I'm pretty sure this ridiculous thread alone would put off enough students to go with 'Westbeach Flight Academy'. It's always fun when people do underhand things to try and protect themselves and are then caught out.
3: Please confirm, (part quote removed for clarity)that due to the funds available to the owner that the rumours about outstanding debts are in fact untrue and all the aircraft and associated costs, staff costs, airfield costs etc are paid up to date and other than the expected "30 day" invoices is all that's outstanding? It would be good to hear your reassurance as without doubt it would quash any rumours flying around.
Furthermore there are several students who obviously do not feel the way you say, hence this thread.
So come on Mcgoo - you say on the one hand that your not staff, and the on the other you talk about financial matters which would require financial insight into the company. Are you trying to say that your not part of the Westbeach staff and that your a freelance instructor who happens to work there, to quote what you said earlier:
Quote:
No i'm not staff, just your regular overworked, underpaid instructor but doing well
To quote what you said about the financial affairs:
Quote:
All staff paid again
Now why would any company tell a freelance instructor details of the finances?
Please pass regards to sue.sue.sue ................. (Mcgoo, should understand within the context of Westbeach)
Would be happy to - if the answer to the often repeated question was "yes, everyone is paid up to date and all that is outstanding are invoices that came in during the last thirty days and no one is chasing the company for unpaid bills, and we are very transparent with regards invoices and payments, even those through the credit card machine"
If I was running the business, then (especially afterwhat happened to its sister company - Flight Academy Wolverhampton, after the non payment of instructors) I would make sure all the instructors are paid.
It might be now - but is that how it has always been?.... One customer certainly felt otherwise, but maybe he misread???
Perhaps you can offer an explanation as to the posts of Lasham 172, Westbeach Leader, Westbeach Student. Why did they all originate from the same IP address?
Why was the post of Lasham 172 seemingly designed to look like a post from the airfield manager? Why did it seem to be worded to "use" his reputation and good standing to try to reinforce the Westbeach position?
Perhaps the pixies broke into Westbeach's office and sat at the office Keyboard and set up a new identity to make it look like the Airfield Manager, yet sent it from an IP address linked to Westbeach. Perhaps the pixies have an agenda, who knows?
Last edited by goldeneaglepilot; 5th Aug 2012 at 21:17.
Mcgoo - the facts are in black and white. Have you ever considered that just as a new user was set up called Lasham 172, seemingly to sound like the Airfield manager (to perhaps use his good reputation) then your own good reputation might be being used to bolster a situation?
Has anyone in the management team at Westbeach asked you to support them on here?
Just a thought, but then it might be a wrong thought?
Last edited by goldeneaglepilot; 5th Aug 2012 at 21:21.
What a mess.... It's interesting to look back at the history remembering that English law is very specific with respect to names of trading entities and who owes what debt. By way of example, Halfpenny Green FLIGHT Centre Ltd and Halfpenny Green FLYING Centre are as different in law as Mr Smith and Mr Brown. A slight name change will remove liability to pay debt, even if the directors and shareholders are the same for both companies.
So first we had Halfpenny Green Flight Center Ltd, (Company No. 02747045) that was dissolved on 28/7/2011, it had traded since 1992.
A new company rose out of the ashes with a similar name called Halfpenny Green Flying Center Ltd (Company No. 07753588) which was formed on 26th August 2011. The statement on its website was self explanatory:
Quote:
May 2010 As many of you are already aware Halfpenny Green Flight Centre ceased trading early 2010 and subsequently entered into administration.
Jetstream Executive Travel (Leasing) Ltd acquired the equipment and property previously owned by Halfpenny Green Flight Centre Ltd.
Jetstream Executive Travel (Leasing) Ltd did not purchase Halfpenny Green Flight Centre Ltd and therefore all enquiries concerning any debts and/or liabilities of this former Company should be directed to the appointed Administrator, Butcher Woods. they can be contacted on 0121 236 6001.
Jetstream Executive Travel (Leasing) Ltd trading as Halfpenny Green Flying Centre have obtained Civil Aviation Authority Approval as a registered FTO holding approval Number UK/FTO-977. The scope of Approval covers Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL), Single and Multi Engine Piston Class Rating (SEP MEP), Instrument Rating (IR) and Multi Crew Co Operation Course (MCC). The facilities and some of the faces have remained. Operations have recently commenced and can offer all courses and more.
Please contact operations on tel 01384 221456 or Email dee@westbeachflightacademy.com for any further questions. alternatively 01543 469924.
So having a look at the Companies house website shows us that the principle shareholder (the owner) of Halfpenny Green Flying Center Ltd holds an impressive portfolio of companies, he has also been involved with a number of others that no longer trade.
He also is registered as a director under several different director numbers at Companies house.
Another of his holdings is Westbeach:
If we take a look at the Westbeach link on the Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green airfield Web site it redirects us to Halfpenny Green Flying Center, interestingly enough it has the statement in its news section about how long its been trading. That is wrong. Remember the first part of this post - it started in August 2011 NOT in 1992.
The domain mentioned in the email address for Westbeach is registered but not showing a website, instead you get this:
Last edited by goldeneaglepilot; 6th Aug 2012 at 06:54.
Well after your previous post about a student saying his credit card receipt was headed by some care home, the instructors printed a sample and it was flight academy Wolverhampton! But who am I to ruin a good story?
Well Mcgoo - it does not ruin a good story, surely when you printed the credit card slip it should have said "Westbeach" rather than the name of another flying club?
Especially as it now looks as if the Flight Academy Wolverhampton is no longer trading, even though it was based on the same airfield and held CAA approvals in its own right, unlike Halfpenny Green Flying Centre or Westbeach.
My thoughts are that people are right to be cautious and want to know who exactly they are buying their flight training from and who they are paying the bill to.
Chatting last night to an accountant friend of mine was interesting, she said that trading in such away brings at the very least unwanted activity from HMRC and often results in events like the problems reported in the local newspaper for the owner of a number of businesses a short while ago:
Thanks for the invitation for a cup of coffee, Mcgoo and Westbeach Leader, but after a chat with the Pixies (who were very concerned) last night, I think I might take a rain check on that, but thank you anyway.
Last edited by goldeneaglepilot; 6th Aug 2012 at 07:10.
Well that's thrown a spanner in the works, I started training with West Beach recently and decided to do a quick google search about them.
The "Flight Academy Wolvs Ltd" did catch my attention on the receipt and invoice, but I thought nothing much more of it. As a business owner myself I'm used to the blahblah trading as, but having read this thread and others I am somewhat concerned.
Their website shows as Halfpenny Green Flying Centre but as a trading name of Jetstream Executive Travel (Leasing) Ltd. However there is also a company registered as Jetstream Executive Travel Ltd
Last edited by DarrenM488; 21st Apr 2013 at 20:53.
If I were you, I would google the prolific poster on this thread under goldeneaglepilot/david henderson/kevin crellin and then have a think about what you think sounds like fact or otherwise. I know nothing about WFA, but I certainly wouldn't be relying on this thread for my research! Good luck...
