Accommodation at exam venues

[Token Bird]

Dear oh-wise-ones at PPRuNe,

I have applied to do the JAR ATPL exams at Silsoe in August. However, apparently I will not hear if I have got a place here or at my second choice venue until a week beforehand, leaving little time to arrange accommodation. Should I book anyway in the hope that I will get my first choice? Has anyone else had this problem?

When the confirmation letter comes will there be info about accommodation? I gather most venues are at colleges and that accommodation is often available on-site. How do I find out about this?

Ta, TB

[QNH 1013]

TB,

Can't help much re your specific venue (did all my exams at Gatwick) but in general hotels don't charge you to cancel if you cancel more than 24 hours ahead, so if you were using hotels, I would book at both venues and then cancel the one I didn't need.

Colleges might be different but ring them and ask what is the latest date you can cancel without penalty.

Good Luck with the exams !


QNH (not necessarily a wise one)

[Broken Wings]

Token Bird

I did my exams at Silsoe last November and its a great place to do them in my opinion. Other examinees will be staying there so you can exchange feedback papers. The accommodation (Conference Centre) is modern, clean and quiet and is a 9 iron (120 yds ish) from the exam room! The price was £32/night including a hearty breakfast. There is also a campus bar which does cheap beer and reasonable food, alternatively the village pub is only a 5-10 minute walk a way.

TelNo: 01525 863000
Fax: 01525 863001

Best of Luck with the exams.

[Kapooley]

TB,

I don't understand, why will you only find out a week before???

You send your cheque and then in a weeks time (or a bit longer) you receive the letter saying that youve booked the exams and they give you the venue.

[Canada Goose]

Sorry to hijack the original posting, but it did irk my interest as to roughly how many venues are there in the U.K., or more specifically, England ??

I've got a nasty feeling the answers going to be Gatwick being the only place in England :rolleyes: , thus making it a real b@ll ache for anyone living in the North of England to get there. Please, tell me I'm wrong !!

Cheers,
C.G.

[Gin Slinger]

Kapooley - yes, that's the theory, but it doesn't always happen that way.

It seems to be in the CAA's remit to give me the runaround every time I book exams.

CG: other than Gatwick, there's Glasgow, Oxford and a couple of part time venues in Bedfordshire.

You're right, nothing in the north of England - Glasgow is good by all accounts, due to cheap and comfortable accomodation in university halls of residence.

[Chris Wannabe]

Tb,

I too got this answer from the CAA. I am doing module 1 at Shuttleworth in August.

Now given that I had shelled out 400 quid, I hastled the hell out of the CAA to CONFIRM my booking that they had already taken payment for.

I mailed and rang them (takes ages to get through.)

I think they are just covering themsleves as I heard about 2 weeks ago, but I do understand they are reknowned for messing people about.

All the best

[Kapooley]

Yes I'm sure it does happen. Is it still the case if you book your exams in plenty of time- like 2 months in advance??

Out of interest someone mentioned part-time venues. Which ones are only part-time?

[Flypuppy]

Shuttleworth is used when Silsoe is unavailable

[FlyingForFun]

I also had a similar lack of response. In my previous dealings with the CAA, I've always received a receipt fairly promptly, followed a little later by the rest of the paperwork - but this time, I didn't even get a receipt!

The credit card company confirmed that the CAA had charged me the £400, so I knew my application form had reached them. I called them a couple of weeks ago, and explained that my credit card had been debited a couple of weeks earlier, but I hadn't even had a receipt from them. The gentleman I spoke to was very helpful - he immediately confirmed that I was booked on the exams at my first choice location, and gave me my booking number. He apologised for the delay, and explained that they usually try to finish with the July exams before they worry about confirming the August exams. Two days after my phone call, I received my confirmation in the post - coincidence?

Ok, so I'm a little cynical, I don't believe they were just "finishing with the July exams," and I don't think it's coincidence that my confirmation arrived two days after I called. But the fact is that Kapooley's statement that "you send your cheque and then in a weeks time (or a bit longer) you receive the letter" just isn't true - sorry Kapoolye! :D

FFF
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[Kapooley]

Ah youve just destroyed all my faith in the CAA:D

[Liquid Lunch]

Token Bird

Broken Wings has a good place for you. I also stayed there and the accommodation is very good, 100 yards across from the examination hall. It's quiet and you can get a good nights sleep or revision in.

Another good point is that most chaps that night will also be taking exams the next morning so you could make new friends and exchange views/papers/worries etc that evening.

Good luck,

LL

[Pilot Pete]

I remember doing my one and only resit at Bournemouth a few years back now. I drove down the day before, spent 3 hours trying to find a B&B all of whom would turn away a single male in the hope of getting a holidaying couple for a longer period. bu&ger.

I went to ASDA, bought a couple of bottles of water (to wash with) went down the pub and watched an England game as I remember, downed half a dozen pints and then wandered back to the car park and slept in the car which I had strategically placed pretty much out of site earlier on!

Rose bright and early, shaved in my old army mess tin, put an extra bit of deodorant on, went back to Asda for a full English and wandered down to the exam hall. Worked a treat - 98% Met Theory!

Go on, get the doss bag out and save some money!

Good luck

PP

[Non Iron Chippy]

Broken Wings: good assessment of what's available at Silsoe.

Pilot Pete: done the same myself!, drove from Stranraer to BRS for a one day refresher then headed north again, slept in a truck stop on the M6 (don't own a shave kit!, went, commando) on my way to PIK for a resit on Nav. Passed.

The things we do for that piece of paper!

[wobblyprop]

AFAIK silsoe is not available this august.

I'm doing mine at shuttleworth

[Kapooley]

Why is Silsoe not available this August? I thought it was?

[Token Bird]

Great! So now I find that not only have at least 2 other people who are sitting in August have received confirmations, but that the exam venue is not even where I thought it was. Incidentally I applied through AFT (my GTO) as I was informed (by AFT) that it was not possible for individuals to apply for exams directly anymore. I gather my application went in a couple of weeks ago and, interestingly, £400 has been debited from my credit card ;) .

So, I evidently have been booked in somewhere, but where, I wonder? Incidentally, where is this 'Shuttleworth' place. I gather it is a college. Is is also in the Silsoe/Cranfield area? No point booking a B&B in Silsoe only to find it's some distance away. As for £32 per night - you have to be joking! Considering I'm only paying £13 per night for my brush-up course in Coventry the previous week, that seems awfully steep. This whole 'becoming a pilot' lark is already too expensive as it is!

TB

PS. Just went to the CAA website to confirm that the Bedfordshire venue for August is in fact Shuttleworth college. When I tried to get at the relevant document ... 'Page not found'! Smashing stuff! Meanwhile, the search for B&Bs in the area continues, but so far has proved fruitless!

[schuler_tuned]

Accommadation is available on site- phone No. 01767 626200- about £30/night.