Epta

[Chrisb]

I am giving serious thought to choosing EPTA at Bournemouth for my entire flight training. I am currently PPL with 75 hours.

I had considered registering with them for just ATPL ground school and then carrying out the other modules at other FTOs. However, I have been advised that remaining with one school for the entire training program is better than obtaining modules from a mosaic of organisations – I assume this to be correct?).

I would love to hear views from anyone who has any knowledge of EPTA, particularly current and past students.

Many thanks

[alaister]

If anyone can shed any light on EPTA I be most grateful as well, since I was't able to get down there for their open day on Saturday.

Hey Chris, I'm also from Hove :p but I don't have any flight experience yet, who did you do your PPL with?

[hardcase]

EPTA was fomerly known as SFT Aviation that went bust about 12-18 months ago, they had lots of problems with their groundschool, i should know myself and 4 friends went there. I ended up going to PPSC to do my Nav's and Tech's, also gone now, but were very good. I would be carefull with Mr Green(MD) lots of people lost a lot of cash when SFT went under yet Mr Green went around the corner and set up EPTA, be very wary is my advice.....

[Send Clowns]

That is not correct, hardcase.

EPTA has no formal connection with SFT. SFT completely went after administration poceedings. The manager of EPTA was MD of SFT as you correctly say, but EPTA is an offshoot of Cabair.

I also sat groundschool through SFT, and can see where your misconception of their groundschool comes from. You clearly sat the CAA course, 1999 at the latest, in the early stages of SFT groundschool. By the time I went through as a student under JAA approvals in 2000 there had been a change of key personnel, including the CGI. The groundschool had undergone the transition to JAA as well as any (i.e. with difficulty) in late 1999/early 2000. By the time I joined in 2001 as a Nav instructor it was well-set and running smoothly, with increasing students and the flexibility to take on more than half the students let down by PPSC's collapse. Unfortunately SFT did not last much longer.

EPTA has nothing to do with SFT's groundschool. SFT's instructors went their own ways, as far afield as Malaysia! BCFT set up a groundschool soon after this, and now employ 7 instructors who used to work for SFT.

PPSC's instructors work for various schools, 2 or 3 having set up GTS for distance learning, one is at Oxford and one of EPTA's 3 ground instructors is ex-PPSC.

Chris

Is there any reason to restrict yourelf to one school for the whole course? Have you been advised to do so? Modular is entirely flexible, and if your provider cannot give you the next course at the time you require, or puts too many students through for the aicraft or instructor numbers (you will find many cases mentioned in the past on PPRuNe) you can take your business elsewhere. I would encourage you to do so, and say so to people considering these courses even at our school.

You have more choice at each stage if you are willing to change, as some flight schools have no groundschool and vice versa, and you may feel an FTO has good groundschool but another has a better flight school. Of course Bournemouth has 4 FTOs, so you can keep us guessing and giving good service without having to move! ;)

[Chrisb]

Send Clowns

Thanks for your note. I was beginning to worry that I might be entirely ignored by the pilot community.

I visited your school last month and was impressed. I couldn't make your ATPL ground school start date of 02 June and September is bit too far away for me. Therefore, I am looking at the 09 July start at EPTA.

However, I am, as you have suggested, keeping my options open with regard to where I will carry out the various modules thereafter.

However, as mentioned, I was advised by an Oxford Instructor that utilising a variety of FTOs for your training doesn't look so good on your CV.

As an interesting aside, I should tell you that this same Oxford Instructor, to whom I was assigned for my visit to Oxford, asked me if I had ever read of any of the criticisms of Oxford on the pprune website. I replied that I'd heard of the site but never visited. Amazingly, he then dismissed all the people on this website as 'whingers'! Since then I have spent many useful hours on pprune.

Again, many thanks

[Send Clowns]

Sorry I did not reply originally, but if I jump in too early it looks like I am advertising BCFT, rather than trying to help people as should be the case here.

There is nothing I can see wrong with using a variety of FTOs. The modules are self-contained, all schools are approved by the same CAA inspections. Oxford, like Cabair or indeed BCFT, would have some interest in persuading you to stay with one provider, as there are only a few that offer the whole course (these 3 and perhaps Atlantic in the whole UK). Some also offer a discount if you prepay (or perhaps simply charge you more if you do not!) the whole course. If no-one took different modules through different FTOs then people like Bristol Ground School would not have any business, and I can assure you they are very busy!

Glad you liked BCFT. You are, of course, welcome to pop in any time for coffee while you are in Bournemouth. Ask for the Nav instructor at the groundschool here, and all the staff know I post as "Send Clowns".

[Robthestudent]

Chris B,

For once i agree with send clowns it is very important that you do your research into choosing an FTO. i was in the same situation as you about a year ago I ended up with PAT and got a first time pass with the IR. My only regret was not been there for the introduction of their new sim, having been lucky to have a go recently it is a fantastic piece of gear and feel it will be the nearest you will get to the real thing. Anthony Mollison is a consumate professional and runs a high quality organisation I think you might find this reflected in their pass stats.
As regards EPTA despite what send clowns says they are essentially an offshoot of SFT with the same managemnt in place.
They have been having a lot of serviceability problems recentlly
particularly with their arrow, despite been part of the cabair organisation and the associtiated resources.

Whatever and who you choose to go with enjoy because it is a life changing experience ....potentially!!!!

Rob

[N14HK]

Fair comment about the Arrow, although it seems to be improving due to a change of maintance company.