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Old 27th Nov 2004, 18:50
  #41 (permalink)  
 
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I passed all exams at first attempt with Bristol and can actually remember enough from their notes and lectures to have been recently offered a job. I think that just because some students choose to recommend their school does not neccessarily imply that there is some sort of dirty tricks campaign or conspiracy. I was directed towards BGS as a result of recommendations and I would unreservedly recommend them myself. BGS are an excellent school. Can we move on?
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Old 27th Nov 2004, 19:19
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Keith, you are becoming a compulsive/obsessive. The results we publish are the CAA results, as issued. We make no claim beyond that. Nor have we ever claimed that posts here have any significance beyond that of students individual views. All of this is in the public domain and perfectly clear to all prospective students. We do not manipulate posts, nor post ourselves using pseudonyms.

You have a bee in your bonnet and you imply continually the we are somehow manipulating these posts and figures to falsify our achievement. Read carefully. We do not. It is all in your mind.

Get off our backs and try to behave like an adult, and not a spoilt child. We run a good school. See if you can help your school to do better.

You are a figure of fun, but there is an evil side to your snide remarks. Go read some of the trash you have posted and think again.

Dick W
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Old 27th Nov 2004, 19:41
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Keith,

The meaning behind the posting of good reviews on BGS is simple.

A person (who shall remain nameless) pays their money in anticipation of a sevice, goes to BGS, receives said anticipated service and goes home happy they got their moneys worth. If they have worked hard while at Bristol the likelihood is they will pass their exams.

Someone then starts a thread on pprune asking for opinions on BGS. Our hero from the paragraph above notices said thread, and replies - 'Bristol are a good school', or along the lines of.

The moral of the story, and the hidden meaning of all similar posts - Bristol are a good school.
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Old 27th Nov 2004, 20:13
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Peggy Murphy is a bloke? You can't rely on anything nowadays.
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Old 27th Nov 2004, 22:55
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Alex,
You know me.
You know the big aussie fella. He reckons your school's one of the best he's ever seen. He knocked off 14 JAR ATPL exams in 2 months. Ok, he was hung over or asleep in some of the lectures but he still maintains you guys are pretty good.
He would answer this himself but he's on earlies. (orange 737 mob)
Cheers
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Old 27th Nov 2004, 23:25
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Keith

Who gives a rat's ar*e whether all the statistics have been published or not? afterall BGS are releasing into the public domain no more or no less than any other GS, end of the day if you are going to spend money on something then word of mouth goes a long way in ensuring you are spending it in the right area, it's the same as employing somebody, no matter how good they are at the interview, or how well they come across, or how well they do in pre employment exams etc who knows who or what you are taking on but if someone or some people recommend them this goes a long way.
Im starting with BGS in Jan /Feb (they don't know it yet ) and the reason I chose BGS over and above say OAT is due to the fact that alot of people have taken the time to give feedback on this forum (coupled with the fact that I dont live a horendous distance from them) and as you say, I can't remember seeing copious amounts of feedback from any other Ground School provider.

D.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 00:25
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Hey you lot, calm down!

I live a hell of a long way away and still chose BGS after researching them on PPRuNe, Delta Wun Wun's experience is pretty much the same as mine - I failed one exam (by 1 Q) first mod and then 2 (again by 1 Q each) on the second mod. I only have myself to blame though!

After reading other PPRuNers' glowing success stories with BGS I admit I felt a bit down and didn't bother posting after I finished the exams (even though I got a 90% average with the other 11 1st time passes).

However, I really must say that I absolutely made the right choice of school. These guys are the bees knees when it comes to getting you through these exams. The collective knowledge and professional experience of these people is staggering.

I also enjoyed my time there immensely

I admit this thread is getting better than mud wrestling as a spectator sport but Keith, Alex and Dick - you guys are really not doing yourselves any favours right now. Bearing in mind it was PPRuNe that helped me choose BGS for my study, and spend rather a lot of cash on books from Mr Williams (all good!), I'm not sure prospective students will be impressed by some of the comments you have been making to each other. I'm sorry to say it would put me off.

Haul.

Last edited by Haul By Cable; 28th Nov 2004 at 00:37.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 01:11
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I must agree with the above sentiment. None of you are doing yourselves any favours by bickering openly in public.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 08:46
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I find it quite fascinating, but entirely predictable, that to even suggest that readers look carefully at this matter is inerpreted as an attack on BGS. It most certainly is not.

