- Never enough aircrafts. Instructors sometimes getting into arguments among each other because of this! of course, a student ends up not flying because of this.
- CFI complaining about instructors who are grounding the planes! (When aircraft is grounded for legitimate reasons, again, not enough planes! Students not flying for days)
- Students initially being told that they will fly at Kaunas base. Students finding accommodations and paying deposits in Kaunas, only to find out later on that they will fly at Istra. Deposits GONE, nobody cares.
- No public transportation in Istra! If you wanna get to Istra base you either find a cab, or pay the school hired van (each way) to get there.
- Some of the ground school subjects were simply jokes! Instructor shows up, says few stuff about non related stuff, asks students to go and study at home.
I can go on and on about the background of whats happening but its always easier to find out the truth from the current students.
As for me, it was the best day of my life when I gave you guys the finger and quit that place. If you feel like analyzing, ask yourself as to why that company has a revolving door policy when it comes to instructors and why nobody stays at that place for more then few months
At least you're giving details and not generalities, and I agree with your statements.
BAA operations are harmed by the amount of new students following the success of the cadet programs and their lack of preparation to sustain the pace of their training due to the high ratio of students/plane. In the last "BAA to students" newsletter they indicated their strategy to expand the fleet to 2x its size (only words some will say, but at the moment there is
no other options from my perspective).
Concerning the CFI, I'm not concerned so I leave it to you.
About the LMC for the change of base, that's a real pitty, BUT you're supposed to get you're deposit back when you leave your flat so BAA cannot protect you again scammers.
To give my experience, my roommate and I have found an accommodation before moving in and the reality was completely different than the description. We asked the help of my sales manager to find the solution with the agency and now everything is mostly ok (but really ****ty owner - again). At least, we had the support of this person in BAA.
About the ground instructors, yes it's a joke for certain subjects but again, if students complain in most of the case the instructor is fired (happened 2x since february). But you cannot really escape the feeling that you have to get the knowledge by yourself, because your main source of knowledge is the QUESTION BANK. But some instructors are very friendly and skilled. You cannot predict the level of an instructor just with an assessment right ?
Flight instructors are under pressure in this school like any other nowadays due to the positive economic trend for pilot opportunities, a lot of them have made the transition.
Any way with BAA you're getting paid when you're flying (because a plane on a ground is not lucrative), and the majority of the instructors want to build hours before looking for a FO position, like in any other ATO.
My point - BAA is a valuable option if you're looking for an integrated scheme with a cadet program - stands still considering
my own experience. Even after 2 weeks you could find people being disappointed, that's the way it is and the source of complains varies between individuals and their expectations.
if you don't believe "the first impression"
Well my first impression was quite the opposite so I guess, it depends of your expectation.
Had the opportunity to have a little tour of the facilities and seat in the 737sim (cold & dark without studs).
Had the answer for the COMPASS test the next day.
The only thing is that if you apply for a specific cadet program and you're not successuf, they will not tell you why (like any other ATOs).