The good old IR debate.
Well, there is debate, and then there is Pprune
I could not help noticing that the originator of this thread posted a list under the heading of "facts" (all of two items, which are easily verifiable although he did not provide any references), and then another list of items he would like to talk about. At no point he suggests those are facts, or even allegations, or even hearsay--he simply wants to talk about it.
Which is fair enough. I assume the lad has never been to Spain and therefore might be a bit lacking in information as to what that country is really like. Furthermore, he might have suffered an attempt at being misled by some of the unscrupulous businesses back in the UK which have to resort to FUD tactics targeting the naïve in order to gain any customers, their own pass rates and quality of training being apparently not too good a selling point.
Because, one assumes, if anyone was to have even the weakest of evidence of any of the practises mentioned actually having taken place, one would waste no time in bringing it to the attention of the ECAC and the relevant national authorities. Not doing so would be highly irresponsible, and probably prosecutable, not to mention morally reproachable.
So the original poster has done well to come here and put those points forward, a proof (assuming he's been more or less truthful about his age) that at least some 24 year olds in the UK still have some critical thinking left. Well done indeed.
Now, because I do not wish to repeat myself too often, allow me to point you to my contributions in
this recent thread (which as a newly registered member I realise the original poster might not have seen yet), wherein I express my view of what are some of the difficulties and frustrations associated with training abroad in different cultural environments.
If you allow me a quick aside, as for Spain itself, back in the 70s good weather and cheap prices were indeed pretty much all it had going for it. However, things have changed quite a bit in the last 35 years. Nowadays it's a modern country with development indicators at a par with other leading European nations, with some pretty impressive progressive legislation, and a liberal (very much so by northern European standards) but responsible society. Certainly the Wild West it's not, and one finds most aspects of daily life much more efficient than in the UK.
For the record, this comes from someone who feels equally at home (or equally foreign
) in both countries. I am fluent in one language of the United Kingdom and in two of the five official languages of Spain, have a good insight into both cultures and societies, have numerous contacts at different levels in the aviation industries of Spain and the UK, and have trained and flown in both places. I have also the luxury of not being bound by financial constraints and have nothing at stake when flying apart from my personal safety and that of others, aviation being just one of my pastimes.
All that said, for those who are looking for the best country in which to obtain their licences, purely in terms of quality of training, and uncompromising excellence, from my experience I cannot recommend but one place: France
FWIW. I hope this helps some of the young lads out there who for whatever reason want to make aviation their career. Best of luck in your endeavours.