FTA (qld)
 

G'day Guys,

Anyone know how FTA (qld) are travelling? Been into AF a couple of times over the last month or so, and doesn't seem to be to much activity?

I keep hearing a rumour that doesn't sound too good for them. There was a thread floating around here somewhere about how they are going.

Let no-one make the mistake that FTA is the same company that HM left behind - any credibility it had unfortunately died with him.

The current owner - a QANTAS Captain known elsewhere here as PB - loves to talk it up about his QANTAS connections but can only offer pipe dreams and the same old rhetoric that flying schools have become notorious for...

I understand that he has driven away many domestic students (not to mention heaps of staff...) and is waiting for some mega-Chinese contract to fall from the sky.

Latest Aviation Trader has the old FTA fleet for sale (HM's estate) - maybe PB couldn't pay the cross-hire bills for those aircraft??

Oh, by the way - don't fall for the trap of paying for a whole course in advance - the money's better in your pocket and you should pay as you go for any training lest the training provider goes belly up (seen it before at YBAF). In PB's case, if you shake hands with the guy make sure you count your fingers afterwards!

Try elsewhere.

I have contacted FTA and other flying schools at YBAF and elsewhere in SE Qld and FTA was one of the few that bothered to respond with quotes and info etc. Not suggesting that this makes them a good school but at least they bothered to reply. Perhaps they were desperate for my business? I wonder why it is that some schools (and other aviation businesses) just don't bother to respond to emails and phone messages? Already gone broke and closed down; lack professionalism, or just too busy?

How does a person just starting out in flying training know if a school is a good thing or not? I'm happy to travel to undertake the particular courses I need to do but I'd hate to make all the arrangements, pack up and spend a small fortune only to get there and find out the school is going belly up or they are going to treat me like just another "sausage" at their factory.

Any suggestions please?

Thanks,

Cn

Cirronimbus. Do not do it. There's plenty of better places to train in SE QLD...ok, there's fewer every week it seems, but you still have other options. Redcliffe Aero Club if you can manage the commute, or Air Gold Coast in the other direction. Sad fact is Brisbane is not the place to train.

Sad fact is that most schools at AF are not managed well, if at all. Perhaps the Aero club is, but aero clubs usely have a board of people with their finger on the pulse.
My advice, for what it may be worth: they are all after your money, make no mistake about that, its called cash flow. The concern you have is what you are getting for your money.

So your first port of call is the old journals or flying magazines if you like. Get to know the jargon by reading a little first. Perhaps you know someone in the business already. Go and talk to the private, ( as opposed to run by the training organisation), pilot supply shops, buy your study guides, they will know what you need or what you could start having a read of before you start, they will also provide a valuable insight into the airfield flight schools.

Take all advice, including mine with a grain of salt, ie start getting a feel and your own opinion of the industry.:ok:

hey mate

try Gil Layts...its old but thats where I"m going. :ok: Give Steve (CFI) a call.

Good luck.

Even better, walk into a few places and have a chat. It shouldn't take long at AF if you've got a Saturday morning free or a couple of hours on a weekday. You'll get a far better feel for what each operator can offer than some words on the internet, though a trawl through some of the training threads here will give you some ideas for questions to ask (and don't be afraid to ask questions, you are the customer here!)

My advice: if it sounds too good to be true ... it is! :ok:

Im training at Gil Layts,
It is fantastic!!

Since this is a rumour network........

Rumour has it that the Tax Office has a "wind up" notice on FTA.

Probably not surprising given the shameful way that the current owner has been running the place since he bought it.

Good luck to the boys and girls that will be affected in the mess that is sure to follow.

Time Capsule
 

Go to Gil Layt's. Apart from the aeroclub he is the longest standing there.

Most of the old guys on the field worked for him at some stage or another.

As previously mentioned, the place is old, (basically a time capsule), but nothing in the basics has changed. At Gil Layt's you are not paying for a song and dance, you are paying to be taught how to fly aeroplanes. Gil has done this very well, for a very long time.

Oh and as far as track record with airlines etc, just because they dont crow about it and put pictures on their walls, doesn't mean they haven't produced the airline product. The success stories from Gils are enormous, the boys are everywhere, none of them espousing their greatness, just quietly going about their business in the professional, discerning way they were shown how to when they learned to fly at Gil Layts.

Its humble, but it is by far the best.

Wind Up Notice?
 

If that's true, what a shame and here we go again...

Staff not getting paid entitlements (super, etc)...

Creditors not getting settled...

Fantastic - not! :ugh:

Does This "wind up" notice have a credible source. Or just more FTA bashing? When was this wind up notice issued?

You mean this?

ASIC Free Company Name Search

:D SNAP!!!!

Cheers VH-FTS;)

is this the bloke who got a bit tipsy on a flight and demanded to see the tech log as he tried smashing the flight deck door down on a QF jet?

The wind up applies to a specific company, not a particular operation.

So it all depends on what that company owns as to whether it will affect the flying ops.

Some companies continue to operate under 'new' ownership!

Doesn't inspire confidence when searching for a school!

Liquidation? They are obviously still open for buisness so no one has lost any money yet. Still a worry though.:confused:

A dead set dirtbag, that PB...

I know that he owes heaps of people money - staff entitlements, aircraft owners, etc...

I daresay that he will escape the "wreckage" of FTA quite well and the thing that sucks is how he will no doubt continue to enjoy the cushy QANTAS job knowing that he has shafted plenty of other people. I'm sure that he will continue to drive his BMW and not have to personally pay anything to anyone.

I guess my question is - although it is probably none of QANTAS's business, how would they feel about this behaviour of one of their Captains in the general public??

I was always brought up to believe that Captains are senior Company representatives and therefore their behaviour reflects publicly on the Company. Surely QANTAS would not be a fan of this type of thing?

I wonder if he will laugh about the dramas he has caused, ripping off everyone from students, staff and other creditors when he is flying his QANTAS Airbus....