Testimonials
I have been interested in learning to fly for a long time. Over a year ago I took the discovery flight and that was amazing!!! I signed up with this school to obtain my PPL licence and so far I got what I wanted: in a no nonsense environment you will receive training in theoretical and practical skills to become a pilot for a reasonable price. The staff is extremely friendly and always willing to help. I can recommend Executive Flight and its staff to you if you want to become a pilot as well !! Hans van Nordennen, anesthesiologist Albert Schweitzer hospital Dordrecht.
Hello, I’m Koen Derks and I have a short story for you about my experience with Executive Flight. I came into contact with Executive Flight when I was given three test flights in a Cessna 150 for my birthday. We wanted to see if flying was right for me as it has been some time since I’m considering training as a airline transport pilot. After speaking with Henry Blommers I had a good feeling. It was a pity that Henry talked more to my father than me though. At that moment I felt a little less involved. This was fortunately not the case when I went to make my 1st flight. I flew with the instructor Marc Dunias, a young instructor who came across as a guy who’s down-to-earth. Since I’m only 18 years myself I liked the fact that I had someone that was not much older than me. I did the 2nd and 3rd flight with Frank Folmer, an older instructor but again very relaxed and down-to-earth like Marc. After those three flights I started to think about the steps to start the course for a long time. What I find very important is to have a backup plan, in case flying would come to nothing . In any case I wanted to at least be able to combine my current study with the PPL course. I decided to proceed, despite the fact that I’m currently losing lots of time to studying and flying.
In the process of signing up for the theoretical part and how everything works, Marc Dunias helped me out. I’m of the opinion that I’ve gotten good guidance through this process and if I had any questions I could always ask. When I got all the stuff required for the flight, it appeared to be missing some parts. But I didn’t really get that properly, I would have liked it better if it would have been communicated better.
Apart from that little hitch, I’m very satisfied about my experience with EFA operations. I really like it and am really enjoying myself! Soon I’ll be doing the “Flying General” progress test and we have a test on radio telephony, so continue working quietly.
My flying career started as an RAF voluntary reserve officer flying tail dragger de Havilland Chipmunks whilst I studied Applied Physics at Strathclyde University, Glasgow. That was back in 1973/74. After graduation I chose for the oil industry over the military, ending up as a VP for Shell in the Netherlands. So, on retirement and after a break of 42 !! years from flying, I chose to regain my “wings” with Executive Flight, starting the PPL course from scratch. A bit like riding a bike. I picked up the old skills quite quickly through the help of an incredibly enthusiastic group of flight instructors who provide high quality, safe instruction which is also great fun. All instruction and theory can be given in english which suites me …. and costs are very reasonable ! If you’re interested I would be very happy to share my experiences … you can contact me on the email address provided
Just a quick story about my first solo from the Hoevenen airport and my experiences with Executive Flight. I started with the theoretical part of the PPL course. I looked forward to my first theoretical night class, and have been really enjoying myself. Lots of friendly people who share similar interests. They always help you if you have questions. It is a reasonable driving distance in this area, although sometimes I’m stuck in traffic jam. Lessons are very instructive. I had quite a bit of prescience, particularly from my experience as a chief mate on a seagoing ship. Furthermore, you have to study a lot at home and make a lot of practice questions. It takes a lot more time than I thought it would, especially some tougher subjects such as aviation legislation and operational procedures. My first flight was in a Evektor Sport Star. Very exciting! In the beginning it takes some getting used to the controls (suddenly you have a rudder at your feet) and dividing attention over the different instruments. But I picked it up relatively quickly and could start working quickly on advanced maneuvers such as stalls and steep turns. As in the case of driving the car it involves building automatism. Currently I’m at the stage where we work towards the first solo flight. On the day that you’re going solo, you first do 3 touch and go’s with your flight instructor. And then comes the moment when you’re by yourself the very first time!! It is the definition of freedom! Very nice! It’s only then that you notice how light such a plane actually is. It’s fantastic! Currently I am preparing for my theoretical exam, studying hard, doing exercises and making test exams. In a few months I’ll finish my PPL and then I’m going to take steps towards the ATPL at Executive Flight. Am looking forward to 2016. For me it has been a fun year!
Hey, my name is Marek Stinissen and this is flight school experience.
