SunState Aviation Flight School

My Instructor was professional & courteous	96.2
The staff answered all my questions to my satisfaction	96.8
I felt like my business was truly appreciated	93.3
My billing and account information was accurately kept	92.9
The planes I flew were clean and well maintained	91.8
There was always a plane available when I needed it	88.4
The lobby area always clean and inviting	96.5
The classroom facilities are quiet and comfortable	87.5
There is always a computer available when I need one	80.3
The restrooms are clean and well stocked at all times	89.1
The pilot shop had all of the items I needed	92.9
I felt that the prices were fair and competitive	89.4
Products sold in the pilot shop are all top quality	92.3
Overall positive experience	95.8
For future needs, I will definitely consider SunState Aviation	96.4
I will recommend SunState Aviation Flight School to others	96.5
Overall Average Score out of possible 100 points	92.2

Last updated November 10, 2007

References

Below are some letters and emails that we have received from students and customers of SunState Aviation Flight School.

Mike,

Thanks for all your support and encouragement, especially early on as I was making my decision to attend Sunstate's accelerated Private Pilot program. I made the right choice.

Regards,

Jim H.

Hi Mike,

Just a brief note to thank you and the team for getting me checked out and providing THE example of how a well run GA flying organisation should be set-up. I look forward to another visit in the near future and doing much more flying!

Best Regards,

Phil N.

Mike:

My first morning back the temperature was -1 Fahrenheit. Heatwave today at +11 F (less the wind chill in both instances). Tell the folks down there the preflight doesn’t go smoothly in these conditions!

Mike, thanks for the hospitality at SunState during my visit. I’ve been struggling along attempting to fit flight training in with “life” for a little over a year now. This was clearly the only way certification would have ever happened for me. Your friendly, upbeat training staff was always more than helpful and willing to go the extra mile to accommodate my needs or answer any of my questions. Matt Raines belied his youthful, schoolboy appearance with great knowledge, patience and an ability to deliver a point in a way that even I could understand it. Please pass my thanks all around.

Mike, thanks again for everything,

Herb S.

Hey Mike,

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed my stay and was impressed with the school. Jeff did a great job instructing me. I have nothing bad to say about him at all!!! Great instructor. Beth and Nancy were great in helping out and being cheerleaders. The rest of the staff and instructors are awesome!! Very supportive and friendly people.

I will be back in Jan to do my commercial and multi-engine rating. See you then and again thank you!!!

Sincerely,

Charles C.

Hi Mike,

I have attached a completed copy of Sunstate's Satisfaction Survey which Nancy asked me to return to you guy’s. I felt I owed more than questions on the survey to show haw satisfied I was during and after my visit to Kissimmee.

I would like to thank everyone at Sunstate Aviation for their help, encouragement, support and above all their belief in me succeeding in obtaining a PPL.

I entered Sunstate Aviation on an accelerated PPL course with just a 30 minute introductory flight under my belt, I allowed myself 4 weeks in which I met some great people at Sunstate, the staff, other students, FAA examiner who all helped me succeed as did the Control tower people at Kissimmee.

I flew in modern new advanced aircraft with Jeff (my main CFI) Matt, Julie and Steve, I was shown how to fly safely and how to have fun doing it. I emerged less than a month later with a PPL and took my wife for a short flight as my first passenger.

Sunstate has without doubt delivered what it said it would deliver, you guy’s delivered on time, on budget and made the experience enjoyable although it was sometimes challenging, a little scary and frustrating, all self inflicted.

I’m still floating on the success of getting my PPL, keep up the great work, Sunstate’s accelerated programs work because you practice what you learn the same day and you are developing those skills immediately.

Best regards,

Brendan H.

Dear Steve,

I want to thank you and your staff for all you did during my experience at Sunstate Aviation. It is obvious that you have gone to allot of trouble to put together a great organization, from the instructors to the shop staff all the way out to the airplanes. All of your staff was very professional while maintaining a friendly atmosphere. The instructors seemed very knowledgeable and easy going, and the airplanes were super.

