BCFT Decision time what do people think?

[echoindiajuliet]

Hey everyone i just wish to inquire about a decision im planning to make regarding professional flight training! well the situation is this that i have been flying in ireland consistently for nearly 2 years now(c172/c152) and have applied for the ppl which i hope to suceed in before december sometime..it was always my dream be a pilot as alot of us on here have had to so now i may be on the verge on making one of the most important decisions in my life:O i suppose you could say!Well i plan to head to bournemouth BCFT to undertake on further training,the modular jetline.I was there in july talking to dena and and found it to be a very relaxed professionally orientated school based at an excellent location and have heard nothing bad about the place! it seems to be just the spot:ok: personally i have found that here at home there is nothing that compares to the price and standard that england seems to offer! I really would like to get some feedback from students of BCFT past and present and residents of bournemouth if you would please By the way bournemouth seems like a lovely little city for all i saw of it in a fleeting visit there! im just wondering whats the rental situation like for flats,accomodation etc., also whats the general experience like over there and in todays world it seems that airline flying is the last industry to try and get into would BCFT have high sucess levels,stories etc. because i know you cant guarantee anything either! I could always wait a year or two and continue doing the flying here building hours and living income or take the impulse and head off there in january as a ppl rookie:) what do you guys wreckon id love to get some feedback from everyone?

oh yes one thing i meant to ask you united kingdom airspace flying guys in ireland we only have class A,C, and G airspaces we have alerting and FIS in class G but we do not have Terminal control areas,aerodrome traffic zones,military traffic zones as far as i know or radar advisory service and the likes of which i have read about which in ways makes me think about the transition from flying from here to over there,would it be difficult? well thats everything i think thanks for your time people,
cheers:ok:

[GIZZAJOB]

Mate believe me the last things you wana worry about are classes of airspace at the moment you will come to all that in airlaw and the differences of flying in them will be taught and explained in detail throughout your various modules.
If you are planning to do your PPL prior to strating at BCFT then i believe that precludes youf rom the jetline course , on the grounds that it is billed as zero to hero . What you can do is gain your ppl then begin the groundschool there and subsequently move on to your cpl/ir with whoever.
I did my groundschool with BCFT and they are excellent cannot recommend them highly enough . The flying side is somewhat different . Most flying schools are interested in money BCFT are relentless . I havent experienced this personally but was present when certain unbelievable decisions were taken . I will let the persons responsible come here and tell you themselves if they so desire . Like I said i am happy with BCFT but did my flying elsewhere.
The Jetline is billed as zero to hero going from PPL to ATPL G/S hour building staright to cpl/ir. To do the hour building they have one PA38 between all students doing the hour building there are 3 or four there at the moment I believe all trying to build the requisite hours in one aeroplane , that coupled with winter etc etc is not going to be done particulary expediently. I think if you ask BCFT the direct question about how many started jetline who are now no longer on it you will be surprised. Dont believe the MAltese link either , yeh you can go to malta and hour build but it is something you will organise in its entirety yourself which is what you can do anyway
Like I said GS is great and I wouldnt say anything against it at all , on the flying side they do get people through the CPL and IR quickly and efficiently. I just dont like some of the characters there who would rather be in the pub than assisting time strapped students get through certain aspects of their training .
Your PPL at BCFT from the guys I have spoken to have will cost you considerably more than most places , just ask them the direct questions as to how much people have paid and how many hours it took them.
If I were you I would get my ppl then attend the groundschool . See how the school operates and see if it is for you then make a decsion as to where you wish to continue your training rather than giving them a big deposit you may one day want back.

[CABUS]

As above I cannot reccomend them highly enought, I went to BCFT and my first job was with Thomas Cook on the 320 so I cannot complain in the slightest!! There was one trainer in particular who offers excellent advice in gaining operational and industry awareness and if you take on what he says it can really help in interviews, TR's and the MCC and to the line! It is thanks to thus trainers advice that I am now with TCX. Its actually stupid to single out just one person they are all very helpfull, I would know as I had a rough time with my first sitting of ATPL's and got some excellent support. From experience the people who moan about the school are the ones who often dont get up off their :mad: and crack on using all the valuable assests at BCFT to secure a job and get first time passes. I must point out that I fell into this group as I failed a large chunk of the 1st sitting of ground school, so this is not a dig at anyone just an observtion! Thanks to the school I turned it around.

Great school with some excellent vaired experienced guys that you can tap info from and get contacts in the industry. Worked for me:ok:CABUS

[SinBin]

I second what Cabus says, I'm also on the A320 with bmi which was straight out of the school and 250 hours TT. I now have nearly 1500 hrs with over 1000 on type and have flown as far afield as Tehran. Good outfit that could always fit me in for training pretty much when I wanted up to 9 o'clock at night on a Sunday!

No regrets, no debts and loving life now!

[phillpot]

I did my groundschool cpl/meir at BCFT and on the whole I was very impressed, its quite an informal place which I found suited me and having a beer with your instructor after a days flying is a good thing, I know people who were unhappy with some aspects went elsewhere and found in fact the grass was far from greener, Bournemouth is a good place to train, its surrounded by matz and control zones has its own ILS, DME, NDB and does enjoy relatively good weather at only 38ft amsl the cloud base needs to be in your boots before you cant go up.
Yes they can be quite nagging with money but they are a business and having helped out in ops a little bit I saw the other side of things it dosent take many people not to pay up for a couple of flights and the money owed reaches a small countries national debt!
11 months start to finish £26k and 3 days after my IRT a phone call from my current employer inviting me for interview, my name had been put forward from BCFT.

No regrets, Racked with debt, and somebody pays me to fly their aeroplane :ok:

[Oliver Wareham]

Try to keep this short, sweet and to the point!
I too did all my flight training at BCFT and here I am fully qualified with all first time passes. Cannot complain, they got the job done!!
I still keep in good touch with students and instructors alike so would simply like to clarify a few points!

Firstly, you have to remember this is a business and with the costs involved in this industry it is imperitive to keep an eye on bills otherwise they do spiral out of control!!

Secondly, as far as hours building at BCFT goes, they have a lovely little PA38 which is set aside solely for hours builders, at a good rate! Also there are multiple other aircraft, namely a 172 and PA28, also available for hire.

Last thing, altho personally I decided to do my hours building all over the place, I know BCFT have built a good relationship with flying schools in Malta and Cyprus, and thus get special rates.

Hope this helps, an feel free to ask away =-)