In 2018, I was trying to follow my dream, to become a pilot. While looking for places that would grand me this wish and the opportunity, I was obviously shocked about the prices. After a lot of digging, I received an ad about Executive flights. At first, I was very sceptical, and the prices looked too cheap almost. In 2019 I met up with Henry Blommers. We had a long chat about the financial factors and the time it would take to start this adventure, he was very direct and told me how the aviation world works. After a lot of my question and explaining I was confident and had an idea how it all worked. It was great to have a chat about it all and shortly after I had my first test flight in Antwerpen. this went great and I enjoyed the experience. The instructor was very young which made me feel more confident if he can do it than I can.
After some practical flights, I decided to finish my theory lessons first, so I could progress faster in the practical flying. Every week I drove 1 hour and 40 minutes to our classroom which was no factor for me. It is easy to combine with a part-time job and you can also save a lot of money while doing this! Although sometimes the planning could be a little messy due to the amount of pilots that wanted to fly the main cheap Cessna 152. this problem doesn’t exist anymore because the fleet is increased. I feel the school has evolved a lot in the last years. sadly the weather can also be unforgiving and COVID-19 hasn’t helped in the amount of flight time I could get. But as always after rain comes sunshine and I recently received my flying license. so time to have a little fun! 🙂
The modular course combines well with a part-time job, resulting in a substantial saving in costs and on top of that the Executive Flight training is way more economical, making it easier than elsewhere to fund it . After finishing I was able to immediately find a job in the Netherlands on a Citation CJ4 jet. A great job allowing me see whole Europe!
What’s more beautiful than having a desk at 36.000ft? Few things in my opinion, but to get there is a hard task that requires discipline and a large investment in money and time. My name is Ali born in Turkey and raised in the Netherlands, I am 26 years old and always wanted to be a pilot. I sent applications to a couple of integrated flight schools in the Netherlands but unfortunately was unable to get a loan from my current bank to finance the training. I almost gave up hope until my father told me he’d be willing to borrow me a part of the total sum. Now all I had to do was find a school that suited me best. I discussed it a lot with my younger brother, who is a first officer on B737 in Turkey and completed his training in Phoenix. We both made a few appointments with different schools to have a look around. It’s always good to have a partner with you who knows the ins and outs of the business. After talking to several schools, my choice went with executive flight academy. At that time I was working fulltime and had limited spare time. Most of the schools I went to had daytime ground school, limited planes and very crowded classes. Also, most of them were quite (very) expensive. Executive Flight stood out for me because of their focus on flexibility and low cost. After a pleasant and professional conversation with Marc Dunias about my options within the school, it was time for my assessment. I completed my assessment with good results and also took a few flying lessons to taste how it is to fly. Not long after this I started with the ground school and dove into the theory books. The ground school provided by Executive Flight consists of weekly theory classes starting at 1900 and a lot of distance learning tools so that you can study efficiently at home. The classes have small groups of people which is a great plus for me, as the instructors have their time to give a lot of attention to each person individually. I do have to drive big distances to get to the airport and the theory lessons, which can be quite exhausting. But with proper planning it is doable. After 5 months of ground school I decided I was ready for the practical flying. I discussed this with my instructors who supported me in this. Usually people start with the practical and theoretical training simultaneously. But for me it felt better this way. I feel I am making good progress, before I knew it I was doing stalls and steep turns above the harbors of Antwerp. Being in the airport environment, communicating with the control towers and navigating through busy airspaces has really proven me that I made the right choice by choosing a career in aviation.
Unlike most people, becoming a commercial pilot became my goal early in my twenties. It was like a spontaneous thought that grew up into a solid goal down the line. Looking through all the schools in Europe, it became clear to me that becoming a pilot will most likely mean leaving my job and everything that I have acquired this far (for a second time in my life). However, finding ExecutiveFlight changed the whole situation. Very surprisingly they were offering very low prices, in the country with the most expensive flights schools in Europe. Next to it, they were the only school that didn’t require Dutch for their courses. After getting in touch with the school, it was immediately clear to me that they are the perfect match because of the high flexibility they provide. For me, it meant that, keeping my way of living and my job was an option. It was clear that doing so would be a very challenging and demanding endeavor, but together with ExecutiveFlight we’ve managed to find the right solution. Fast forward to today, I have my PPL completed, ATPL theory is in my pocket and I am looking forward to completing my IR in the not so far future. It is worth to note, that when most schools got completely closed during COVID, ExecuitveFlight managed to find a way to continue my training, to allow me to meet the time goals that I have set for myself.
I love the no-nonsense and practical approach the instructors at Executive Flight have. I also appreciate I got to fly with several different instructors from different backgrounds. They all bring unique perspectives and I keep learning new insights from them. At my first introduction flight I got a taste of what the end goal should be, and I thought I would never be able to do all of that by myself, but they guided me step by step and before I knew it I was actually doing it all by myself. I have my PPL now and am ready for the next steps in my aviation career.
