Hello Board,
I am writing this to warn everyone about the scandalous treatment I have got during and after my training with
Goldwings Flight Academy in Poland. FTOs based here use to have good reputation, the economical conditions are favorable, weather is acceptable etc. However not all schools are the same.
Goldwings FA is based on EPBC / Babice airfield pretty much in the city limits of Warsaw - the capital city of Poland. It is run by Arkadiusz Jesionek, who is a Head of Training there, together with his spouse Malgorzata Goralska (Head of Ground Administration and Head of Ground Traning).
I have done my PPL and ATPL theory through this school. All started with signing a standard PPL contract, like everywhere else in EU. The agreement included 5hrs of training on c172 and the rest was supposed to be done on the c152. My training finished successfully with 63hrs TT. Obviously, I have been charged for the additional hours, but there haven't been any flights done on the c172. Finally, after my multiple asking for any kind of correction to the invoice I was given a reply from the HoT himself that there was nothing to correct and that the case is over now.
The FTO's bureau is disorganized and the guy running it has been personally booking my training slots every time. Never have I had a chance to verify the roster for the upcoming week or to look back and see former dates. Finally I have had my student e-account set up about a year later, when it was needed for me to book my refreshment flight. BTW, that flight has not taken place anyway, as the instructor responsible for it (Mrs Goralska) left the school earlier that day without informing her own employees about the open slot. I have basically traveled on Friday afternoon to the airfield just to hear from the staff that "she has left and is not coming back any more".
Another sample from the PPL training (there are more, believe me) - my instructor and I have been waiting for the plane returning from a solo flight. All right, the plane got back, all checks and paperwork done, we start up, taxi to the holding point, do the ignition checks and the engine is running rough. After several attempts we had to head back, the reason - fouled spark plugs. Plane will be ready on the following morning. About half an hour later the Head of Training has been joking, suggesting publicly my wrong handling of the engine during taxiing.
My student folder, including the training roster and flight records has never been shown to me. After ending my training I have asked for accessing it to log down my own flights. The folder became "temporarily unavailable" and remained like that until today. The newest explanation I've got from the HoT is - "we do not feel obliged to grant you access to your folder Sir after the completion of your training".
ATPL Theory
This course was starting at the end of the same year. We were supposed to receive the Bristol GS DVDs after wiring the money. That almost worked out
after payment I was told to wait - the school did not have the materials in stock although they have been promising something else before. Finally, after getting them, it turned out the materials couldn't be shipped with a tracked delivery. It didn't matter, if you're leaving abroad or in the next town down the road, they just could not. The reason - the staff does not have time to visit the drop off shop. The only possibility was to come and pick it up by yourself. Eventually I've managed to organize my friends leaving in Warsaw to come over and do that for me and even that has been coldly agreed to.
After completing the brush-up course we have been handed out a list of essay topics, after which our exam clearances would have been issued. The list came up with a delay, but checking of the essay works took two months more! Finally, after 75 days from the brush up ending I was cleared for my exams with the FAA.
If you're ever considering a school in Poland, I recommend to think twice before ending in my shoes. Poland is a great area for training and there are at least several of good training centres there, but
Goldwings Flight Academy definately doesn't count amongst them!