Hi All,
I just visited Smart Aviation in Poznan and I would like to share my experience with you all. It may save you trip down here and may be it will encourage you come over and speak to the staff in more detail.
Location, GA building of Poznan Lawica airport, can be mistaken with Cirrus Training Centre (snirfff) but follow the signs and you will get there. Poznan Lawica is an international airport and you will be mixed with big jets, turbo props and GA. I think a great place to train to get familiar with controlled environment.
I have emailed the school one week in advance asking for the best day and time to come and speak to staff and see the facilities. I also asked in my email if I could book a trial flight with one of their instructors (doesn’t matter how long either 30-45-60mins, so I can make myself familiar with airport procedures, speak to instructor, fly their planes and initiate my flying within Polish airspace, which I haven’t done before).
I received confirmation to my email saying: Please come Wednesday 3:00pm, 11th July. I confirmed replying, yes sir I will be there.
I arrived good 15 mins earlier. Staff wasn’t aware I was vising, and the school owner, whom I had emailed before, wasn’t available either, he was away flying (with students presumably). A little bit disappointed I asked when someone could give me a tour (wasn’t hoping to fly at this point, it was raining heavily anyway). I was asked to return in 45min, which I did. Still waiting for another 20mins outside the office could hear all the banter and gossip between staff but still no invite to get up and go (hopefully lunch break). Okey, I am patient type, just made lady aware I was here again waiting and someone was with me within next 5mins. Sadly, it wasn’t the owner, or an instructor, but a pilot doing trial flights with keen customers.
I was shown around briefing rooms (good standard), classroom (very good standard with lovely view onto the apron and approach path), then meeting room in the tower (very cool room again with staggering views). The person showing me around (Jan, high five if you are reading this) was very informed on the subject of CPL ME IR in the school, as he’s done it himself there. Then we ventured off to the sim, which was in use at the time. Generic sim, but everything you need for your ME IR and for MCC too! (unless you prefer to do it on 737 or A320 then this one is no good).
When we came back to the office (it was being locked up for the day, approx. 5pm) I confessed that I had enquired about going up in their fleet but I not received confirmation of that. The person who was showing me around had a task to transport one of their planes for maintenance to another airfield near Poznan (Kobylnice) and said I could come with him on a basis of a trial flight, but… need to pay ‘experience flight’ fee of 615 zl (£120, 140 euros?) for 30min flight. I felt a bit disappointed since GoldWings Academy in Warsaw offered to take me up for free (!). It’s a lot of money for 30mins flight when I am potentially looking to spend £15k with the school. Okey, I will not extend this rant as I am still to contact the school and ask for refund should I join the course, or to give me 1h rental free etc. I am not bargain hunter in a bad way, but it’s great to offer someone the taste of the product before they commit big time (either free or at discounted rate). It wouldn’t cost them anything extra to take on the scheduled maintenance flight anyway. But hey, aviation…
Jan amended his flight plan for 2 POB I was given high vis and headset and we ventured off to the apron. GA security was quick and pleasant but serious with black latex gloves involved, high five to the security lady! The plane was just not even 1 minute away walk from the security gate.
At this point it was still raining and vis was approx. 5k and we were going VFR. Quick plane checks and we were at the holding point within few minutes. Let it be opposite wind we would need to backtrack or taxi a very long way (2.5km?). Runway all wet and steaming windows, we took off. It was my first time in Tecnam 2002 and apart little space for legs sideways it is a very nice plane, all glass garmins – everything super modern, something you want to train on, if you are going commercial really. The plane was off quickly with 2 POB (both 6ft and I am 220lbs) with 50% fuel. We went out the East towards Kobylnica Airfield and then bit North for some general handling, so I had opportunity to carry out 2 x 360deg turns LH RH, 2 x 360deg advanced turns LH RH then 1 x descending 180deg (20 euros per tun, lol).
And we landed in Kobylnica on grass runway, parked the plane at maintenance guys and took Uber back to Poznan Lawica. This has given us time to talk a bit more about Jan’s careers goals, his training so far and outlook for a nice flying job. This was very positive and Jan was an very open and honest person, which I really appreciated. I wish him every luck in getting his RYR dream job.
To conclude. Smart Aviation looks certainly as a professional training operator. I cannot judge them wrong on the basis of my one off experience and I could damage their reputation wrongly. Bad on you Smart Aviation that you didn’t really make me feel welcomed and it did cost me money to come and see you and further money to do 6 turns in your T2002. But… Good on you that you have really impressive fleet of trainers, very nice people working for you, great modern SIM and very dedicated instructors from what I was told (nearly all professional captains).
What is encouraging is that Jan (who shown me around and flown with me) did his training there and with fairly low hours he had already been to some airline assessments incl. Ryanair (being trained at Smart Aviation, incl. MCC and JO). In the end this is what we all want.
I will seriously consider joining them for my CPL ME IR this winter as I did like their centre and Poznan is a great place to be. I have list of questions which I would like to be answered, but need to email them for a competent person to look at. I will post in this thread when answers come back.
Oh, and yes you can do some hour building there too and I am not aware at this stage of a lengthy waiting lists to join their programmes.
You can visit their good webiste, to check their fleet and prices here:
http://www.smartaviation.eu/en/
I hope this helps someone.
PS
I have also visited Bartolini Air last year and their approach was very straight forward, I booked date and time and was welcomed by Michal on the day, shown around, questions answered – but I didn’t not ask for trial flight, so I cannot comment if this would be free or not. Bartolini’s HQ looks more modern and better organised on the surface of it. On the down side, they are bit more money and the killer is loooong waiting lists.
SP-CUG Cockpit
Jan doing pre-start up checks on SP-CUG
SP-CUG - landed in Kobylnica (Airfield East of Lawica) (very impressive workshop too!)
As you enter the centre. Don't be mislead by this poor light photo, both briefing rooms and class room certainly exceed standards known from here in the UK.
