'Ere, What's Going On at the CAA Then?

[Thud_and_Blunder]

As civilian life draws nearer, the dreaded moment when I had to contact the CAA and find out the answers to all my questions finally arrived today. Having scoured the FAQs, I still had a list as long as my arm (by the way, I've noticed how the arms get shorter as I get older - this small print really has to go...) of things I needed to find out. So, as I'm 7 hours and several thousand miles away it seemed best to invest in a phone call. With the questions neatly tabulated and space for the answers, plus a pen and a spare, I followed the instructions on the CAA's .pdf Phone Card sheet.

My suspicions were aroused when the phone system worked exactly as advertised. Then, after waiting only 2 minutes at what must be peak time on a Tuesday morning back on the Mudbank, I was through to a real live person. Tentatively posing the first few q's, I then found that this person was not only fully au fait with the CAA system but was actually a) very helpful, b) capable of using initiative, and c) more than willing to call me back with answers not immediately available. Sure enough, I've had those calls within an hour and a half of the questions being posed.

So what's going on? Where's the dreaded Jobsworth mentality I used to have to plough through in the days of trips to Kingsway? OK, I know it's my money they're taking - quite handsome amounts of it too - but I almost don't begrudge it when I find that what used to be a bureaucratic nightmare now showed a happy human face. BZ to the person who's been helping me, and may all other supplicants to the altar of Civil Aviation be afforded the same response as I received today.

http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/rollsmile.gif

[Arkroyal]

I went through all this some 8 years ago, and also found that the individuals in the CAA, although constrained by a corporate sloth, were generally very helpful and genuinely concerned for my problems.

Recently I have taken to emailing questions to SRG and each one has received an accurate reply within a couple of days.

Come to think of it...the corporate sloth vs individual worth is reminiscent of the crabs!

[DouglasDigby]

Thud_and_Blunder, why not even e-mail them to pass on your appreciation? Like you, have had contact with them recently, & requested (accurate) information passed on to me very swiftly.

[Flatfish]

The CAA helpful ??...... YES!!
Having received my new shiny JAA PPL through the post the other day, imagine my disappointment when I spotted that my name was spelt incorrectly. Upon phoning the CAA, the phone was answered within 1 minute by a very helpful chap who apologised for their mistake and promised to despatch a corrected version ASAP. I was speechless with shock! (Upon reflection I suppose they should justify the £143 charge somehow!)