Originally Posted by Mad Jock
G-YR was the most difficult aircraft to land I have flown in my career.
Ha ha! I always thought it was a dog to land as well! I instructed there in a past life and also flew hundreds of hours on LP and ZA, full of fond memories... early morning trial flights skimming the tops of the Cairngorms and being able to see the entire Highlands... magic.
Very sad to hear the old place has stopped. It sounds to me like there was some bitter personal differences getting in the way between the Aeroclub and the school which is a great shame.
As for the current opportunities to fly, well none will be the same. HFS was a place I used to re-visit occasionally when I was in the area and there was always a friendly face, a cup of tea and spare plane for me to go and have some fun in for 20 mins.
As for the people who have lost money, well life sucks sometimes. A friend of mine lost over £20k when a Bournmouth based FTO went down a few years ago. It set him back years in getting his first commercial job. These things will happen and you make you choice whether to pay up front or not. It there was no risk everyone would pay up front. For some the risk may be worth the saving. Personall when looking for a place to spend my £20,000 on a CPL, IR and FI rating I refused to consider FTOs that required any upfront money. I remember writing a cheque for £10,800 the day I passed my IR. Up to that point I hadn't paid a penny.