Baltic Aviation Academy
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Reading this brain dead rebuttal made me realize that only someone as daft as a Baa administration staff can come up with this. After a reverse IP searching the fake user, I found that this comment was written by Lina the head of groundschool in Baa training. Notice how she actually doesn’t deny anything on the forum, but instead take no accountability and shifts the blame to others and insults students after emptying their bank accounts.
To the people interested in Baa read that comment carefully, it’s first hand experience of what you will go through when you will join this mafia of an organization.
youare trying to shift responsibility of making bad hiring decisions. That is Baas responsibility and this scandal shows that Baa hires anyone and everyone without proper checks. This is further seen in your case Lina , you have no previous experience in aviation nor any relevant education but here you are as the head of ground school of a flight school.
Yes and you are the cause of it. No airline outside of Avia Solutions, which is the company which owns you, is willing to hire ANY Baa student because they don’t want to be associated with the scandals you put yourself into, and they also know that Baa doesn't have ANY standards whatsoever when it comes to recruiting this is why Baa graduates are always on the bottom of the CV pile in job application. Unemployment is a HUGE problem amongst Baa graduates and 90% don’t even get a job as an airline pilot as demonstrated here, here, here and here
Not even rayanair accepts Baa students unless they cover up their bad training with a fancy Rayanair APS MCC.
People pay from 70k-110k to train in your institution, and here you are acting surprised when you grab all of that money, and deliver sh1t training and send them down the road of unemployment.
And you did nothing to amend those issues. No apology, no money back, absolutely nothing. And after emptying students bank accounts, and making them unemployable here you are insulting them on PPRuNE. Despicable.
And same issues persist. You can rarely deliver the course to anyone in the time you promise. There are even some people who have crossed the 3 year mark…
Enlighten us? What have you changed to improve? Nothing has changed in the management, you were a villain yesterday, you still are today and you will be one tomorrow.
The current situation is that people have called out your lies so there are less people joining, and you have as many students flying as much as I have fingers in my left hand (I have 4 fingers). you are reducing your fleet, you are selling your aircrafts and you are flying in the foggiest city in spain and you maximum capacity for students is 4.
EASA is a safety organization , not an educational one. This is why flight schools should hire qualified personnel and not people with bachelors in arts.
YOU are the ones who create these small margins by exploiting loopholes, because YOUR training program which YOU have created to save money at the expense of quality allows for MAXIMUM delays with a student receiving bare MINIMUM hours and inconsistent training.
The fact that you make students fly ONLY 4 flights on the aircraft type which they will have their final and MOST IMPORTANT exam on as student pilots stands testament to your horrible quality training. Not to mention how cheekily you cut costs at the expense of quality by shoving an MCC course in between these last 4 flights, saving yourself from the expense of delivering REAL FLIGHT TIME and giving SIMULATOR HOURS instead. Also those simulators are meant for type rating and real pilots who work at airlines already, not Baa flight school atpl students, they are the last priority therefore it takes them 3-4 months to complete the last stage of the training due to the simulators being booked 247 for outsiders. Massive delays along with, inconsistent flying with huge gaps in between paves a path of bad preparation for the final exam for the license which leads failure and this is all because of your poor quality cost cutting curriculum.
In NO REGULATION is it written that you have to do MCC before the final exam, but we all know why you do things this way.
Because no other training company has such a horrible record of delivering sooo many unsuccessful cadet programs. 2 of the airlines in those unsuccessful cadet programs were owned by the same company which owns you (avion express and small planet). Stop trying to act like you have no affiliation, when you clearly do.
LOT cadet program was 10k more expensive than the integrated training. Did you return the money to the cadets when LOT did not take those cadets on? No, You took the money and delivered unemployment.
The only successful cadet program you have is smartlynx, which has a huge student drop out rate, because no one wants to fly 50 hours per year with a salary of 50 euros per flying day.
This is not what your latest advertisement campaign says.
Are you talking from experience when you tried to dogwhistle a rayanair affiliation, but then deleted the article on your website after getting called out by them?
You mean like this? And this? And this?
