AYJET Flight School (foreigner students)
As an international student in the Özyeğin University pilot program, my university theory training was conducted in English and went well. However, my practical flight training experience at AYJET was, in my personal experience, stressful and often disappointing.
During my time there, I spoke with other students who shared similar concerns. In my experience, some theory instruction at AYJET appeared to rely heavily on Turkish, with English explanations sometimes feeling limited or simplified. As a non-Turkish speaker, this made it difficult to fully benefit from the lessons. When I raised concerns, I felt that it sometimes created tension in the classroom environment.
During the flight phase, I personally found the language barrier to be a significant challenge. At times, I felt I was paired either with experienced instructors who seemed less comfortable communicating in English, or with less experienced instructors who communicated more easily but had limited experience to share. From my perspective, both situations made my training more difficult.
In the cockpit, clear and precise communication is essential. In my experience, language difficulties sometimes led to misunderstandings, slower progress, and additional stress. As an international student, I often felt unsupported during this phase of training.
Based on my personal experience, I would not recommend AYJET to students who are not fluent in Turkish, as the language barrier may make the training process more challenging and isolating.