Complaint Review: Berichi Aviation - Internet

I was a student at Berichi Aviation. AVOID THIS SCHOOL.

The outcome of studying here is that I am $10,000 out of pocket and my dreams of being a pilot are dashed. I almost died at this school due to poor safety standards. Want to know my story and avoid Berichi Aviation? Read on……..

From the very beginning of knowing Charles Berichi I was suspicious. In my emails I asked to speak to present and past students and he said ‘No’ every time. He always complained that I was asking too many questions. I should have realised that he was hiding something. And he was hiding so much.

He does not even have a classroom. He uses the reception area and facilities of W Aviation. This is a recurring theme…a parasite who does not want to spend his money, only drain students of theirs.

1. 1.      Charlie told me that it was fine to come to the USA on a Tourist Visa as this was not a university course. After arriving my instructor pointed out to me that I should ‘keep quiet’ about my status here as the law states that I need a student visa.
2. 2.      The budget Charlie sent me is about 20% less than it should be. See no 9 below.
3. 3.      He charged me $50 to receive international payments to his bank. I contacted the bank and their biggest fee is $15!! This is the tip of the iceberg.
4. 4.      You have to buy 3 polo shirts as uniform for $150. They are worth $60 maximum.
5. 5.      Charlie will brow beat you into flying 10 hours a day…..if the propeller is turning, HE is earning and that is the most important.
6. 6.      There is no syllabus. There are no records of progress….the instructor makes the lesson up on the spur of the moment.
7. 7.      Charlie does not want to answer any questions except scheduling and money. Everything else he diverts to the instructor.
8. 8.      There is only one instructor who is 68 and regularly does a 12 hour day at Beichi. He regularly yawned during flights. His eyesight is quite bad. Several times he made errors due to this.
9. 9.      My instructor did not fully understand the G1000 so it was the bind leading the blind at $175 DRY an hour. BTW you can get the C172 with G1000 for $80 just negotiate. Also try Northstar aviation, also at KFXE, same aircraft for $172 WET!!
10. 10.  Charlie uses an FAA examiner in Tampa. This is 2.5 hours flight away so you have to hire the aircraft to get there. Charlie says this is the cheapest checkride in Florida at $400. But when you add the cost of rental and fuel it can be $1400 so the most expensive in Florida. Charlie loves this as he is earning!!!
11. 11.  The instructor made me falsify my logbook. He told me to add more landings so that I could fulfil the cross country requirements. Again this is due to zero planning on behalf of Charlie and the Instructor. I have an audio recording of my instructor saying ‘don’t worry, nobody will question the changes’. I have made an official complaint to the FAA. This made me very, very nervous.
12. 12.  The instructor signed my FAA IR Exam Result Certificate WITHOUT going over the 3 questions I got wrong. This is fraud I believe.
13. 13.  The instructor did not give me all my endorsements before my checkride. If I had gone to the checkride without this, it would have been cancelled but the trip to Tampa would have cost me $1000!
14. 14.  Charlie is a bullshit cowboy pilot. He prides himself that he can do his checks while taxiing. This is so dangerous! I flew with him. He rushed me through my checks and told me that the Auto pilot is OK. When we took off the elevator was stuck because we had not checked the AP. He almost killed me.
15. 15.  Charlie flew with me a few times and actually instructed me even though he is not a CFI. This is surely illegal and dangerous.
16. Charlie is a parasite. He owns nothing, he leases the aircraft, has no classroom, no hangars he owns nothing!! He uses students to pay for his own flying career. He is known as Dracula on the internet as he sucks people dry. Look at this review from another student in May 2017. He corroborates my experience. ripoffreport.com/reports/berichi-aviation/florida/berichi-aviation-unprofesional-services-rude-cocky-manipulative-greedy-owner-unethical-1374248
17. 17.  I had planned to do my IR on the Cherokee. 2 flights in the radios broke as well as the DME and other equipment so I had to go onto the C172 an increase of $40 an hour!!
18. 18.  His facebook slogan is @In the end your success will speak for itself’ ……but when you get there by fleecing innocent people out of $1000s of dollars, I don’t count that as success.

19.Charlie Berichi has a criminal record. This is why he can’t fly for the airlines so his career is to rip students off. Fond Charlies criminal record here…florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Charles_Berichi_4608466/