Quality Fly update
Dear Colleagues,
My name is Juan Cervero, and as the Managing Director at QualityFly Aviation Academy I can confirm that we went through a challenging period during the winter of 2018 concerning a few of our customers. The Academy hosts over 30 different nationalities within its facilities, and culture clashes are occasionally inevitable, and miss-understandings are an ordinary matter that can sometimes occur between students and staff. The issues at the time were handled professionally and adequately, and all the necessary actions to prevent them from happening again were taken.Please allow me to share with you an update about our Academy, and to clarify a number of factually incorrect accusations that couldn’t be further from the truth, expressed by one of the users of this forum.
The statement: “No graduations at Quality Fly. Maybe 1 or 2 students did graduate after 2 years.”
The reality is that 4 ab-initio Cadets last September, 8 ab-initio Cadets this past July, and another 8 ab-initio Cadets will have completed their training by the end of this year. I am proud to announce that all our ATP Ab-Initio Cadets have either already secured employment with leading airlines worldwide, or are in the final stages of their corresponding assessment processes entering holding pools where required.
The statement: "Old and rusty aircraft"
All Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) are mandated under EASA to follow strict maintenance schedules in order to maintain the airworthiness of their fleet of aircraft, regardless of their age. However, our fleet has been completely renewed and is now made up of:
3 x Tecnam P2002 JF with glass cockpit G650 for SEP VFR;
3 x Cessna C172 SP for SEP IFR with Garmin GPS; and
1 x Tecnam P2006 for MEP with glass cockpit G950.The statement: "Surely they didn't tell you about a crash of one of their aircrafts did they?"
It is sad that in a public forum we are obliged to bring up the subject of a very unfortunate accident that we suffered last year. Talking about the loss of the lives of our colleagues is not exactly a joyful topic. But we have no intention of hiding behind what was undoubtedly the most tragic event this Academy has ever faced. The moment any aircraft leaves the ground, there is an element of risk. How this risk is managed is key to ensuring a strong safety record, and the safety culture our SMS (Safety Management System) Team actively promote has been paramount in achieving an exceptional level of safety for all our flight operations. The aircraft involved was almost brand new, recently released by maintenance. The weather was perfect for flying; good visibility, mild winds, no clouds. The instructor on board was one of our most experienced flight instructors, together with an experienced student. Fate had it that on that day, a micro-light aircraft, with no air-to-air radio, no transponder and perhaps in the wrong airspace and at the wrong altitude, collided critically and fatally with our aircraft, giving our instructor and student not a chance to save the plane or their lives. You may want to read read the investigation that has been published by the corresponding Spanish Safety Investigation Board. The safety of our customers and staff is always, and will always be (without exception) our number one priority. Please google CIAIAC EC-NAM for the official report.
I hope that those of you who are reading this post now have a clearer idea of the (not so) truthfulness of the comments posted by one user of this forum. I find it surprising that students making fair and balanced statements on a public website are subsequently accused (publicly) of being directed by management. I would encourage you to contact and speak to our students directly, where I am sure you will receive an unbiased opinion of our Academy and how we treat our customers.
A few final comments...
- As we have exceeded our expectations, a collaboration framework has been established with a well known airline in the European skies, Volotea Airlines, and interviews with Volotea personnel have recently taken place on the 13th of September at our Quality Fly facilities with 12 of our cadets participating.
- While the number of students increase with every intake, the ability of our graduates to secure employment remains at 100%. All have achieved the goals that we promised we would help them reach. They are now flying for prestigious airlines around Europe and the globe such as; Ryanair, Cathay Pacific, Volotea or Stobart Air.
-High standard of training and excellent results. Our Theoretical Knowledge department reveals and proves that we have one of the highest first-time pass rates in the region, if not the highest, and we are not planning on altering that!- Our hardworking management and financial teams, working around the clock, side by side with our experienced professors and pilots, results in the efficient and safe operation of the academy, that allows us to continue to offer a very competitive priceLast but not least, I highly recommend you to pay us a visit at our facilities on one of the upcoming Open Days taking place in Madrid, Spain, or check our website for the latest news.Looking forward to meeting you soon.
Sincerely,
Juan Cervero