Hi there,
I was there last year - got there is April and was there for 12 weeks. That is a little longer than normal as we had some pretty bad weather during April and May (the last of the winter snow fell mid May!!). that was unusual - apparently it was some of the worst April flying on the schools record and even my local hosts (i stayed in an AirBnB apartment with a local family) said the weather that year had been particularly bad. However, in 12 weeks i did CPL, IR ME and about 30 hours of hour building - not bad i think!!
Your overall thoughts about the school?
Overall the school was good. The grand majority of the instructors really want to get the best out of you and they work to ensure that you finish within your timescales. There were a few of us that didnt have as long as me off work and the school worked with them to ensure they finished on time. The IR training was particularly good - i trained with Adam one of the owners - and it is clear he is proud of this school and their accomplishments and wants the school to produce good quality pilots. I think some people in western Europe have this image of because it is in Poland its all a bit slap-dash..... well i would disagree with that - overall its professional and they dont cut corners when it comes to the aircraft or flight planning.
A/c availability?
Had no problems at all - and that includes booking a single for nearly 30 hours of hour building. If you have some hour building to do their though be prepared to get some early or late flights in!
Instructor availability?
Overall good. there were a few moments when it felt like things were going slowly and that i was worried i was going to be there for ever! But to be honest it was all in my head and they had it all covered. Ultimately they want you finished as much as you want to be finished as the more people they have their at the same time the more difficult it becomes to make sure there is aircraft availability to meet their commitments
Quality of communication between you and staff?
It was good - they are people and you can call them and chat or meet them at the school. They also have really nice people working in the background dealing with the admin and so if you have any issues getting anyone speak to them and they will help get you in contact.
WX situation?
As i said above we had a lot of non-VFR days in April and then into May. It then cleared up and from then the flying happened really fast! It was damn good experience though and i definitely flew on a few days where i pushed my boundaries from what i had done in hour building...... all safe and all OK and it was a good way to slowly but surely push your experience.
How was the CPL course?
Enjoyable - some of my favorite flights ever was on that course with an instructor called Tak. You will fly higher then ever before and do low passes at big international airports! So the flying is great fun and great experience. However the learning curve is steep. Planning these flights takes a LONG time - they really want meticulous planning!! Also, how you fly them has to be professional - this is a professional course after all - so be prepared to get a lot of mistakes pointed out to you!!! My VRF flying before hand and after is totally different and how i manage the cockpit came on leaps and bounds. Every flight i learnt a lot!
Do they prep the a/c for you before each flight or is that up to you?
All up to you - the only thing you cant do is fuel the aircraft without an instructor present. But you will be expected to do all the walk around, add oil etc... yourself.
What about the IR, good SOPs, briefing, much time spent on autopilot, what sort of approaches do they teach?
The IR theory is very indepth and the tests they need you to pass are quite challenging. I think the SOPs were good but to be honest i have nothing to compare them to - but they were clear and you could operate the aircraft safely if you flew in accordance with them. As has been mentioned you will fly ILS, VOR DME approaches, circle to lands etc... but there are no NDBs in Poland so you can only fly them by cheating (setting up just the pointer needle on the VOR and then it essentially works the same). You will do a load of NDB approaches in the sim though!
With regards to autopilot its kinda up to you. When you first start the IR it will have been a while since you flew the twin as the MEP is 1 of the first things you do. As such i mentioned to the instructor on my first IR lesson that i didnt think i yet at the feel of the aircraft..... he said no problem - today will will get you happy hand flying the aircraft with the SID and then some ILS approaches..... flew it all without any automatics and sure enough, by the end of the lesson i had the feel and was far more comfortable. Then as the IR progressed we used the automatics more to allow me time to think more about the IR part of the flying. By the end of the course i was really comfortable hand flying it or using the AP in IMC.
The briefings were adequate - some quite short admittedly.... but you really have a good idea of what to do in the IR as you have done so much time in the SIM.
How long did it take to do the course?
12 weeks with 30 hours hour building
Anything else worth mentioning?
Is Bartolini perfect - no its not. Its run by humans afterall! Please show me a perfect school where everyone is happy about everything!! I did a bit of PPL training at an EASA school in Florida and whilst the instructors there were good, the difference in how the business treated you is night and day! In Florida you were a walking cash cow to be exploited for every cent they could get. In Poland they tried their hardest to make sure that they delivered what they say - a training course on time and for the price you were quoted - I actually came in 180 euroes under the price and that difference was in my account within 3 days!
I think if money is no object there may be better schools than bartolini - i would say L3 for example, especially considering their links to the airlines..... However, if i was given the same choice again i would make the same decision and go to Bartolini - the aircraft were brand spanking new, i got finished within my timescales, i finished on budget, had a great time and met some what will be life long friends.
Where did you stay and how did you travel to/from there school?
I found a place on AirBnB - it was a great experience as i stayed with a lovely Polish family so got to experience lots of different food and their culture. Plus had a HUGE room, with access to a lovely little garden and was made an awesome breakfast every morning! It was close to the school (i would cycle to school and back) but was a little further out form the city..... you could easily get a bus for about 20p or an uber for about £2!
A lot of my mates stayed in the student accommodations in the city - a place called Salsa and another called Politecknika (definitely not the right spelling!!!). They were nice big rooms and much closer to the city but further from the school than i was. I preferred where i stayed as i got to be part of a Polish family for 12 weeks which was an awesome experience plus my room was far bigger!!
As you can see - i am overall very satisfied with my choice. Also, so far 70% of the guys in my course now have airline jobs! I also know of lots who are flying for airlines who were on different course start dates to me. I think their reputation is building and their students are getting jobs and ultimately, that surey is the most important thing!!
Good luck with whatever you decide :-)