MCC at European Skybus

[Kylie777]

A few weeks ago I did my MCC at European and it was a disaster.

The simulator (a very old 737) kept breaking down. Also there was loads of faults on it which they made no attempt to fix.

I did not finish the course and luckily had not paid much deposit (which they did refund after a weeks worth of haggling). They did not pay for my accommodation for 2 weeks or the 2 weeks I took off work.

i would definitely recommend that anyone contemplating them goes to Oxford for the same money.

Very p####ed off at them. Also the ground school was a waste of time.

[flyhighspeed300]

MCC at European Skybus

I totally and I say again I totally disagree with this threat.

European Skybus MCC course is ace. I think it is the best value for money than anywhere else by a long shot. I did my MCC course there. I have gone back to them several times to keep current on Multi crew flying. They have given me free extra time on the simulator, helping me to get a multi crew job.

About Oxford B737 sim. I know people doing there MCC at oxford at 1-3am due to how over used there sim is. 1-3am is not really a good time in the day when you are paying the bill to do a course.
I guess your not used to things failing in the aviation world which happen often. They also gave you your money back. most companies wouldn't do so. so thats why European Skybus is a ace company as well as the MCC and JOC course.

[aha83]

I also have to disagree!
Great value for the money... GS and the 737-200 sim sessions both were very instructive, held by experienced airline pilots. As the -200 is an older aircraft so is the sim. However for MCC purposes it is more than essential. And the "motion" is a nice plus compared to other FNPT II which you would get for that amount of money.

[wheelbrace]

I smell employees or owners on this thread trying to defend the indefensible. Something in the aviation world which happen often

Hmmm...

[Kylie777]

Sounds just like employees or is that they are bought for a few hours free sim time. They tried that to me.
I can only say what happened to me and for everyone to beware and not fall for the hype.

Why is it that it is so cheap? Surely there are others out there that would do it for the same price if they could or is it that they dont bother to fix the simulator and save money that way.

[rogerg]

MCC at oxford at 1-3am

Oxford now have 2 737 sims so they now operate normaly 7am to 11pm

[wheelbrace]

No - I understand now - those system errors are, in fact, simulated failures of equipment and they are just showing you how tragedies develop.

It would seem that I am wrong; they are doing us all a great favour. What is more, they kindly create these emergencies during daylight hours only!

[Kylie777]

As far as simulator times are concerned mine was supposed to start at 1600 and finish at 2100. With all of the breakdowns we were in the simulator until 2400 on the 3 occasions that we did use it due to delays from the other 2 courses that were running in the day.

As far as the other failures were concerned, every time the instructor tried to show us some system failure it would not work cause the simulator was broken in that area.

The ground school was based around some 30 year old TV program which had been obviously copied because the quality was terrible.

[flyhighspeed300]

Just to add I do NOT WORK for MCC at European Skybus nor have work for them before.

However if i could get a job there on the simulators then i would take the job like any one else would. This is due to getting people who have worked there B737 pilot jobs and even Q400 pilots job
I did the modular Route to get my Frozen ATPL and did my MCC at European Skybus.


again people shown ask where you work, nor suggest where you work without the full facts.

[wheelbrace]

again people shown ask where you work, nor suggest where you work without the full facts.


Am I alone in not having a scooby doo as to what is being asked?

[Dmitri]

I also did my MCC at European Skybus a few weeks ago. Had one failure of the sim, which was fixed within 20-30 min. This sim is as old as 737-200 is, but this is reflected in the price, I believe.
The course quality is good and represents a very good value for money.

P.S. I also never worked for European Skybus.

[jez d]

I know people doing there MCC at oxford at 1-3am due to how over used there sim is

Not picking sides here, but there is nothing wrong with training at 1am in the morning. Your future sim checks are highly unlikely to fall between 09.00 & 17.00, so getting used to it now is probably no bad thing.

Regards, jez

[Nearly There]

Many positive threads on here about European.

I did my MCC there back in 2008 and had a great time, groundschool was conducted by TD and a knowledgable and highly experianced guy who was a 747 skipper, the films are old but it doesnt have to be a new release to get the content of the film and digest/discuss the series of events.

At the time European were still operating the 737's the chief bod popped in one day to ask if any of the 4 of us had 500hrs, we didnt, but had we then we would have been offered an interview for an FO's position...

If the sims are free then you can sit in them and use them with your sim partner for as many hours as you want...free!
We did have a couple of tech faults during the course but the engineers where onto it pretty much straight away.

[Kylie777]

Nearly There

All I can say is what happened to me. Also I know TD has left them because I did a performance course with him. I went there cause a friend of mine did his with TD some time ago and it was on his recommendation. I think things have gone down hill since then.

[Kylie777]

I have noticed that European seemed to have stopped advertising here.

[flyhighspeed300]

[QUOTE] I have noticed that European seemed to have stopped advertising here.


They are still advertising there MCC and JOC on pprune and rightly so because they are a great company to do your MCC , JOC and even a TR.