I wish to thank Mike Camelin, my first contact with Sunstate for helping me get prepared for my stay. His willingness to help in any situation was greatly appreciated.

I also want to thank Beth, Nancy and Norma for all their help as well. I wish Beth all the luck in her endeavor to get her Private ticket.

My instructor, Paul Behan, made the experience challenging and fun all at the same time. He really has a knack for understanding the best way to pass on his knowledge. I really had a great time flying with him. I realize that he is headed to ATC somewhere; he will be sorely missed. Thanks also to JC; even though I only had a short check ride with him I learned allot. And last but not least, I really enjoyed flying with you. Each student should consider themselves lucky to fly with the owner; how could you not learn something!

In a nutshell, I would recommend Sunstate Aviation hands down over any other flight school that I researched. Great planes, absolutely super people and a great location all made the challenge worthwhile. I will be back in a year or so for my instrument rating! I miss flying everyday already!

Mark B.

St. John

US Virgin Islands

Hi Mike,

Just a quick note of thanks to all of the folks at SunState Aviation. Although Mother Nature really tried hard to interfere, my Multi-Engine Commercial checkride was completed on Sunday :-)).

A special thanks to the following folks...in no particular order...
1) The front desk staff (including yourself) for all of the words of encouragement and the various forms of support provided.
2) My flight instructors...Dave, Matt, JC, and Steve for putting in the extra time to help me achieve my goals.

My experience with SunState has been a very positive one, and one I would recommend to others. From the first website encounter, to the first phone call with you, to my arrival a couple weeks ago, and finally the successful completion of my two checkrides (Commercial, and Multi Add on), it has been a positive experience where I felt that everyone was working to help me succeed.

Thanks to everyone and I hope to see you all again (I've started thinking about a CFI ;-))...
Mike K.

Steve:

I am writing to commend you and your instructors on the exceptional training you provide, especially in the Technically Advanced Aircraft (TAA). The applicants I have had the opportunity to fly with are prepared well beyond the parameters of the practical test standards. It is clear that your instructors teach from a structured format incorporating scenario-based training and real world situations. The applicants have good declarative and procedural knowledge, but in addition, they possess a good conceptual knowledge of the Garmin G-1000 equipment. The ability of your instructors to build the necessary mental-models for those new to "glass" cockpits will be of great benefit to students for their safe and efficient operation of this new generation of airplane.

Once again, it is a great pleasure to give checkrides to your applicants for all pilot certificates as I find a consistently high level of pilot performance and decision making skills. In addition, the great learning atmosphere with the open air discussions of aviation concepts at your school is so conducive to the production of great, safe pilots. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of the success of your students of aviation.

Best Regards,

Janeen Kochan, Ph.D.

Designated Pilot Examiner/Human Factors Scientist

Aviation Research, Training, and Services, Inc.

Mike,

Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been spending a lot of time in planes lately …. Unfortunately (perhaps fortunately for the passengers) I haven’t been the pilot.

The experience I had with SunState sure did exceed all my expectations. It was a fantastic experience and you guys (and girls) are to be commended for a very professionally run, customer focused operation. All I can say for the moment is thank you very much!

I also can’t say enough again how Ricky San Miguel added to this experience. He was the consummate professional. A truly likable guy on the ground who was completely dedicated to my end goal; however when he got in that plane he was all business!

There is no doubt I will be moving on to get my IFR rating and for that I’ll be back to see you. As soon as I get out of Algeria in a few months I plan on moving forward with that. I will also sign up for your chart service then too.

Once again thanks for everything. It truly was a pleasure!

Kind regards … Ric Y.

Dear Steve and Mike:

I am writing to compliment you and your entire team for the exceptional flight training experience that you provided while I was with you for three weeks this past May.

