I've got more than my money's worth. It's no exaggeration when I say that I was done in no more than TWO weeks. Not only does the school actively push their students to get on the ball and achieve their goals, they constantly monitor students' progress and don't ever let them fall behind.
It seems that the great people at Sunrise are not just out for your money, but really do care about how a student moves along in his/her training. Everyone from the line-hand to the owner has far exceeded my expectations. It's hands down the best flight school I've ever been to. If only I had done all of my training here!
"Tiger" Sidhu
India
Sunrise has good aircraft, instructors who went out of their way to assist me. Ormond Beach is a great location to enjoy your free time. All of these factors contributed to a very enjoyable experience.
Ali-Mutawwa
United Arab Emirates
My choice of Sunrise Aviation was based on a recommendation from my fellow military pilots. While on leave, I trained for several civilian licenses in a very short period of time. Sunrise has my recommendation as an excellent, professional flight school.
Ulf Aldehag
Sweden
I started my training at one of the larger flight schools in Florida but I have found the professional yet friendly atmosphere at Sunrise Aviation very agreeable. My aircraft scheduling woes are a thing of the past!
Yves Ruaux
Switzerland
I have been coming to Sunrise Aviation every year for the last six years to fly during my vacation. This year I wanted to get my Cmmercial, Multi-Engine, Instrument. I only had two moths to achieve this goal. But thanks to the excellent condition of the aircraft, the great flying weather and the dedication of the Sunrise staff I reached my goal with time to spare.
Robert Wanek
Austria
Having flown at several flight schools in the USA, I was more than please with the quality of the training fleet at Sunrise Aviation. They runa a very efficient operation which enabled me to maximize my training in a short period of time.
Abdul Yusuf
Bahrain
The Sunrise instructors gave me the personal attention that I needed. I passed the Instrument written exam in two weeks, and I found that my confidence grew immensely in their training environment.
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