This string started with a reader asking for views on BGS. After 3 supportive replies, he decided to do his training there. This suggests that far too little thought is being given to the significance of such posts. I have no problem with people choosing to do their training at BG. But I do believe that they should look very carefully at the matter before choosing any school, including BGS.

Truthmaster then suggested that BGS actually creates supportive posts by using a range of pseudonyms. In my first post I disagreed with him, and stated that:

"I do not believe that the large number of posts supporting BGS in this forum are the product of any skullduggery on the part of Alex and his staff. I suspect that they really are produced by happy BGS customers. But readers must be careful in intrepreting them."

I then went on to suggest that the whole subject required more thought. This is not an attack on anyone, but merely stating what should be blindingly obvious.

Dick Whitingham (after indulging in a little personal abuse) then stated that:

"You have a bee in your bonnet and you imply continually the we are somehow manipulating these posts and figures to falsify our achievement. Read carefully. We do not. It is all in your mind."

This is quite simply the opposite to what I have done. As illustrated above, I actually stated that I do not believe that BGS is manipulating posts. I also stated that:

"we might perhaps see that BGS figures are no more and no less reliable than those of any other school. "

BitMoreRightRudder
Your comments are entirely logical as far as they go, but you have failed to look at the wider picture. As I stated earlier, virtually all posts supporting schools in this forum refer to BGS. If we use your logic then this means that only BGS produces happy successful customers. Even a little thought should make you realise that this cannot be true. A little more thought might then bring you to consider what it is about BGS students (note that I use the term BGS students and not BGS) that makes them more disposed to make posts, than those of all of the other schools put together. I do not claim to have the definitive answer to this question. All I am suggesting is that the question exists and readers should consider it.

Deano, then stated:
"afterall BGS are releasing into the public domain no more or no less than any other GS,"

Yes Deano, that is exactly my point. The BGS statistics are no more and no less reliable or informative than those of any other school.


Those readers who feel that my cotributions to this string have been an attack on BGS should go back to the start and read them all again.

All that I have been suggesting is that readers should look very carefully at the meanings of posts in this forum and should recognise the fact that none of the statistics produced by any of the schools are any more or less reliable than those of their competitors.

If PrecisionLandings turns out to a successful BGS students then that is fine. But if he finds distance learning to difficult or the class sizes at BGS too large, then he might well wish that he had given the matter rather more thought before making his decision.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 09:02
  #50 (permalink)  
 
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Keith

I'm in no way implying that you are attacking BGS, I'm not even saying I disagree with your comments because I do not, what you are saying is absolutely spot on, I just think maybe your reading into this whole affair too deeply, if no students from other GS providers can be bothered (for whatever reason) to post positive feedback here then thats not BGS's fault (I know your not implying it is).
I do think if Precisionlandings has decided to go with BGS on a mere 3 replies of positive feedback that this is a little irresponsible, I did a comprehensive search on BGS on these forums and read the posts over a day (yes there are quite a number of positive replies) and I also browsed the CD they offer before making a decision, it was a tossup between OAT & BGS and BGS came out trumps.
Your spot on what you say but if the only feedback we get here is mainly from BGS students what more can one do?

D.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 09:29
  #51 (permalink)  

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It's been fascinating to watch this artillery duel (an almost exact repeat of one a couple of weeks ago) and, no doubt, a repeat of ones that have happened before.

I expect that the same question that started it will come up again in a couple of week’s time too.

What happens in the rest of the world is that there is an independent report by an independent analysts firm that gives all the facts and everybody can agree with because it is independent.

It would also save a lot of people repeating the same set of research week after week so would be a great service to the potential customers (of them all) as well.

At the end of the day, it is a fair bet that most of the GS supervised by the CAA are pretty good so the deciding factor will be what is right for the individual student.


h-r


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Old 28th Nov 2004, 10:33
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Keith

I'm not looking at the bigger picture because I fail to see one. I know a lot of ex Bristol students through my FTO, and others from attending the brush up courses. The vast majority passed their exams first time and every single person was more than satisfied with the tuition and support they received. I have never met an unhappy ex BGS student.

Bristol have deservedly built up a reputation of being a good school.

I am not suggesting that the other ground school providers are in any way inferior to BGS. They do seem to get more good press on these pages than any other school, but that good press is not without foundation.