Permit me to mention that I am the Chief Executive of a One Billion Dollar firm with over 85,000 customer accounts. I say this not to impress you but to merely indicate that I know a thing or two about what constitutes great customer service and value given.

I can state without equivocation that SunState is one of the few companies I know that actually delivers far more than it promises. My experience during my twenty days with you and your instructors was truly exceptional.

Your staff was respectful of my time – and my financial investment. Your flight instructors show exceptional maturity in spite of their youth. They have to walk a very fine line between treating their students as paying customers and also having to be both coach and mentor to people like me who are older and not accustomed to being told what to do.

If I had to describe one particular event that would be indicative of what a fine operation you run, it would be one day when I was “behind the airplane.” About 15 minutes in one of my flight lessons, my primary instructor – “TC” Armstrong – looked at me and said; “Let’s go back to the airport.” I replied that we were just getting started. He said, “Ed, you may not recognize it, but you’re tired and you’re not learning. To just continue this lesson is not in your best interest. We’re going back - and we’re going back now.”

That took exceptional maturity – and a consciousness of what was in my best interests – to do what TC did. We could have just flown around, with him continuing to earn his hourly fee. But he did what was best for me – not what was best for him. That is what I call professionalism.

Your learning facilities are well maintained and all of your staff is friendly and helpful. The fleet of planes is excellent – safe and well-maintained.

As I said, you deliver more than you promise and that is so very rare today.

I’ll see you next year for my IFR training

Sincerely.

Ed S.

Gentlemen:

I recently completed accelerated flight training for my commercial license at your school. My instructor was Mike Elliott.

I was very impressed by your operation generally, and by Mr. Elliott particularly. Mr. Elliott was thorough, very knowledgeable, professional and pleasant to be around. He and the other instructors clearly enjoy flight instruction -- they're not just building time. This really matters for accelerated students on a tight schedule.

Further, I got to fly twice a day. This is something of a logistical miracle compared to other flight schools. Planes were in excellent condition, and maintenance was immediate. Two flights a day was about all I could handle.

I recommend Sunstate without reservation to other pilots and student pilots.

Tom W.

Dear Mike

Please accept my sincere thanks for your recent assistance at very short notice with completing my FAA IR.

Your willingness to step in and provide excellent instruction and first class aircraft was a great relief to me, having just previously started the same course with another local company who turned out to be an expensive mistake.

Please pass on my sincere thanks to all the staff at Sunstate, especially Ricky who was an excellent instructor and who kept nagging me to get it right, wanting within 0.1nm on a DME Arc, as it turned out not even the FAA expect this!!

Sunstate Aviation restored my faith in flight training organizations, and your company’s attitude to providing professional structured training in first class and identically equipped aircraft was much appreciated.

Again, please pass on my thanks and best wishes to all at Sunstate and again Ricky, who I wasn’t able to see to thank personally before I had to leave.

I hope to be back in Kissimmee in July and will call in again and hopefully fly.

Many thanks

Alwyn R.

To the staff of SunState Aviation,

I had spent 8 months with 2 other flight schools and 4 different instructors and was becoming frustrated with the slow pace. So I spent 4 hours on the internet one Sunday researching flight schools, I finally settled on SunState because they offered what I wanted; intensive flight training, many aircraft and a willingness to work around my needs. And when I got there, I found that what was offered on the website was exactly what SunState delivered - NO BULL! My instructor did not allow me to slack off and he did not paint a falsely optimistic picture of what I needed to accomplish. This "no bull" approach gave me the proper training I needed to pass the practical and more importantly, to fly with the confidence that I am a safe, competent and well trained pilot. And all the other instructors I flew with and chatted with seemed to be really knowledgeable and helpful as well. The dispatch crew was friendly, courteous and efficient as well. Additionally, the aircraft here were modern, well maintained and confidence inspiring, unlike some of the rattletrap beaters I have flown at other schools. I will definitely recommend SunState to others because they deliver what they promise.

