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Flying lessons - info needed!

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  • 28-06-2011 8:43pm
    #1
    cupfungus1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭


    Hi,

    I want to buy my boyfriend an hour's flying voucher but am confused as to who is the best to buy from? There's one on GiftsDirect.com for Weston Airport but I saw on a 3-year old thread here that best to buy from NFC; is there a difference in instructors depending on where I buy it? Or is it simply a case of GiftsDirect.com offering the exact same voucher for €10 less?!

    Hope ye can help!

    Thanks :)
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Gar-Bar
    Registered Users Posts: 15 ✭Gar-Bar


    Hi,

    I started flying lessons with NFC last September. I find the school great and the instructors are top notch. Great atmosphere in NFC.

    Gar


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    #3
    cupfungus1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭cupfungus1984


    Gar-Bar wrote: »
    Hi,

    I started flying lessons with NFC last September. I find the school great and the instructors are top notch. Great atmosphere in NFC.

    Gar

    Great Gar, thanks a million.

    C


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    #4
    Jocry
    Registered Users Posts: 377 ✭✭Jocry


    Hi C,

    Buy direct from the schools if there's one piece of advice I can give!

    My wife (without me knowing:rolleyes:) bought me a lesson from Topgifts which went bust recently (thankfully it was done on the credit card and I was refunded by the bank) but between the Topgifts being unable to get me a slot with the school, for nearly a year, and then obviously going bust, my advice is as I said. I dont believe in those gift voucher web sites, and especially when you can already get the voucher direct.

    Go with the school and you wont have problems :D


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    #5
    cupfungus1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭cupfungus1984


    Jocry wrote: »
    Hi C,

    Buy direct from the schools if there's one piece of advice I can give!

    My wife (without me knowing:rolleyes:) bought me a lesson from Topgifts which went bust recently (thankfully it was done on the credit card and I was refunded by the bank) but between the Topgifts being unable to get me a slot with the school, for nearly a year, and then obviously going bust, my advice is as I said. I dont believe in those gift voucher web sites, and especially when you can already get the voucher direct.

    Go with the school and you wont have problems :D

    Hi Jocry,

    I really appreciate your help, thanks very much! I've just bought it direct from NFC and am delighted/reassured I went with them and not the gifts website. Now I just have to wait - and try and keep it a secret - until his birthday!

    Thanks :)
    C


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    #6
    xflyer
    Registered Users Posts: 1,787 ✭✭✭xflyer


    Didn't know Topgifts closed. Ironically as a CPL I won a flying lesson from them in a newspaper competition. I thought it was so funny. Actually I would have preferred a helicopter lesson.

    But in fact I was doing some flying with the NFC at the time so it was useful. But it got really complicated. Standing in the NFC office I rang Topgifts to book it but they said it would take a while to book. I pointed out I as here right now ready to fly and there was a slot. Eventually M in the office chatted to them and after lots of humming and hawing it was agreed.

    The lesson I learned was to book directly with the school. But I got it for nothing so no big deal.

    One thing I will advise is to make sure you use it before it expires. Many companies consider vouchers to be free money, so many of them are never cashed in. Get him to book a flight ASAP.


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    #7
    Jocry
    Registered Users Posts: 377 ✭✭Jocry


    No problems :)

    Yeah to be honest, I had a disaster with them and didnt know they had gone bust until I received an email from the liquidator to say the voucher and any potential refund was null and void. Kicked up an absolute roar in order to get a copy of payment from their accounts as proof to the bank. When all was said and done though, the details were sent to my bank and the refund was in my account within three days...

    There are posts on Boards about the whole situation and how inconvenient is was for people to book flight times, etc with Topgifts. Alot of people were let down. However this post is about the present, Im glad you were able to get it, Im sure himself will enjoy it, no better feeling (hopefully) when he does take to the sky :D


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    #8
    cupfungus1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭cupfungus1984


    Jocry wrote: »
    No problems :)

    Yeah to be honest, I had a disaster with them and didnt know they had gone bust until I received an email from the liquidator to say the voucher and any potential refund was null and void. Kicked up an absolute roar in order to get a copy of payment from their accounts as proof to the bank. When all was said and done though, the details were sent to my bank and the refund was in my account within three days...

    There are posts on Boards about the whole situation and how inconvenient is was for people to book flight times, etc with Topgifts. Alot of people were let down. However this post is about the present, Im glad you were able to get it, Im sure himself will enjoy it, no better feeling (hopefully) when he does take to the sky :D


    I'm glad to hear you were (eventually) reimbursed and thanks again for the help with this. No doubt he will; he studied aerodynamics as part of engineering degree and loves even just being in a plane, so to be in the cockpit I imagine will be great! Thanks again :)


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    #9
    Biff Tannen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5 ✭Biff Tannen


    Gar-Bar wrote: »
    Hi,

    I started flying lessons with NFC last September. I find the school great and the instructors are top notch. Great atmosphere in NFC.

    Gar

    Yeah did you forget to mention they charge 200 per hour dual in a little Cessna 150? Plus 5 euro for every landing ?


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    #10
    xflyer
    Registered Users Posts: 1,787 ✭✭✭xflyer


    The airport charges a €5 landing fee not the NFC. As for their charges well fuel is expensive the Instructor must be paid, insurance, maintenance, overheads etc etc are factored in. Plus they're a business and need to make a profit. Do you object to that?

    Flying is expensive, always was expensive and always will be expensive.


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    #11
    Dublin_1001
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭Dublin_1001


    cupfungus1984 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I want to buy my boyfriend an hour's flying voucher but am confused as to who is the best to buy from? There's one on GiftsDirect.com for Weston Airport but I saw on a 3-year old thread here that best to buy from NFC; is there a difference in instructors depending on where I buy it? Or is it simply a case of GiftsDirect.com offering the exact same voucher for €10 less?!

    Hope ye can help!

    Thanks :)
    Hi,

    I'm also interested in buying an introductory lesson as a present. Did you book anything and if you did, how easy was it, etc.


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    #12
    cupfungus1984
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11 ✭cupfungus1984


    Dublin_1001 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm also interested in buying an introductory lesson as a present. Did you book anything and if you did, how easy was it, etc.

    Hey - just sent you PM with all the details!


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