What is it about BGS students that makes them more disposed to make posts? I can only suggest that it is satisfaction with Bristol's product, coupled with the fact that there seem to be more requests for opinions on BGS than most other schools.


If you receive good service, you tell people about it. That is all that is happening here.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 11:25
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For those who are interested in an explanation of the results charts, Alex has posted details on the Jals forum.

http://www.jals.co.uk/forum/showthre...=2568#post2568

What the stats include


First of all the stats are for ATPL(A) not (H), mainly because there aren't enough helicopter students for the results to be statistically significant, although they're obviously very significant for people that take them.

The stats come straight from the CAA, unedited. They include all exams taken by candidates who have their applications signed off by us, that is to say all our 'normal' students, all our re-sits and students who have completed what the CAA call 'remedial training' with us after coming from another school. They don't include certain military pilots and some pilots converting foreign ATPLs who don't need to do approved courses and who can apply for the exams without our sign-off. They would not include students who started training with us then completed their training and got signed off for the exams elsewhere or students from other schools that do a bit of one-to-one with Ken or Baz.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 11:53
  #54 (permalink)  
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Keith,

A little more thought might then bring you to consider what it is about BGS students (note that I use the term BGS students and not BGS) that makes them more disposed to make posts, than those of all of the other schools put together. I do not claim to have the definitive answer to this question. All I am suggesting is that the question exists and readers should consider it.
I think we all do consider it. The reasons I think that BGS students post their happiness is simply that BGS as a whole is very p-proon aware, with a terminal set-up that students log onto during breaks. Not to mention that there are a fair number of students. The whole setup exudes high sprits and good nature with many people keeping in contact with each other and knowing each other's p-proon handles. I think it a genuine comment to say that everything about the BGS experience is positive.

This is not meant to say that other schools are not the same, but that is my reasoning. If you want the definitive answer I suggest the other schools start looking inward.

Last edited by High Wing Drifter; 28th Nov 2004 at 12:21.
 
Old 28th Nov 2004, 13:41
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For goodness sake!

Keith I feel I must reply again now, and reinforce what Deano777, BMRR and HWD have said above.

Up to the point of my last post I felt that you, Alex and Dick all had valid comments but now you really are standing out as having an axe to grind or a bad case of sour grapes. I do not know if you are independent or work for a ground school provider (perhaps EPTA?).
I find it quite fascinating, but entirely predictable, that to even suggest that readers look carefully at this matter is inerpreted as an attack on BGS. It most certainly is not.
... I think you must be a bit miffed at BGS really otherwise you wouldn't view posts like mine as suggesting you're attacking BGS - thou protesteth too much.

At the end of the day, what the hell does it matter if people choose to go to BGS as a result of comments on PPRuNe? They won't be disappointed. Give students a bit of credit for intelligence- you have to have some in this game. Most sane adults listen to other peoples' experiences, contact a school themselves and then make their own minds up.

If this bothers you why don't you do what most schools do (if you indeed do work for one, I'm not sure) and recommend your students to pass the word around if they had a good experience - trust me, bad news travels a hell of a damn site faster than good!!

Take a step back and have a think about it.

By they way, I thought the binders I bought from you were really good, don't go ruining your own business by making a fuss about somebody elses.

Kind regards,

Haul.

P.S. Incase this post really get's your blood-up even more, I want to make it clear that I have read this thread through more than once and I do understand your point. I just thought you and Dick should know better.

Last edited by Haul By Cable; 28th Nov 2004 at 14:18.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 15:38
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Nothing in this string has "got my blood up". I have read and contributed to it in an entirely dispassionate manner.

Judging by recent posts I have even achieved my objective in that some readers and contributers have finally taken a closer look at the reasons for the high rate of good press for BGS in this forum.

Some have even come to realise that this is at least to some extent due to:

a. BGS encouraging students to make such posts.

and

b. A larger than normal proportion of BGS students being regular pprune posters.

We have also obtained recognition that BGS statistics are no more or less valid than those of any other school. I am sure that this comes as something of a surprise to many readers.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 16:17
  #57 (permalink)  
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Regarding Keith's point A), I was a very happy customer of BGS and am quite happy to endorse them on PPRuNe, however it was never suggested I should do so. In fact, the only mention of PPRuNe during my total of 4 weeks study by the BGS management was by Alex mentioning in passing he researched a technical point through the Tech forum.