You are just mad about the fact that people here can talk openly against your KGB management style run organization. Your damage control on instagram, deleting google reviews, shutting down students, ignoring messages doesn’t work here on these forums.
And now that people see through your ‘job guarantees’ and ‘cadet programs’, they see having Baa in a CV is equal to unemployment, your bare minimum training, 3rd class fleet, disgusting base choice and upper management attitude towards paying customers has caused a significant decrease in new customers.
I can see that the 3 students on avg enrollment rate per class is definitely making you burn which is why you have come to bless us with your lack of wisdom in these forums in the first place. There is a significant pushback already against your ad campaign, with numerous meme pages and tik tok accounts ridiculing your training school.
All in all this was a very sad attempt of you to come to this forum because all it did was show that you are indeed the top 3 from the bottom in the european flight school business.
To the people interested in Baa read that comment carefully, it’s first hand experience of what you will go through when you will join this mafia of an organization.
I wonder, how the private affairs of a part-time employee can be reflected on the whole company? Your point makes absolutely no sense.. Instructor had a side hustle and got caught doing something questionable, that is on him. The only reason why BAA was mentioned in all of this is that he sometimes works for them as an instructor.. It is crazy how you can point a narrative just one way
Not even rayanair accepts Baa students unless they cover up their bad training with a fancy Rayanair APS MCC.
People pay from 70k-110k to train in your institution, and here you are acting surprised when you grab all of that money, and deliver sh1t training and send them down the road of unemployment.
And you did nothing to amend those issues. No apology, no money back, absolutely nothing. And after emptying students bank accounts, and making them unemployable here you are insulting them on PPRuNE. Despicable.
And same issues persist. You can rarely deliver the course to anyone in the time you promise. There are even some people who have crossed the 3 year mark…
Enlighten us? What have you changed to improve? Nothing has changed in the management, you were a villain yesterday, you still are today and you will be one tomorrow.
YOU are the ones who create these small margins by exploiting loopholes, because YOUR training program which YOU have created to save money at the expense of quality allows for MAXIMUM delays with a student receiving bare MINIMUM hours and inconsistent training.
The fact that you make students fly ONLY 4 flights on the aircraft type which they will have their final and MOST IMPORTANT exam on as student pilots stands testament to your horrible quality training. Not to mention how cheekily you cut costs at the expense of quality by shoving an MCC course in between these last 4 flights, saving yourself from the expense of delivering REAL FLIGHT TIME and giving SIMULATOR HOURS instead. Also those simulators are meant for type rating and real pilots who work at airlines already, not Baa flight school atpl students, they are the last priority therefore it takes them 3-4 months to complete the last stage of the training due to the simulators being booked 247 for outsiders. Massive delays along with, inconsistent flying with huge gaps in between paves a path of bad preparation for the final exam for the license which leads failure and this is all because of your poor quality cost cutting curriculum.
In NO REGULATION is it written that you have to do MCC before the final exam, but we all know why you do things this way.
LOT cadet program was 10k more expensive than the integrated training. Did you return the money to the cadets when LOT did not take those cadets on? No, You took the money and delivered unemployment.
The only successful cadet program you have is smartlynx, which has a huge student drop out rate, because no one wants to fly 50 hours per year with a salary of 50 euros per flying day.
This is not what your latest advertisement campaign says.
Sure, there are some minor issues, but nothing so dramatic that makes you say "reputation has been down to the ground" .
All in all, since it actually is a rumor network, I guess it is pretty obvious as to what type of people come here Cheers, and happy pilot's day guys!
All in all, since it actually is a rumor network, I guess it is pretty obvious as to what type of people come here
Cheers, and happy pilot's day guys!And now that people see through your ‘job guarantees’ and ‘cadet programs’, they see having Baa in a CV is equal to unemployment, your bare minimum training, 3rd class fleet, disgusting base choice and upper management attitude towards paying customers has caused a significant decrease in new customers.
I can see that the 3 students on avg enrollment rate per class is definitely making you burn which is why you have come to bless us with your lack of wisdom in these forums in the first place. There is a significant pushback already against your ad campaign, with numerous meme pages and tik tok accounts ridiculing your training school.