Thanks!

David C.

Steve,

I just wanted to let you and the rest of the guys down at Sunstate know that I was selected to attend Air Force pilot training. I just found out a little over a week ago, and it's still somewhat surreal. I haven't learned where I will be doing my training, and I won't know what aircraft I will fly until about 2/3 of the way through my training. But I will definitely keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for everything, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for all of y'all down in Florida. Please let Joe know the good news.

Eddy F.

Hey Mike,

I would to take this time to thank you and everyone at SunState Aviation. Dwain and Joe are awesome instructors, and without there help I would not have done as well as I did. Pamela and Amber were always willing to answer any question I had (regardless of how dumb it was). The way that you and Steve were willing to help me with the foreign license problem that arose was above-and-beyond. I will definitely be recommending SunState to my friends. And I will be returning soon to finish up all my FAA license requirements.

Again thank you,
Vicente P.

"Thanks for your welcome, the standard of your staff and aircraft were great and the briefing and BFR work as well as the flying instruction that I received from Ryan were first class.

Once again, keep up the good work - you seem you have it dead right!"

Phillip M.

"Superb training. The staff was great and I felt right at home. I came with very demanding needs and you met them all. Joe was a great CFI and I definitely couldn't have done it without him, but everyone was willing to help whenever needed."

Eddy F.

While on a business trip in Orlando, I booked a flight and flew with Scott Repass this past Thursday. I want to thank Scott for a great flight. As a student pilot, I've only flown low-wings before. Scott showed me all the nuances of the Cessna. He's a good, knowledgeable instructor who made my flight very enjoyable. And the rest of your staff treated me great. If I'm in the area again, I will be coming back for another flight. Hopefully, I'll have my PPL by then!

Thank you,
Linda W.

Dear Mike and all at Sun State,

I would like to thank all of your staff for the friendship they showed me during my stay, they all make Sunstate a place where it is a pleasure to fly, concentrating on the students wishes instead of simply making a profit.

I would like to thank all of the instructors I flew with especially Nate, as he did some long hours with me, all of which will help me with my flying back here at home.

Thank you one and all who picked me up and dropped me off at the hotel, I greatly appreciated it, what else can I say apart from that I will recommend your school to some friends, and that I hope to be back flying with you nearer Christmas for some more fun.

Many Thanks to you all

Richard B.

Steve: I just wanted to sincerely thank you and the entire Sunstate team for a very rewarding training experience. Due to initial encouragement from Mike via the website, I traveled approximately 6,000 miles to take my flight training at Sunstate and it was well worth it. The consistent training syllabus and family spirit at the facility made the difference for me.

I would like to put in a special word of thanks to Scott and Ryan who stayed quite late in the classroom the night before my checkride to make sure my head was screwed on straight. Scott did a commendable job of sticking with me through the rough spots and I really appreciate that kind of extra effort. Thanks also for the final week "reality check" flight that kept me on the right track.

I feel confident now to safely exercise the privileges and responsibilities of my commercial ticket.

Best of luck in the new facility.

Mahalo Nui Loa (thank you very much).

Bruce

Hi Mike,

Just a quick note to thank you for setting up my flight yesterday. Your staff were very friendly and helpful, the airplane was fantastic and Scott was an excellent instructor to fly with. It was great to get up and see something of the area from the air.

I found out about you on airnav.com, and will contribute another excellent pirep to that forum.

All the best

Chris A.

Hi Mike,

I've been busy since I got back so this is the first free time I've had to email you.

A big thank you to yourself and all at SunState. I was made to feel welcome by everyone. The instructors impressed me: very professional and they worked me hard! The aircraft were clean and fun to fly (even my friend N53440!) and I learned a lot from the experience.

I am missing the flying already but I hope, weather permitting (yes, I'm back in the land of rain and cloud!), to go flying with a friend on Sunday in a Warrior. It will be interesting transitioning back to a PA28 after the 172.