I will still recommend European Skybus any day. :ok:

[Kylie777]

Flyhighspeed 300

Just had a look at your previous posts cause you seem to have had a very different experience than mine. And gues what you seem to have been plugging European a great deal. Looks like you have been rumbled as an employee or have some very strong connection with the company.

Quote:
mcc
About eurpoean skybus limited (EAL) the advert on the right on PPRuNe.
is ace. b373-200. the course is so good that you will feel that you have saved money on the course. is ace.
i think the cost should be £3500, but it is currently £2399. it was that good. and they do/ if you ask may give you an extra hour on the sim. non logable, but to have some fun. where would any other company do that on a full motion sim.


And thats just one of them. Anyone can click on your name and see all the things ypu have posted. Dont you realise that?

[GearDownFlaps]

did mine with them 18 months ago very good did it with MM excellent course no complaints never worked for them either

[Kylie777]

Seems that it was very good but the problems seem to be recent, perhaps its the recession biting them. Again I re-iterate I can only say what happened to me and I am pretty pi****d off about it as you can probably tell.

[flyhighspeed300]

There is no jobs at European Skybus from what I know of that side of things.

I have learnt in Aviation that it is all about connections. If you do not know someone within a company then have very little chance of getting a job within that company.

Again my MCC went great and I have been back there several times afterwards doing extra hours in the past to keeping my multi crew flying current. They have also given me free extra time on the simulators without charge.

European Skybus is a great place and i would use it time and time again.

I recommend people to go there rather than anywhere else to do there MCC, JOC or TR training.

[Bruce Wayne]

Kylie

Like wise have also used European for the 737 sim.

The 737-200 sim is old, hence why the cheaper price, but it is well used and has -200 operators sending crews there.

There will always be tech problems, with new sims as well as old. That's aviation.

It's unfortunate that you had a bad experience and that it was most likely eating your holiday leave. That is unfortunately the way things go, particularly in aviation.

If you end up flying the line, your recurrent will invariably involve sim time outside of 9-5, and you will spend time on your ass in crew room while another sim session over-runs, or the techs are sorting a problem out with the software or hardware.

I am not an agent, officer, Representative or employee of European nor any of its associated companies.

However, I have had dealings with them on the business front since they were running the BAC1-11's and used the 50 seat one on contract from time to time.

The industry is in the crapper, particulalry in the UK, however, in a small market European are providing a good product at a price that compariatvely would get you an MCC on a non motion sim, probably B-200.

If you want to pay a grand more for a newer sim type, then fine, it's your perogative, however, you will also likewise expect sim down time and inconvenient sim schedules.

I would suggest that you talk to AB and see if you can complete the course perhaps over the weekends or at a later date.

[747JJ]

I cant remember how many time we had to take more than one coffee break in Lufthansa training in FRA while doing some obsruce OPC or LPC on their 747 sim. Old sim that one. SAS (New Oxford) 767 sim broke a few time on the type course in ARN. Oxford Airbus sim in LGW went zip a few times and so did the Alteon A320 sim in LGW as well. The 747 sim with European in BOH was lucky. The times I went there it was fine. But I remember guys sitting and waiting for it to be fixed. Some sim failures last for days if not weeks. It happens.

Too bad that you had a bad day with European Skybus, but you have to understand that they hardly did that to you on purpose. You were also refunded your course price so I fail to see what the issue is. You have made your point. You did not like the place or their course and you have communicated that.

What you need to think now is how you will handle a failure on an aircraft that leaves you AOG in some God forsaken dump for weeks with people you don't really like to be with.

The price European Skybus offers is competitive. A friend of mine did his MCC course there some time ago and he was very happy with the service and content of the course.

For reference before being accused for being a European spy, I do not work for Skybus and never have. I have used their facilities while being sent there by the company I used to work for.

[edcessna]

I took the MCC at European Skybus this summer. It was excellent and very good value for money (1895 pounds).

The ground school was extremely interesting as the instructor was a very experienced 737 and 747 pilot. The theory was made more interesting because the instructor explained lots of anecdotes which made the content of the course more personalised. The instructors also understood we were all piston engine pilots and helped us transition to become jet pilots.

The 737-200 simulator is awesome. The instructors help you handle it and after day 2 it becomes clear that flying this plane is only possible if there is team work and little by little we come out of our cocoons. Lots of emergencies are practiced.

The instructors are very friendly. We were also allowed to use the 747-200 simulator and each crew took turns to fly it. The school also has a B727 simulator and a Sikorsky simulator among others.

Regarding accommodation, the school will send you a list of families you can contact. I stayed with a family and only paid 250 pounds for 2 weeks, including breakfast and dinner. The food was great. I also saved on transportation as I took the airport bus at Bournemouth Coach station which was only 15 pounds per week. The bus drops you on the other side of the airport, but one of my classmates picked me up every morning and dropped me in the evening. He had to go that way anyway to go home. If you walk it is a 45 minute walk.

If you need to do the MCC I think European Skybus is the place to go. Best wishes to all and do contact me if you need further information.:)