All in all this was a very sad attempt of you to come to this forum because all it did was show that you are indeed the top 3 from the bottom in the european flight school business.
Last edited by lleidapilot; 11th May 2023 at 11:01.
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They were and now are hiring because they LACK PILOTS , but BAA LOT guys and girls are not being taken in, not even for an interview, definitely shows that there is something wrong or something is going on behind the scenes with BAA!
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As for the unique BAA Training cadet program and the job guarantee it offers, we want to assure you that it is neither a scam nor an exaggeration. The advertisements we post are not misleading. While it is true that students cannot choose the specific airline they will work for in advance, we take our obligation to provide job placements at one of the Group's sister companies seriously.
BAA Training is in a unique position of having sister airlines, owned by the same group. These include Avion Express, Smartlynx, Blue Bird Cargo, Klasjet and most recently Air Explore. The total fleet for this year is around 180 aircraft, a mix of A320 and B737. These airlines all together employ more than 1800 pilots and will continue to expand.
In the rare event that we are unable to fulfill this commitment, we provide the compensation outlined in the agreement.
We remain committed to providing the best opportunities for our cadets, and while these exceptional circumstances may occur, we continuously strive to ensure their success by maintaining strong partnerships and adapting to the ever-changing aviation landscape.
BAA Training is in a unique position of having sister airlines, owned by the same group. These include Avion Express, Smartlynx, Blue Bird Cargo, Klasjet and most recently Air Explore. The total fleet for this year is around 180 aircraft, a mix of A320 and B737. These airlines all together employ more than 1800 pilots and will continue to expand.
In the rare event that we are unable to fulfill this commitment, we provide the compensation outlined in the agreement.
We remain committed to providing the best opportunities for our cadets, and while these exceptional circumstances may occur, we continuously strive to ensure their success by maintaining strong partnerships and adapting to the ever-changing aviation landscape.
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Regarding our flight school fleet, BAA Training currently operates a fleet of 7 single-engine Cessna 172S aircraft, of which two are undergoing extended maintenance. Additionally, we currently have 1 own Tecnam 2006 MEP and 1 rented one, bringing the total to 2. By the end of June 2023, we will have a total of 3 rented MEPs, as the owned one is currently for sale because of our intention is to acquire a Piper Seminole in 2024. While we do not currently utilize our own MEP because it is not currently a financially viable solution, we have found an alternative solution that ensures sufficient capacity to accommodate students and allows them to continue their flight training. Most of the flight training, specifically 142 hours, is conducted on a Cessna 172S, while an additional 14 hours are flown on an MEP aircraft.
BAA Training's flight school has pursued a fleet upgrade plan, and as of January 2023, all single-engine training is conducted using the Cessna 172S aircraft with the G1000 avionics system. According to our plans, we will be increasing our C172S fleet during 2023 and 2024.This decision was made to take advantage of the improved technology, safety features, fuel efficiency, and performance offered by this aircraft model. Next year, we will introduce multi-engine Piper Seminole aircraft into our fleet.These aircraft will have modern avionics, including glass cockpit displays and integrated navigation systems. Importantly, the Piper Seminole shares the same model of engines as the Cessna 172S (Lycoming engines), which will streamline our engine maintenance processes.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
BAA Training's flight school has pursued a fleet upgrade plan, and as of January 2023, all single-engine training is conducted using the Cessna 172S aircraft with the G1000 avionics system. According to our plans, we will be increasing our C172S fleet during 2023 and 2024.This decision was made to take advantage of the improved technology, safety features, fuel efficiency, and performance offered by this aircraft model. Next year, we will introduce multi-engine Piper Seminole aircraft into our fleet.These aircraft will have modern avionics, including glass cockpit displays and integrated navigation systems. Importantly, the Piper Seminole shares the same model of engines as the Cessna 172S (Lycoming engines), which will streamline our engine maintenance processes.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
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no one gives a single eff which instructors go where, the most dangerous part of this academy is it’s ability to draw in students through fake airline partnerships ie. the recent vueling program, because ultimately this is what people look for at the end of their training. a guaranteed job offer despite problems with fleet training equipment staff
GUYS BAA TRAINING HAS A HISTORY OF DELIVERING UNSUCCESSFUL CADET PROGRAMS, IT ALL STARTED WITH SMALL PLANET CADET PROGRAM (NO ONE GOT A JOB WITH SMALL PLANET) THEN IT WENT TO AVION EXPRESS CADET PROGRAM WHICH IS OWNED BY THE SAME PARENT COMPANY AS BAA (NO ONE AGAIN GOT A JOB) AND NOW THE LATEST VICTIMS HAVE BEEN LOT POLISH AIRLINE CADETS WHO ALSO DID NOT GET A JOB. I HOPE ANYONE WITH 3 BRAINCELLS EVEN CONSIDERING THE FAKE VUELING PROGRAM CAN SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING AND THIS PATTERN OF CADETS NOT GETTING A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAA TRAINING GOT THEIR MONEY CADETS DIDNT GET THE JOB!!!!!!!
