Totally agree with the other comments re the quality of staff - at the moment all is fine but if the new rulers follow their normal route things will change and it won't be for the better. Needless to say, everyone hopes that they might have learnt from their previous customer service 'ideas' and leave things be this time...
As for an engineer leaving, I think you'll find the move was caused by the Cabair deal - as with most people who have worked with/for certain outfits, they don't want to go there again. And the engineers are just important as everyone else even if they are mostly grubby and hidden away in a hangar!
Oh, and bose-x, I assume nothing re your 'aviation providence', I've known you too long to have to assume. Now that you help out at Spanhoe and have 'moved' from airfield to airfield before that doesn't quite make you an industry expert. Surely you don't really believe what you write about yourself...
Well all i can say is having flown there myself for the past year ive grown to know everyone very well, and theres nothing in some way i dont get to hear about. Ive got a great friendship with alot of the instructors and know alot of the other people behind the scenes really well too. I can safely say at the moment that there isn't anyone definately leaving.
Well, i cant see the staff changing all too much over the next few years personally, id certainly like to see it stay the same.
As ive said before cabair seem more interested to leave it running as it is, just boost the CPL and IR training which would leave the PPL side alone.
Im still going to finish my atpl training there, which will be within the next year, so hopefully if there is any horrible changes down the line they wont affect me, but it certainly would be a blow to both the club, the people who work their and all the people who fly there and also those who have flown there over the years and have fond memories of the place.
Well i went up today and theres no talk of anyone leaving for definate, theres talk of one engineer leaving possible in a few months time, but thats nothing to do with cabair taking over.
S
I think you need to talk to full time staff/instructors.
There is one engineer leaving, don't exactly know when but I understand he has handed in his notice. As far Cabair having nothing to do with the decision I think you will find that Cabair has a lot to do with it.
Yes the engineers are tucked away in the hangar for most of the day - occasionally let out for tea breaks (even the grubby ones!) - but they too are a very important part of WAC. The reputation of a flying school comes partly from the overall standard of the school fleet, and I don't mean having glossy brand new aeroplanes, I'm talking about having an aeroplane that will get you airborne for your lesson/jolly and get you safely back down again without too many dramas in between. Every time I have flown a WAC aircraft I have the utmost confidence in the airworthiness of it, and that goes a long way to keeping members.
Unfortunately, I haven't got the same regard for Cabair maintained aircraft. I hope that no big changes happen in the engineering department at WAC to alter my view of the WAC fleet. I'm not implying that anyone of the current engineers at WAC would in any way compromise safety, but 'improvements' may be forced upon them....
I think that takes this post full circle and perhaps part of the reason that an engineer is going now...
Jesus what a load of bitter subjecture. Why don't you wait and see what happens rather than endless hints of how crap it is and the aircraft are going to fall out of the air.
Jesus what a load of bitter subjecture. Why don't you wait and see what happens rather than endless hints of how crap it is and the aircraft are going to fall out of the air.
I think you need to talk to full time staff/instructors. There is one engineer leaving, don't exactly know when but I understand he has handed in his notice. As far Cabair having nothing to do with the decision I think you will find that Cabair has a lot to do with it. Yes the engineers are tucked away in the hangar for most of the day - occasionally let out for tea breaks (even the grubby ones!) - but they too are a very important part of WAC. The reputation of a flying school comes partly from the overall standard of the school fleet, and I don't mean having glossy brand new aeroplanes, I'm talking about having an aeroplane that will get you airborne for your lesson/jolly and get you safely back down again without too many dramas in between
All very fair points, and i havent heard anything from any of the fulltimers, and i speak to alot of them regularly every week - there one of the main places i get my gossip from!
i understand the engineers are very important part of WAC, i dont see why your trying to argue with me and tell me otherwise.
i trust the engineers dearly, if i didnt i wouldnt fly the planes. Ive got to know them all individually and even flown with a few of them, they are all superb guys.
The whole cabair situation may be a string in a bow of many problems that may be making people considering leaving, and we dont know what history some people may have with cabair, especially in the past.
I was just about to say what bose-x has rudely just said... At the end of the day im not going to argue about it, we'll all have to wait and see what happens and hope for the best. I certainly hope it stays fairly the same, and in the foreseable future i cannot see it changing all that much to be frank. The cabair situation certainly hasnt put me off the place, in my mind i think it may benefit the place and others not, but i think it will be a good thing eventually. I do hope nobody leaves and that the a/c stay in the same good state, and i hope the staff stays the same. Arguing about future changes isnt worthwile because theres a million and one possibilities. Were all entitled to our opinions - lets stick with them and see what happens.
i understand the engineers are very important part of WAC, i dont see why your trying to argue with me and tell me otherwise.
Certainly wasn't trying to argue with you, sorry if it looked that way. I was just trying to elaborate a little more on some of the points that have been raised.
As for waiting and seeing what will happen, realistically that's all we can do, there's not a lot anyone can do about the situation.
If people dont like what WAC is changing to , they can always join the gliding club. Great flying at very low cost and the gliding club are always looking for tow pilots (must be glider pilot first though). Booker is still one of the best gliding clubs around so why not drop in to the log cabin on the corner and give it a go?
Me thinks there may be a bit of creative speak here. I would think the letter means that WAC has access to, or rather Cabair has access to the fleet as you describe not that the WAC fleet is about to change to that.
There is a big choice of aeroplanes out there to use - particularly if the boss man were to run a ruck of GA aircraft leasing businesses and happen to lease them to his other company..... Confused, you will be!
Is there anyone who completed or is doing CPL/IR at High Wycombe? It'd be nice to hear about quality of training there as I am considering couple of schools at the moment, one being High wycombe?
I completed my CPL @ wycombe air centre last month and i am about to finish my IR next week also. I really rate the standard of the training there, its all very professional and well organised. Superb instructors and great staff alround. One on one tuition for CPL and IR, no question too much for an explanation either.
Good fleet of aircraft, all aircraft tech problems always sorted asap for advanced training.
In house CPL/IR 170a examiner and MER examiner to boot.
Im really pleased i did all my training from PPL up there (minus ATPL groundschool as they dont do it) and certainly very pleased i did the CPL there, first time pass on minimal hours and was finished in a month. IR is running into 5 weeks and test looming....
I am surprised that the take over is ‘news’ for you. I know of it for about 8 months now not because I am well connected but because it was published long time ago.
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