CATS (Cranfield Aviation Training School)

[rotorspin]

hmmmm...:*

Having enrolled I am not impressed with this online ATPL(H) course.

Paid a lot (£1499) for the online and paper study guides, online course arrived but no manuals / materials, then most of the content is to put it kindly rubbish and ATPL(A) focused.

Contents were to include:-

Online & Paper study guides
Brush-up Groundschool
Free CATS Question banks
Online Progress tests
Online Brush-Up Papers
Instructor Help

Attempted to cancel my membership after waiting weeks for the paper study guides to come through and heard nothing.....not a jot...

Appreciate this may seem like the moderators as a dig from a competitor, but happy to supply all information regarding my membership etc if moderators want to see it. As CATS advertises on pprune - I am particularly unimpressed!

Anybody else having issues?

:*

[Heli-69]

I enrolled with "Atlantic Flight Training" at Coventry in August. I've been VERY happy with them. Study material is very good and they reply promptly to emails.

If you do get your money back, I'd certainly recommend AFT.
(I have absolutely no connection with AFT, just a happy customer)

[Whirlygig]

I also used AFT but I don't think they offer ATPL(H) theory; only interim CPL(H) and IR(A/H).

Cheers

Whirls

[Brilliant Stuff]

I hope you paid by credit card, then you have 3 months within which to claim your money back.

[R44-pilot]

Go CAPT Online with Phil Croucher!

[Pandalet]

Another vote for CAPT - I believe he's the only school in the UK currently doing the helicopter syllabus, and not the interim (ie. fixed-wing) one. Mind you, this may have changed by now.

[R44-pilot]

certainly from what I have heard he's the only one worth doing it with!

I did my first 5 exams with another company but wont name them, but signed up with Phil for last lot of exams because (a) the fact I bought most of his books before finishing my ppl and (b) from what the guys I met at Gatwick the other week had to say about his course!

Be VERY carefull who you sign up with! I'd say CAPT is pretty a pretty safe choice, again I'm only going off word of mouth and previous literature of his but this industry is very word of mouth as everyone knows......

[MartinCh]

vital actions:
It's a Cabair operation right? Say no more....
AFAIK, CATS and Cabair ARE NOT the same. Both based at Cranfield (or at least one of few Cabairs, 'original' maybe).

rotorspin, how was the email/call to Stuart Smith? I understand that Dragon and CAPT do ATPL and/or CPL specifically for helis, but still..

BTW, didn't the interim ATPL(H) theory stop recently (ie no new course starts)? Now it should be more separated. That doesn't mean CATS can't do heli theory, right?
I do recall something from another thread pertaining this very issue. I'm in zombie braindead mode at the mo anyway, so might have forgotten something.

Presume Stuart should/will sort it if reasonable for the sake of credibility/name.

[R44-pilot]

Dragon only "did" the CPL(H) course, thats who I was with,

I believe it's been or being taken over by Cloud 9 helicopters Florida.

I think CAPT if you want to do cpl or atpl with the helicopter specific stuff, or Bristol if your not bothered.

[Pandalet]

The deadline for the end of the transitional training was the middle of this year, but it got extended (to Jan 2009, I think?). I guess if you're enrolled with a school before then, you get to finish the course and write the exams. Assuming you really want to learn about how many fire extinguishers you need for 300-seat aircraft and how to fly over the North Atlantic, the difference between a flap and a slot, etc.

[paco]

The Interim system finished on 30th November.

Phil