GUYS BAA TRAINING HAS A HISTORY OF DELIVERING UNSUCCESSFUL CADET PROGRAMS, IT ALL STARTED WITH SMALL PLANET CADET PROGRAM (NO ONE GOT A JOB WITH SMALL PLANET) THEN IT WENT TO AVION EXPRESS CADET PROGRAM WHICH IS OWNED BY THE SAME PARENT COMPANY AS BAA (NO ONE AGAIN GOT A JOB) AND NOW THE LATEST VICTIMS HAVE BEEN LOT POLISH AIRLINE CADETS WHO ALSO DID NOT GET A JOB. I HOPE ANYONE WITH 3 BRAINCELLS EVEN CONSIDERING THE FAKE VUELING PROGRAM CAN SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING AND THIS PATTERN OF CADETS NOT GETTING A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAA TRAINING GOT THEIR MONEY CADETS DIDNT GET THE JOB!!!!!!!
In the past, we collaborated with LOT Polish Airlines, Wizz Air, and Turkish Airlines for cadet programs. The vast majority of Wizz Air and Turkish Airlines cadets (182 in total) were successfully employed by the respective airlines after the program completion.
While we acknowledge the current limitations in the diversity of our cadet programs compared to our previous offerings, we approach this situation with determination and commitment. We continuously strive to adapt and establish new partnerships with emerging airlines that express interest in collaborating with us, such as our collaboration with Vueling.
Regarding employment prospects for cadets upon completing their training, it is important to note that neither BAA Training nor the airline itself solely determines the outcome. Although the chances of immediate employment after program completion are typically high, often exceeding those of other programs, it is crucial to consider certain factors. Cadets receive an engagement letter from the airline, which outlines that job placement is contingent upon meeting all prescribed requirements and demonstrating the necessary skills, competence, and professionalism expected by the airline.
Regrettably, there are exceptional circumstances or extreme cases that can impact job outcomes, resulting from unforeseen factors. These factors may be changes in airline operations, financial challenges, fleet restructuring, or decreased demand. Additionally, force majeure events, such as global pandemics, can significantly disrupt the industry at large. Speaking of the latter, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, LOT Polish Airlines suspended their program, affecting the employment prospects for the nine BAA Training cadets who completed the ATPL Integrated part.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
Last edited by BAA Training; 3rd Jul 2023 at 11:43.
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onky because you mention us, I would like to clarify your comments about FlyBy and BAA.
It is our policy to never speak poorly of anyone… specially other flight schools. This post will follow those guidelines.
Yes, we hired 2 instructors that previously worked at BAA. One was a FlyBy graduated pilot that started working with us but went to work for them… and wanted to come back almost immediately but he stayed there for some years, if I am not mistaken.
The second instructor joined us un August and we are very happy with his performance.
There is a maintenance manager that also came from BAA to work with us but due to personal problems had to resign. I heard he may have gone back to BAA but I am not 100% sure.