But I’m not ready …. Those were my first thoughts when my flight instructor told me do a full stop landing so he can get out of the airplane. Don’t get me wrong this is why you take up flying, because you want to go solo, and soar through the skies, like.. no not maverick, like an responsible aviator. So when your flight instructor, who is also a full blow airline pilot, decides you are ready, you can trust that you are. But it is the respect for aviation and the construct of flying an aircraft that they teach you from day 1.Flying is a serious activity, not something one should take lightly. Safety and airmanship is vital. And yet here I was, feeling this weird sensation of nervousness coupled with confidence. As if the flight instructor could read my mind, because right before he got out of the aircraft he said: “follow the procedures and just relax, it’s a beautiful day for your first solo “So that is what I did. And from that moment on I knew I was ready. Flight instructors can seem like drill instructors at times, but they only do it with your safety and your future passengers safety in mind.
One particular Flight instructor recently told me, that he always asks himself 1 question before letting a student out in the ‘wild’, and that is, would I let my daughter fly with this pilot in command? So you can be sure that when I think a student is ready, he or she is really ready, even if the student doesn’t think so.
As a child I already dreamt of flying, but pursued my other dreams first. If I would have known how incredibly cool flying is, I guess my professional career would have looked like differently. Getting a PPL, next to a job, is a demanding task. For me at least, flying is a hobby and consequently sometimes other tasks have to be given priority. I appreciate the openness and flexibility at Executive Flight to handle this balance. You get to fly from different airports, and they handle the winter/summer season well to get the most out of it (theory and practice). Through WhatsApp, phone and e-mail the flight instructors can always be contacted in case of questions or by scheduling some time before the weekly plenary lessons.
When I decided to do PPL training I compared different fly academies . Eventually I chose Executive Flight because these people are real insiders in the general aviation. What pleases me is the flexibility of the training program and the experience of the theory and practice instructors. The training is not so schoolish, so initiative and independent study is needed, but that should naturally be expected of students who do a PPL training alongside their normal work / study. Training is also on a professional level and not on a bare minimum level so that afterwards, you are also able to do more than just a short local flight. Ir. Bart Thissen.
My experience with Executive Flight Academy: I’m very enthusiastic about their service, teaching and passion they have. I did the ATPL training, mainly as a hobby and ran into some bumps when studying the theory. I was helped a lot by Marc Dunias, a great teacher. He explains everything clear to me and in an inspiring way. I got more enjoyment in studying the theory.
The practical training in the SIM was given by Henry Blommers. That was a delight too. He was pushing to the limits of my workload, but in a good way.
I like the flexibility, high quality, customer focus and passion. it’s a very good organization. I recommend everyone to follow one of the flying training at Executive Flight Academy. I am willing to release a live reference!
Flying an airplane was my dream when I was a child, but because of many reasons, I chose different from a professional pilot career. For many years, it was just half-forgotten dream until I realized that the world changed since the times of my childhood and many restrictions for becoming a pilot do not exist anymore.
Having made a quick search in the Internet, I found out that it was indeed possible to learn flying and get a PPL license. I thought that I should take this chance. On a short notice, I made an appointment with Executive Flight Academy for an introductory flight when I tried first time in my life to fly a light airplane. Cessna 152 is a small and simple aircraft, but it took me to the air and obeyed my controls! It was simultaneously big fun, thrilling and exciting feeling. I immediately decided that this was something that I wanted to learn. Therefore, after many years I sat again at the student’s desk.
I have chosen Executive Flight Academy for learning how to fly, and do not regret about my choice. The company offers a flexible rhythm of studying. For older students like me, it is sometimes necessary to take more time to study some course. Here at EFA it is always possible. This is important for those who have a job and do not have much free time. On the other hand, younger students who can fly more frequently can get the license quite quickly.
Theoretical course is not difficult, but requires some discipline. With a good motivation, it is easy. And here at EFA I did not meet anybody without motivation. Essential part of the learning process is self-study. Any questions are discussed in weekly seminars in a friendly atmosphere. At EFA you can expect individual approach. I am flying with many instructors and all of them actually offered me to ask questions, whenever I would have them. I appreciate that very much.
I continue my study and I am looking forward to the future. Despite my study became longer than I originally expected, partly because of interruptions due to COVID restrictions, I am sure that I will get my PPL soon. I would like to thank to the Executive Flight Academy for making the old dream true!
And many more 🙂 You can get in touch with all these (or other) students through info@executiveflight.nl