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Old 7th Aug 2011, 10:34
  #12 (permalink)  
corporate-pilot
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: UK
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I am intending to do a fully integrated course and hope to complete within the 18month period (weather permitting).
They do NOT offer intergrated courses. They have been in trouble before with the Advertising Standards Agency for offering "Intergrated Modular" courses. Are they currently advertising an "intergrated" course? If so they could find themselves in trouble again, hopefully though it's just your wording.

According to your details you live in Surrey, the best thing you can do is get down there and check them out for yourself. This is by far the best thing you can do. I live overseas and made the effort to visit lots of places in the UK before deciding where to go.

I attended BCFT for groundschool, and at the time they were good. However a school is only ever as good as its instructors and some have left since I did my groundschool and I don't know what the replacements are like. The only way to find out is to talk to current students, without anyone from the school nearby. Speak to as many as you can down there to get as many opinions as you can. Some in my class thought the place was perfect, they were often the ones who went down to the Curlew with the bosses, it was these folks who were used by the school to go to Flyer shows to chat to potential new students. Of course it makes business sense to only have people who believe in your product to sell it at these marketing road shows, but it's nice to get opinions from others too.

It was during my 6 months there that I realised I didn't want to do my flying training with them. I used to chat to to flying students, and watch the operation and I just didn't feel it was for me.

You often hear of this "one-stop modular" route, Flybe have said they prefer modular students to have been to one school for modular, this ONLY applys to CPL & IR. So don't be tricked into thinking you are doing yourself a favour by doing groundschool at the same place as your CPL & IR.

Other options for you would be to do groundschool at BCFT, London Met or distance learning with Bristol (or somewhere else of course), and then research again before starting CPl & IR. Places change, instructors come and go so for me visiting the schools again (as well as some new ones) is crucial in the decision making process.

A lot of schools, including BCFT are very good at dangling carrots to encourage you to sign up to their Jet Line course, saving you some cash. For me, I wanted to hold all the cards, I was prepared to have to spend a bit more but have the option of leaving to train elsewhere. It paid off for me, as I didn't stay on.

Good luck.
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