Although we give preference to our students for TKI and FI positions, we also incorporate Instructors from other schools to support our growth. 4 instructors just started working with us recently
Several years ago, BAA contacted us for dry-lease of twin engines. We only offered to complete the ME training for them but we never agreed on the cost of the service so they went on to find a different solution
BAA has approached FlyBy in several occasions with different projects but we never found a mutually beneficial solution so have never worked with them
we don’t have any knowledge about the rest of the allegations presented here
FlyBy
It is our policy to never speak poorly of anyone… specially other flight schools. This post will follow those guidelines.
Yes, we hired 2 instructors that previously worked at BAA. One was a FlyBy graduated pilot that started working with us but went to work for them… and wanted to come back almost immediately but he stayed there for some years, if I am not mistaken.
The second instructor joined us un August and we are very happy with his performance.
There is a maintenance manager that also came from BAA to work with us but due to personal problems had to resign. I heard he may have gone back to BAA but I am not 100% sure.
Although we give preference to our students for TKI and FI positions, we also incorporate Instructors from other schools to support our growth. 4 instructors just started working with us recently
Several years ago, BAA contacted us for dry-lease of twin engines. We only offered to complete the ME training for them but we never agreed on the cost of the service so they went on to find a different solution
BAA has approached FlyBy in several occasions with different projects but we never found a mutually beneficial solution so have never worked with them
we don’t have any knowledge about the rest of the allegations presented here
FlyBy
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
Last edited by BAA Training; 3rd Jul 2023 at 11:51.
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Hi i am still in lleida, because actually I am from here. I live here and even though I graduated BAA 6 weeks ago , I am still very much in touch with what is happening at the flight school, because I meet my friends who are in the school daily, we live closeby (because they dont fly due to weather), please do not ignore my review, it still holds true . BAA are blatantly lying to you.
1. This is an outright lie. They are infact removing planes instead of adding them (selling tecnam p2002). They might have 8 planes 10 planes , but it does not matter, because only 3-4 flies and the rest is on the ground . And still, they do not have a single multi engine aircraft. Ask the management where is their multiengine aircraft, why are they advertising 2 if they have 0?
2. Then why is their own multiengine aircraft still on the ground waiting to be fixed?
3. I love that they quote student instructor ratio, ask them numbers, how many instructors they have and how many students? Turns out they dont have a lot of students nor instructors , which is why they are quoting a ratio and not a number. And also ask them how many instructors they had in 2021 or beginning of 2022? why did they leave ?
4. nop.lies. ask them about statistics from previous years
5. HAHAHA , ask them again about previous students, even famous ones from instagram- luke flood how long was his delay? pilotjonathan how long was his delay? actually you dont need to ask this because they posted their school timeline on instragram and publically so you can see when they started groundschool and when they finished. ask them why is everyone complaining about delay, is everyone lazy? BAA is dilligent XD ?
6. Its a small town with a university, good luck with acommodation, because university students take most of it. It is also quite unsafe. trust me I am from here.
If you really want to see the crux of the situation, ask them to send you a contract so you can read it. It has one million things about delays and how it is not BAA’s fault, they dont want to take any responsibility.
1. This is an outright lie. They are infact removing planes instead of adding them (selling tecnam p2002). They might have 8 planes 10 planes , but it does not matter, because only 3-4 flies and the rest is on the ground . And still, they do not have a single multi engine aircraft. Ask the management where is their multiengine aircraft, why are they advertising 2 if they have 0?
2. Then why is their own multiengine aircraft still on the ground waiting to be fixed?
3. I love that they quote student instructor ratio, ask them numbers, how many instructors they have and how many students? Turns out they dont have a lot of students nor instructors , which is why they are quoting a ratio and not a number. And also ask them how many instructors they had in 2021 or beginning of 2022? why did they leave
?4. nop.lies. ask them about statistics from previous years
5. HAHAHA , ask them again about previous students, even famous ones from instagram- luke flood how long was his delay? pilotjonathan how long was his delay? actually you dont need to ask this because they posted their school timeline on instragram and publically so you can see when they started groundschool and when they finished. ask them why is everyone complaining about delay, is everyone lazy? BAA is dilligent XD ?
6. Its a small town with a university, good luck with acommodation, because university students take most of it. It is also quite unsafe. trust me I am from here.