Thanks again for helping to make this one of the most enjoyable holidays I've had. If you want to use me as a reference I would be happy to oblige.

Best wishes to all at SunState!

Alan O.

Steve, Mike,

If you ever need references regarding the flight training at Sunatate Aviaton, you may use my name if you wish. So far in the IFR training I have received from Bob Crane (about 15 hours) it has been both fun and a great learning process. It has in fact made my VFR pilotage much better. Bob is a excellent flight instructor and we communicate very well during the lessons. I really appreciate Bob's time allowing me to train at night and bringing my airplane to me for the flight lesson. Right now I'm in the middle of some real needed home repairs and have had to put my training on hold for a bit. It should start up here again real soon as I look forward to resuming my training. Keep'm flying!

regards,

Rick Cohen - Lead

USA RMS Engineering

Steve,

Thank you for helping me with your words of wisdom and relaxed instructing skills for a long in the tooth aviator earlier this year.

It was a great pleasure to meet you and your colleagues, and a privilege to fly with you. I hope I may be able to come back in the next few years to further my skills, and perhaps bring my son along as well.

I enclose a photo of my visit to SunState Aviation, which you might wish to add to your portfolio of satisfied clients.

Best wishes

Sincerely

Stewart Meehan

Steve,

Just wanted to thank the staff at Sunstate Aviation from the fantastic service on my recent 'photo safari' taken on the morning of December 30. Everyone and everything made for a great experience that I am telling my friends about.

As promised here is a link to all the pictures taken during my flight: http://www.disneypix.com/2000ft/AerialDisney.htm

Thank you,

Robert Fleming

webmaster@disneypix.com

Dear Steve and Ryan:

It took three flight schools, four instructors and 117 hours but I finally got my private on Jan. 11 th. Us "old guys" are just a little thicker in the head and slower on the reflexes than you younger fly guys. I'm glad for every minute I spent in training, especially the aborted cross country's. But the more experience I got, the more I came to respect the quality of the work you guys did with me. You run a first rate program down there, and I really respect you for it.

From the looks of your website, you seem to be expanding quite nicely. Good luck with your accelerated programs. When I get some more time in, maybe I'll come back for some accelerated instrument work.

Best to Kevin and the rest,

Art Greenspon (60+ club)

An article from General Aviation News:

The little flight school that could;

Opened six months after Sept. 11, this Florida flight school has grown by taking a different tack

J. Douglas Hinton

4/16/2004

Except for those blessed by acceptance for military flight training, learning to fly has never come cheaply. Even allowing for inflation over the years, the cost of getting a license probably never has been higher than it is now, driven by escalating insurance costs, more sophisticated equipment requirements, maintenance and fuel prices.

Adding insult to injury, flight instructor compensation has remained about where it always was: abysmally low for what they do and the responsibilities they accept.

Historically, FBO flight training departments have been considered loss leaders rather than profit centers. In some cases, providing flight training was a requirement of the lease. In others, it was tolerated to establish brand loyalty toward eventually selling the student an airplane. In either case, it often was considered a necessary evil, contributing little or worse to the bottom line. Pity, then, the poor standalone flight school, which had to make the nut solely through training would-be pilots.

I had heard about a Florida flight school on the Kissimmee Gateway Airport that was doing just that, yet prospering. How, against all odds, were they doing it when two rival schools had gone out of business on the same field?

As I walked in the door at SunState Aviation, I saw part of the answer. Modern, immaculate facilities, a gift shop, friendly employees and a sense of camaraderie among the staff. I felt at home. Steve Graham, president of SunState, is a friendly but no-nonsense kind of guy. Coming from a management background, primarily not-for-profit companies and a seven year hitch at Disney World, his leap of faith was to open SunState six months after Sept. 11 when many flight restrictions were still in place around Orlando, Kissimmee and the Space Coast. How risky was that?

