I feel there is a need to discuss Spanish Instrument ratings on this forum and some very worrying, disturbing and unsafe practices going on in Spain.
Let's start with the facts:
- Spain is a full JAA member so you can have a Spanish IR added to your UK or any other JAA issued licence without a problem.
- Spain has better weather and is cheaper than the UK.
However, let's talk about what really happens whilst in Spain.
Students go to Spain to undertake a course of training towards an instrument rating, which is normally a course of 55 hours for a Multi IR.
- Unfortunately though some schools due to their lack of aircraft and instructors allow students to simply log flights, which they NEVER flew.
- When the aircraft and instructor situation has worsened - Instrument Ratings have also been granted along with all relevant paperwork and logbook entries faked without a flight test even taking place. I also am seriously concerned about the integrity of the individuals I know who took part in such illegal activities.
- Those who (say) took the Spanish IR often never flew a published approach, and examiners are known to draw approaches on a bit of scrap paper and ask the applicant to fly said approach. Some Instrument rated pilots who (say) they took the test, said they also never flew an approach in the test!
- When students who say (all we have is their word) that they have a Spanish IR and appropriate training, and go on to complete their UK CPL, which should not require any IR training many of my fellow students required circa 5 hours extra IR training! (Students went to different schools so must be some truth in it!)
- The MCC - is also meant to be a course to demonstrate multi crew skills. However, students from said schools have been known to fail (which you shouldn't be able to do) the MCC course as their basic instrument skills weren't up to scratch.
I was wondering what other people view this as, other than in my opinion a serious lack of safety and integrity standards....
Comments please...(I'm hoping this will create an interesting discussion)