If you really want to see the crux of the situation, ask them to send you a contract so you can read it. It has one million things about delays and how it is not BAA’s fault, they dont want to take any responsibility.
Apart from the number of training aircraft available, the total training duration is also subject to students' progress, instructor availability, and weather conditions. Therefore, it is challenging to provide a definitive timeline for when a student will complete the program. However, on average, our students complete both ground school and flight school in 18 months when training in-class and 20 months when training remotely. It's important to note that some deviations are occasionally unavoidable, and there are cases where students may complete classroom-based training in 20 months. However, we are proud to announce that recently we have been surpassing our own records, with some students completing the program in just 17-17.5 months.
It is worth noting that training disruptions partially occurred due to a severe storm that occurred in Lleida during the summer of last year. This natural hazard caused damage to our maintenance facilities and aircraft, leading to the temporary cancellation of flight training operations. During this period, we had to rely on external providers to perform maintenance on our aircraft, as our own facilities were destroyed. However, prompt action was taken to address the consequences of the storm, resulting in the swift resolution of the issue and the restoration of operational capacity. The flight school has since resumed its operations smoothly, providing uninterrupted training to our students.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
Last edited by BAA Training; 3rd Jul 2023 at 11:54.
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As for the unique BAA Training cadet program and the job guarantee it offers, we want to assure you that it is neither a scam nor an exaggeration. The advertisements we post are not misleading. While it is true that students cannot choose the specific airline they will work for in advance, we take our obligation to provide job placements at one of the Group's sister companies seriously.
BAA Training is in a unique position of having sister airlines, owned by the same group. These include Avion Express, Smartlynx, Blue Bird Cargo, Klasjet and most recently Air Explore. The total fleet for this year is around 180 aircraft, a mix of A320 and B737. These airlines all together employ more than 1800 pilots and will continue to expand.
In the rare event that we are unable to fulfill this commitment, we provide the compensation outlined in the agreement.
We remain committed to providing the best opportunities for our cadets, and while these exceptional circumstances may occur, we continuously strive to ensure their success by maintaining strong partnerships and adapting to the ever-changing aviation landscape.
BAA Training is in a unique position of having sister airlines, owned by the same group. These include Avion Express, Smartlynx, Blue Bird Cargo, Klasjet and most recently Air Explore. The total fleet for this year is around 180 aircraft, a mix of A320 and B737. These airlines all together employ more than 1800 pilots and will continue to expand.
In the rare event that we are unable to fulfill this commitment, we provide the compensation outlined in the agreement.
We remain committed to providing the best opportunities for our cadets, and while these exceptional circumstances may occur, we continuously strive to ensure their success by maintaining strong partnerships and adapting to the ever-changing aviation landscape.
You have helped no one get employed, in fact based on the linkedin profiles of your graduates, as shown in the screenshots above, it seems like having BAA in the CV keeps you from being employed as a pilot anywhere, unless you pay extra for retraining at another course provider, eg. at AFA MCC OR you already have hours on type.
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You kind of spelt this out yourself- you’re looking for the cheapest solutions, not for the best ones with training quality in mind.
The methodology of leasing planes from another school for a critical phase where you dont provide a lot of hours on a certain aircraft type in the first place, puts the students at a risk of failing their license skills test and you do this all because you can save a few bucks.
Not to mention that the amount of waiting is increased simply by the nature of leasing , as you are a lithuanian registered company leasing non lithuanian equipemnt. Students quality of training is downgraded due to your cost and quality cutting strategies. It is not uncommon for students to have a 1 month gap between their final flight on the MEP and the CPL skills test due to the simple fact that you do not own training equipment
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We acknowledge that certain instructors have departed from our organization, either due to receiving offers from airlines or choosing to pursue their instructing careers elsewhere. We respect the individual choices made by each instructor, as personal satisfaction can vary from person to person. At BAA Training, we do not compel anyone to remain against their will, but rather encourage personal growth and development for all. It is worth noting that a number of instructors opted to leave during the pandemic, as we were unable to provide them with the necessary flight hours to sustain their business operations.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
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BAA Training's flight school has pursued a fleet upgrade plan, and as of January 2023, all single-engine training is conducted using the Cessna 172S aircraft with the G1000 avionics system. According to our plans, we will be increasing our C172S fleet during 2023 and 2024.This decision was made to take advantage of the improved technology, safety features, fuel efficiency, and performance offered by this aircraft model. Next year, we will introduce multi-engine Piper Seminole aircraft into our fleet.These aircraft will have modern avionics, including glass cockpit displays and integrated navigation systems. Importantly, the Piper Seminole shares the same model of engines as the Cessna 172S (Lycoming engines), which will streamline our engine maintenance processes.
