Hi Guys,
Just to make it clear, I've only followed the last page of this thread, but I'm rather keen to reply to Rob's question. I have never had any dealings with Cape Flying Services, so no comment there.
However, when I decided I wanted to do this flying thing as my career, we shopped around. Shopping around is what everybody does in our industry.
When last did you hear a passenger say ... "I picked XXX Airline because they have a fantstic safety record?!?!" Unless your company is paying or your one of the mega wealthy, then you fly on price.
Getting back to the point, it never crossed our minds to go to another country, purely because it was much more expensive.
Why then do the European guys want to train in South Africa? Is it price based or because we have such a fantastic history of training?
If you can't get simple answers about your training from the flight school, or licence details from your local CAA, then find another school ... maybe one nearer home.
S.