Mr Halstead,
We here at PPRuNe would like you to give answers to some worrying problems that your operation, Varsity Express, presents to us. We are so concerned in fact that we wish you to offer you the opportunity to give your personal response to the accusations that face you on PPRuNe. We have always felt a great need to protect those who use PPRuNe. Indeed, we feel we have a duty of care to ensure that our readers be they pilots, cabin crew or ops or aviation in general and therefore a fraternity that is us, to make certain they are not dis-advantaged by anyone.
What worries us is that you had an operation called Alpha1 and we at first allowed it to be mentioned on these boards, then we discovered that it wasn't all it seemed and we decided to discontinue its name being mentioned. We do that if their is doubt as to its worth in terms of credibility and integrity. As it turned out we were right.
As far as your new venture is concerned we were equally concerned about its aims, particularly with one aircraft, which never does make a success in our experience, yet you went ahead.
However, that was not for us to question. Others were doing that as well as we would have done. We would therefore hope that you would in the interests of clarity kindly answer some questions.
1. Is it correct to say that you ceased operations because you failed to pay Links Air for their ACMI costs in the first week and they then, not unexpectedly removed their aircraft?
2. Did you accept large sums of money from passengers who booked flights with your organisation. Have you therefore repaid them and if not why not. Please clarify. And where is the Escrow account you have and why has that not been activated - passengers DO want their money back. And why does your defunct website say "the Board" when you are the board - trying to impress again?
3. There are pilots on this thread who assert that they met with you and a Mr Lawrence in a hired room in the Gherkin in London, which may be regarded to impress, for the purpose of an interview for the position of First Officer and that you did, in the first instance, require them to pay you up front £15,000 for a type rating on the J31, some finding it most difficult sum to find, and you have not yet paid them back and have, it is reported in the Oxford News that you will do so in 3 months. Would you care to answer that? Where is that money now? Why 3 months? And as it is also alleged that you failed to pay Links Air and all your other costs, which would have only have been a few landing fees and handling fees - not much in the scheme of things so can you explain where the money has gone. That total sum according to the press from your own mouth indicates that it is over £50,000 in type ratings alone - where is that and the pax money now? We know you have said that some has gone in working capital but can you justify that much in writing? You may have to.
4. Would you care to answer why you have changed each story as and when you were asked by different newspapers and how you can defend these differences as nothing more than lies.
5. We now know that 'Will Gilligan' is a fiction and in your imagination so can you tell us why you have fraudulently used that name as a 'Commercial Director' of VE when in fact he is you pure and simple, you being the only director as per searches in Companies House clearly show. Is that because you knew that if your past effort with Alpha1 came out no-one would do business with you? Have you in fact paid your fees at OXF and EDI?
6. Can you also answer how you claimed to have used, or were going to use the only sim available for a J31, which is in Stockholm. They have refuted that and said that "we have never been asked by any company called Varsity Express, or have we been asked by Links Air on behalf of Varsity Express." These are pretty damning assertions given that you received such large sums for sim training.
We would be most pleased to hear your answers to these questions, and some of your reasons for planning such an abortive operation that brings aviation into disrepute.
Finally, we believe that there is enough information in this thread for us to instigate some action against you to protect some of those who have used money borrowed from, a grandmother and his father and his own resources only to have his dream taken from him. It will be all well and good if you repay him and the others but if you do not I personally will do I can to alert the authorities to some wrongdoing. Of course, that may too late and they may already be asking you questions.
Please Mr Halstead, do answer. But please do not insult us. We are very experienced in the field of airline operations and will immediately spot any attempt to fool us.
This is a genuine proposal to give you a chance to challenge the accusations made against you. If you do not answer you will never be allowed near aviation again. In other words do not underestimate the power of PPRuNe.
Oh! I almost forgot. This from your statement.
There are currently many inaccurate and factually untrue media reports surrounded the Varsity Express operation and the individuals behind it. Many of these stories are completely false and untrue and the company will not be drawn into discussion over such claims.
So some of the stories are true then, and 'what individuals.' Repeating yourself is a sign of weakness.
PPP