"Not so bad," he volunteered. "I saw a need. Two competitors had cratered, mainly because of insurance costs, so except for one other flight school on the airport, I had things pretty much to myself. And there was a substantial existing market. That was over two years ago and I've never looked back. In fact, we're bursting at the seams now and need more space." "What's your secret to success?" I asked. "Well, we charge more, but we deliver more," Graham answered. "No junky airplanes. Most of our fleet is less than two years old, identically IFRequipped, and we maintain them in-house, in tip-top condition. Then there are our dozen or so instructors. The younger ones are nearly all college grads from Embry-Riddle, Florida Institute of Technology, and other aeronautical institutions around the area, and we have a good mix of older hands who have no aspirations of going on to the airlines. They're content to instruct and provide a certain stability to the training programs.

"But most important, I insist our people know how to teach," he continued, "really teach." That seemed a given. Was I missing something here? Graham explained he'd get two or three walkins a week, looking for a flight instructor position. To winnow out the lesser mortals, he'd give them a lesson plan, then stick them cold turkey in front of a bunch of students to whom they had to demonstrate that they really could impart knowledge, while being observed and later critiqued by one or more of Graham's instructor staff.

Should they survive that, Graham takes them flying for Part Two of the acid test. "I want to be assured of two things," said Graham. "First, can they really fly the airplane? If not, I terminate the flight then and there. Next I role-play the part of a student and they have to demonstrate to my satisfaction they can teach a maneuver such as a stall, or a steep turn, or an approach to landing. If they can't, they're out. I usually only hire only one out of three to four applicants, but I'm dedicated to ensuring our customers get the best bang for the buck and become safe pilots. Not like how I learned to fly, by trial and error."

SunState is a Cessna Pilot Center, featuring an advanced, integrated training syllabus which they claim can knock as much as 20 hours off getting one's ticket. In addition to Private Pilot, the company offers courses for Instrument Rating, Commercial (single-engine) and CFII. Students receive an interactive Computer Based Instruction program which contains lesson plans and tests which must be completed prior to each flight lesson. Instructors download the students' test results and focus on weak areas when they show up to fly.

Graham estimates that it takes his students an average of 52 hours and $5,500 to get a private ticket versus the Federal Aviation Administration minimum requirement of 40 hours. "It's lower than that for someone who does our 21 day intensive course," explains Graham, "but a large chunk of our clientele consists of area businessmen who can't afford to be three weeks away from their establishments. So they do as time allows, take longer to complete the course and skew the numbers to the higher side. Some of them also take longer to solo. I know when a student is ready, but a few aren't psychologically comfortable with my stepping out of the plane, so I stay with them until they turn that corner. Above all, I want them to be safe."

The company fleet consists of four Cessna 172SPs, two 152s and a 172RG on one year leasebacks, renewable and with a 30-day cancellation privilege by either party. The owners are content because the revenue they receive exceeds curtailments, plus they can use their own birds for business or pleasure flights. They have to schedule like anyone else, though, without special priority. Happily, SunState is able to convert the occasional student to a buyer, working through an Orlando-based Cessna dealer.

About 40% of SunState's students are foreigners, primarily from Britain. "It's a good deal for them," Graham explained. "We have an uncongested airport with a tower, and perfect flying weather compared to Europe, so they can complete their training in minimum time. The weak dollar and the discounts we get for them at local motels, plus courtesy van service, plus nearby Disney attractions, clinch the deal." Of course, the school also attracts local residents, including Orlando resident Kevin Kasunic, who is taking instruction for his Private Pilot certificate. "I work for an international airline in an administrative position," he said. "I'm used to a quality operation and that's what SunState delivers. I like the fact the equipment is new and clean. The instructors are excellent and I think I'm getting the best value for my money. Since I eventually want to end up in an airliner cockpit, I just feel quality instruction in quality equipment is money well spent."

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

SunStateAviation.com, 407-944-3592, or 800-941-4359 (outside Florida).