CFIs near OXR?

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warthog1984

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Anybody have recommendations for a good CFI in the area?

I've looked at several local schools, was not impressed by most of them, found an instructor, but am now being told that while my intellectual understanding is COM level, that I probably won't solo until well after 20 hours (we've had 2 flights, 1 illness cancel, one CFI cancel, and I was trying to schedule 2-3x/week or more), and that the instructor won't sit down to compare schedules so that I can schedule regular flights with her more than 1 week in advance.

I'm primarily looking for someone who will take this seriously, be supportive, & want to get me out in a reasonable timeframe (calendar & productive lessons).

I have some flex in my schedule, so can work around odd hours.

Thanks!
 
Its not OXR but Van Nuys is an easy drive.

California Flight School. http://californiaflightschool.com/

The owner ( my primary instructor) and all the staff are top notch.

When I was looking for a school I looked as far north as Santa Barbara and as far south as Newport Beach, as well as everything in between.
I took 5 " demo flights" to feel out the schools, and went with the one that felt safest in terms of aircraft and ability.

Just my opinion but you couldn't do better
 
I'd have some concerns about flight training at VNY. That's the busiest GA airport in the world. And visibility can be a problem in the Valley, though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. 5 miles vis on a sunny summer day is a challenge. At OXR, you can routinely expect at least 25 miles unless the marine layer is overhead (and perhaps even underneath the marine layer -- depends how low it is). You're going to spend a lot of time waiting in line for takeoff and extending your patterns.

There are many other places you might train. Camarillo comes to mind, given your location. There is also a very active airport at Santa Paula.
 
MAKG1 said:
I'd have some concerns about flight training at VNY. That's the busiest GA airport in the world. And visibility can be a problem in the Valley, though it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. 5 miles vis on a sunny summer day is a challenge. At OXR, you can routinely expect at least 25 miles unless the marine layer is overhead (and perhaps even underneath the marine layer -- depends how low it is). You're going to spend a lot of time waiting in line for takeoff and extending your patterns.

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Those statements are usually made by someone who owns a flight school that isn't at Van Nuys. I heard it from several before I started, and it just aint true.

In the year or so I have been flying out of KVNY, the only once have I had to wait for visibility to clear and that was for my long cross country and only because I was there at 6am, by 8 it was unrestricted. (of course you do have days that are IFR)
Oxnard and even Camarillo on the other hand are routinely socked in.

Just last week KVNY was 10 miles unrestricted and both Cam and OX had 700 ceilings. That happens all the time.

You never have to wait more than 2-3 minutes to take off, 2 runways and very professional controllers. You really cannot extend your patterns very much because of the space restrictions due to Whiteman and Burbank, more often than not they ask you to turn base early or make a short approach, Whiteman and Camarillo on the other hand will have you sitting at the hold bars endlessly waiting for traffic, I've been at Camarillo many times when you cannot get cleared for the option because so many people are waiting. in line.

As for being the busiest GA airport in the world, that has its benefits, great controllers, you get real comfortable talking to ATC, you get real good and knowing your airspace etc.
Its busy for a reason, mostly because the weather is VFR 90% of the time..
 
Well, just for giggles, I looked up METARs around you. Right now, VNY is showing 8 miles vis. That's not great, not terrible; it was my solo limit when I was a student. Whiteman is showing 5. That's pretty bad for a student pilot. SMO and HHR are both showing 10 miles (max reported -- that's what it says when visibility is unlimited), under an overcast (presumably marine layer) sufficiently high for pattern work. OXR is IFR and forecast to remain so until noon.

I get the impression you haven't left VNY yet. It's HARD to spot another aircraft in the pattern with 5 miles vis, especially when extensions are going on.

You certainly do learn airspace that close to a Class C. But that's not relevant for a presolo student. You learn radio at any towered airport. In your neck of the woods, that's anything except Compton or Santa Paula.
 
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MAKG1 said:
I get the impression you haven't left VNY yet. It's HARD to spot another aircraft in the pattern with 5 miles vis, especially when extensions are going on.