I'm not sure about Keith's point B) either. I find no evidence that BGS customers are more or less likely to PPRuNe. You may find more endorsements on PPRuNe than any other groundschool, but this is down to:-

i) With the possible exception of Oxford, BGS get more people through their ATPLs than any other groundschool. They are the market leader.

ii) The product is excellent. The manuals are very well written and printed. I can't comment about the CD-ROM, as this was only still in an embryonic state during my ATPLs. The no-nonsense teaching style during the brush-up sessions is just the ticket. BGS's bank of feedback was pretty comprehensive during my time and has likely improved further.

iii) Alex and the team are a friendly, down to earth bunch and don't foster a pretentious atmosphere like some other training providers.

Just to be even handed, I have used some of EPTA's services, and was very impressed with the MCC in particular.

Last edited by Gin Slinger; 28th Nov 2004 at 16:29.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 16:19
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Hello Keith.Williams

I've been a student of Bristol's since November 2001, yes 2001.

Because of doing shift work at Manchester Airport and doing an average
50 - 60 hours a week, I found it difficult to get up to my study reading.
At one point I actually stop studying for about a year.

I decided to get a grip of things a crack on from where I had left off.

I sat the module 1 brush up in Jan 2004, exams February and failed Gen Nav and Met.

Resat and passed Met in May, failed Gen Nav for a 2nd time by 2%.

Started mod 2 correspondence and sat mod 2 brush up in September 2004

Exams October, failed Principles of flight.

Will be resitting Gen Nav and POF December 6th and 8th 2004.

Who do I blame??? me.

Would I of done it any different??? no, I can't afford to give up work.

Would I recommend BGS??? yes yes yes yes yes yes.

Did I give up??? no.

Do I have any issues about BGS that I'm not happy with??? no.

Can I comment about any other school??? no.

Just one question Keith, do you work for, EPTA or OAT.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 16:20
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???

We have also obtained recognition that BGS statistics are no more or less valid than those of any other school. I am sure that this comes as something of a surprise to many readers.
I can only presume that this is irony. I don't think anyone ever questioned the validity of any school's results except you..and your query has been proved unwarranted.
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Old 28th Nov 2004, 16:57
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What a load of rubbish.

BGS never encouraged anyone to post on PPRuNe whilst I was there.

High Wing Drifter said that BGS was very PPRuNe aware and indeed I learnt about PPRuNe whilst I was there on Module 2. It was other students who told me about it, not BGS staff.

The terminal is indeed available for anyone to use but whilst I was there students were using it to check their email accounts and flights home, coupled with a few laugh's on SimRadar, I don't recall PPRuNe being visited.

If you put 5 wannabies who are aware of PPRuNe in the mess room with 40 other wannabies then PPRuNe is likely to come up in conversation and the good word will spread.

Why Keith and Alex need to argue with each other all the time is beyond me. Both schools are aimed at different markets. I live in Bournemouth but I didn't even consider EPTA because I have a huge mortgage to pay so I had to keep working, therefore full time groundschool was not an option. I did not consider a distance course from Bournemouth either as I figured that there would be too many distractions during the brush up, therefore being stuck in a B & B in Somerset seemed the best option. I was also advised by the CFI at my flying school that Bristol were a good groundschool and BGS came out on top for me after I’d looked at all the different options.

The subject of large classes at BGS keeps getting thrown around by Keith. I don't see that it matters how large the class is so long as each individual’s questions get answered. The instructors will stay behind after class for as long as is required in order to make sure that the student is happy with the subject. The instructors even give out their home phone numbers in case of panic attacks after the brush up has finished.

I keep supporting Bristol as I was very happy with their service. They enabled me to get 14 first time passes with an average of 93%. I've been out of full time education for 11 years, I got below average grades at GCSE and I failed my BTEC ONC in Electrical and Electronic engineering which I attended on day release from my apprenticeship. By my reckoning that makes BGS a good bet and I would recommend them to anyone. Had I of studied at another groundschool and been just as impressed I would obviously be writing about them now.

It annoys me when you get people like pseudonym66 abusing this system. His first ever post is "No not Bristol" when he didn't even go there. He likes GTS, so fine tell us about GTS, show us some students who got good results (preferably not more first time posting pseudonyms) and maybe people will consider them over Bristol.

Let's try and answer people’s questions about groundschools with honest opinions of students who have actual experience and keep the fighting between schools out of these threads.

Wow I'll climb down off of my soapbox now.

SW
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