Soar...
 

Have heard they have entered Voluntary Administration, can anyone confirm?

Can't say they'll be missed, but feel bad for any students still enrolled and the instructors affected.

Why start a rumour when with a little effort you can post fact?

Name: GOBEL AVIATION PTY. LTD.
ACN: 006 160 658
ABN: 11 006 160 658
Previous state number: C0215994C
Previous state of registration: Victoria
Registration date: 1/06/1983
Next review date: 1/06/2021
Former name(s): BENDIGO AVIATION SERVICES PTY. LIMITED

Status: External Administration

Type: Australian Proprietary Company, Limited By Shares
Locality of registered office: HAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123

Effective date either 28 or 29 December 2020.

Here comes the wave.

Trading whilst insolvent becomes illegal again from next week. Soar will be one of many companies that hand over to the administrators as we rip the economic bandaid off.

Speaking of...

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT AS LIQUIDATOR

Company details

Company: China Southern West Australian Flying College Pty Ltd
ACN: 000 863 123
Status: In Liquidation
Appointment Date: 21 December 2020

https://publishednotices.asic.gov.au...rict=&dnotice=

Geez, I disliked Soar very much because of their lack of ethics but it's still sad to see it go. For the Instructors and other Staff that used to work there who might read this stay strong, it'll be tough and make sure you lean on friends and families for support, that's what they're there for! If anyone who ran it happens to read this, rot in hell.

So just over a year ago the CEO was boasting how he had a personal wealth of 66 million. I also heard that same then ex CEO let the country a few months back.

Most of that money came from VET loans apparently.

This sort of rort just gets repeated over and over and every time there is millions of missing taxpayers money, CEOs in flashy cars who never seem to be accountable then vanish, staff and students left with less than nothing and no recourse, the money has all gone. These loans just create opportunities for people who see an easy way to get rich "There's a global pilot shortage! Never been a better time to learn to fly!" etc and then leave a trail of destruction, not only the staff and students who get shafted but the rest of the industry who have to pay higher prices to keep the suppliers afloat when they are left with bad debts, and the operators who have had to compete with these organisations whilst subsiding them with our taxes.

.And then the next one comes along...or sometimes the same characters...and round we go again.

Name: SOAR AVIATION PTY. LTD.
ACN: 159 695 379
ABN: 78 159 695 379
Registration date: 30/07/2012
Next review date: 30/07/2021

Status: Deregistered
Date deregistered: 7/10/2020
Type: Australian Proprietary Company, Limited By Shares
Locality of registered office:
Regulator: Australian Securities & Investments Commission

SOAR AVIATION PTY. LTD.ACN 159 695 379Australian Proprietary CompanyDeregistered Select result



SOAR AVIATION (FIAD) PTY LTDACN 613 308 820Australian Proprietary CompanyUnder External AdministrationHAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123Select result



SOAR AVIATION MELBOURNE PTY LTDACN 619 893 186Australian Proprietary CompanyUnder External AdministrationHAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123Select result



SOAR AVIATION SYDNEY PTY LTDACN 613 279 048Australian Proprietary CompanyUnder External AdministrationHAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123Select result



SOAR AVIATION HOLDINGS PTY LTDACN 600 336 301Australian Proprietary CompanyDeregistered Select result



SOAR AVIATION HOLDINGS PTY LTDACN 626 081 089Australian Proprietary CompanyUnder External AdministrationHAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123Select result



SOAR AVIATION FLIGHT TRAINING Business NameCancelled Select result



SOAR AVIATION AIRCRAFT HOLDINGS PTY LTDACN 613 275 853Australian Proprietary CompanyUnder External AdministrationHAWTHORN EAST VIC 3123

Career-wise for the instructors and students, this is probably a good thing. A short term bump on a rocky road to a fulfilling career.

The corporate entities titled "Soar Aviation" are relevant but it is the AOC holder and operating companies operations that are principally affected by External Administration.

The AOC Holder and Company in External Administration is Gobel Aviation Pty Ltd trading as Soar Advanced Flight Training.

AOC Holder Name: GOBEL AVIATION PTY LTD
Primary Trading Name: Soar Advanced Flight Training
Town/City: MOORABBIN AIRPORT
State: VIC
AOC Holder Country: Australia
Type of AOC: Australian
CASA Office: Southern Region
Operations: Aerial Work, Aircraft Charter
AOC Application Status: Issued
Issue Date: 15/05/2020
Expiry Date: 30/04/2021

Is the Administrator operating the Company or are the doors closed? Their web site is still active.

Notice on the door of the building in YMMB states operations are suspended while KPMG conducts an urgent review of the group.

As much as I hate Soar, i really feel for the staff and the students, hopefully it all irons out over 2021, best of luck to all

Gobel/Bendigo Aviation Services
 

Been out of the loop for a while; can someone fill me in on how Soar got hold of Gobel's AOC?

Poor Chris would not be impressed. 😞

Neel bought it. Chris wanted to retire at the time.

The appointed external manager is liable for any new debts he creates from time of appointment. If he decides the entity can trade without creating any new debt, it will trade. If not viable/profitable, or the creditors will not underwrite any new debt, it will be liquidated - sold as a going concern or the assets sold to pay down debts. The Manager/Liquidator gets first cut of the funds!

Prior to SOAR buying the Gobel AOC I understand that SOAR was only an RA operation, doing training and charter (joyrides). Hence Gobel trading as SOAR.

I stand to be corrected.

SOAR (or Sour, depending on your POV) initially started as an RA operation with one Jabiru J-160, which later increased to 3 and a cross-hired J-170. Later they went to Foxbats, Aquilas, Bristells, etc.
There were a few AOC's that SOAR piggy-backed off before buying Chris Gobel's, Amber Aviation was one of them, and one of the flying schools long established at YMMB (can't remember which one..)
There were an awful lot of Trial Instructional Flights given that Neel had deals with Scoopon, Groupon, and other similar operations, before they became what they are (were?) today.

Nothing new here, GA operators are always on borrowed time. Covid obviously doesn't help.
Thinking back to all the YMMB based training and charter outfits that I have known over the years that are all long gone. Maybe RVAC still exists but what about Schutts, Civils, Peninsula, Ken Sharp's GFS, Campbell-Hicks, Combined, Australian Air Charters, Airchart, Bassair, Flinders Is. Airways, Phoenix, John Corrells, Nicholas Skyways, Jayrow, Pipair, Peter Bini and numerous others that came after I stopped frequenting Moorabbin. Essendon and Bankstown the same.
All have in common is leaving people without jobs.

Wow. What a list of names. Deja Vu, eh? :)

I was an instructor at RVAC at the end of the 80's and so also a customer at a lot of those places.

Neel Khokhani is a crook, plain and simple. I recall he said to me about the Scoopon/Groupon vouchers for TIF's, "I don't care if the customer never redeems their voucher as I already have their money". This summarises his attitude completely. The majority of these "TIF's" were sold to inbound Chinese tourists who couldn't even speak English let alone have an interest in learning to fly. It is ILLEGAL to advertise and operate JOY FLIGHTS in RA aircraft. Hence why they were marketed as "TIF's". Neel was obviously operating ILLEGALLY for many years and the authorities CASA and RAAus did NOTHING about it. TIME FOR THE FEDERAL POLICE TO FIND THIS ****** AND TAKE ALL HIS ILL GOTTEN MONEY, THEN EITHER DEPORT HIM OR PUT HIM IN JAIL FOR LIFE!

Mods, this post is not slander, it is the truth. I was there. I know this to be the true facts.