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While for sure my trips have been limited, I have been to Van Nuys, whiteman, Camarillo, Oxnard (did my solo there) Santa Paula, Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez, , Santa Maria, Mammoth, Riverside, Cable, Chino, Fox Field, Aqua Dulce, Big Bear, Torrance, Bracket, El-Monte
Bakersfield, Portaville, Palomar, Montgomery Field...(of the top if my head that's all I can think of without looking in my log book).

So I do have a taste for socal weather at various places,

Not sure where you saw the Van Nuys metar but the 9-51 PST one shows 10 miles skies clear, but you are right Santa Monica and Oxnard have ceilings that would be below my comfort threshold at this point.

The trouble with those coastal airports is how quickly the marine layer moves in. I've see Santa Monica go from clear skies to IFR in 10 minutes
 
Weather is variable, and it certainly changes.

Please excuse my assumption.

It's not that hard to train under a marine layer. You learn how to do it, and fairly quickly. You can usually time lessons around it; clearing is generally pretty predictable. And it ends with the summer. Pattern work can be accomplished under normal circumstances with a ceiling 500 feet above TPA, and, depending on locale, the marine layer will often oblige. Right now, HHR is reporting 2200 broken ceiling; that's plenty. And that it's broken means it will likely be clear soon. LAX and SMO are already scattered.

The marine layer should never be a surprise. While the field may cloud over in 10 minutes directly overhead, you will see it progressing from the ocean over hours.
 
Only one time in 6 years have I not been able to get into Camarillo for weather, it was below IFR minimums. I agree the wait time at the hold short bars can be long at times. I love going to Oxnard for practice as I just did last week in the PT19, when you leave the pattern the controller says" thanks for doing business with us".
 
MAKG1 said:
Weather is variable, and it certainly changes.

Please excuse my assumption.

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No worries, easy assumption to make of a student, but I spend the extra time and money to make my instructors take me to as many new places as possible, I don't think I can learn to be a pilot flying the pattern at VNY.
I think the lowest ceiling I have been in (during the winter) was 500 over TPA, very different experience for a newbie like me LOL. I knew the Burbank traffic going into RWY 08 was right above me but I couldn't see it :eek:

We seem to be having this discussing in two threads at the same time LOL:goofy:

Luvrv8 said:
Only one time in 6 years have I not been able to get into Camarillo for weather, it was below IFR minimums. I agree the wait time at the hold short bars can be long at times. I love going to Oxnard for practice as I just did last week in the PT19, when you leave the pattern the controller says" thanks for doing business with us".
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Camarillo is usually better that OXR for sure, I guess its just enough inland.
That restaurant gets busy on a Sunday lunch time and the run up are ends up looking like the 405fwy on a Monday morning.

I too enjoy OXR, hardly anyone ever there and the controllers do say thank you :yes:

One advantage of the controllers at VNY is they are so used to students, I'm sure they know the tail numbers of all the school aircraft there, because I very often get a well done, or good job,:wink2: I like that.
 
warthog1984 said:
Anybody have experience with the CMA schools/instructors?
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I don't want to trash a school but if it were me I would pass on KCMA and look at CP aviation in Santa Paula.

Do you own a plane or need to rent one? I owned my plane so I was able to get a free lance CFI, I have the names of a couple of them.
 
Luvrv8 said:
I don't want to trash a school but if it were me I would pass on KCMA and look at CP aviation in Santa Paula.

Do you own a plane or need to rent one? I owned my plane so I was able to get a free lance CFI, I have the names of a couple of them.
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I'd have to rent... I looked at CP but am very much *NOT* impressed with either their instructors or their ground operation.

Freelance CFI who has access to a plane would work... at least 2 of the schools I looked at previously were basically just CFIs with a plane or two and maybe a buddy who also had a CFI.

I want to get in, get safe and proficient, get my PPL and get out. I know the material and most of the intellectual stuff, basically feel like I just need to brush up on my airmanship, do a few XC flights with a CFI to act as the voice of experience just-in-case, update myself on rules/regs, then go for the PPL.

And if it takes longer than I thought it would, fine... IF there's an reason that can be articulated and focused on during flights. Not just "it'll probably take you X time or Y^3 longer", and I want actual feedback during flights... not just a lump in the right seat calling for maneuvers or telling me some BS not related to the deficiency or flight. If there's a problem or I'm doing something wrong, *tell me what it is* and offer suggestions on correcting it!!!

/rant
 
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