You're using the G1000 equipped c172 for single engine training for now, because currently there is no other airline, which will outsource it's training to you anymore. The only reason why you have so many in the first place was because Turkish airlines made you get them ,as they wanted an all glass cockpit for their students.
If it was not for Turkish Airlines, you'd still be making the students fly (broken) tecnams and get your fuel efficiency out of here
if you had any technical knowledge what so ever, you'd know that the tecnam is more fuel efficient than the cessna as it consumes less. You incompetent fools. And once again, you have been talking about this piper since 2018.
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Wizz air has stopped cooperating with BAA for ab initio training, long before COVID as they were unsatisfied with the training quality BAA was providing. Even now for type rating, the students which Wizz Air sends to BAA have the longest delays, finishing always many months after their peers who start at the same time at other locations.
Even now during the hiring boom, Wizz Air nor Turkish Airlines will not renew training contracts with BAA due to the fact that BAA doesn't have the quality nor the capacity to train anyone.
Again you fail to address the fact that it is only your school, where students pay for a job, but do not get it. There were many airlines and cadet programs going on and about pre-covid. Volotea with CAE, Aer Lingus with FTE Jerez, Easyjet with CAE.... how is it that before, during and after COVID, the cadets from those schools get jobs but from yours not. Not even in Avion Express, which is owned by the same company which owns you, as you have stated before. Your school is literally the only exception, where airlines cadets graduate unemployed and this is a FACT
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The fact of the matter is that no one has been employed through this method and those who contact and actively ask for updates within the pool get ignored. With tools such as linkedin and other social media it is not hard to see that the most recent graduated from BAA who do not
a) pay for a job with smart lynx (this company was rated the worst place to work as a pilot in europe in a survey with a sample size of 5000 pilots)
b) pay for retraining with another course provider ( AFA )
c) pay for type rating and time building on a jet (pay 2 fly)
remain unemployed. I have already provided the screenshots above and anyone reading can search up linkedin profiles of BAA graduates and see it for them selves.
There is no graduate job support program
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Lledapilot & Warlock1
Thank you guys for response !
I am definitely looking for other ATO. I contacted BAA about one year ago- and sure I am read all reviews! I've been constantly contacted by Ad-Initio Project Manager - very actively by the end of the year /beginning of this year. I did ask a questions and quoted some of the reviews from this trend. Interested what I got in response :
1. More planes been add to Lleida base - Tecnams and brand new C172 in addition to already 8 aircrafts up there. There is a plenty of aircrafts available and student- to-aircraft ratio no more than 5 to 1 ...
2. Sure we do aircraft maintenance at base in Lleda ! There was an some small issues with aircraft maintenance before - but we fixed everything!
3. We have a plenty of highly qualified instructors and we keeped at the student-to-instructor ratio of no more than 6 to 1...
4. Weather delays are minimum.
5. All students on time for program completion except those who lazy and not concentrating on study and flying.
6. Accommodations in Lleda is very affordable and you'll have a plenty to choose from...
As I can see they are lying about everything... I hope some of the students(or pilots) who is in Lleda now can posted honest report on what is going on upthere - so new guys not getting burn...
Thank you guys for response !
I am definitely looking for other ATO. I contacted BAA about one year ago- and sure I am read all reviews! I've been constantly contacted by Ad-Initio Project Manager - very actively by the end of the year /beginning of this year. I did ask a questions and quoted some of the reviews from this trend. Interested what I got in response :
1. More planes been add to Lleida base - Tecnams and brand new C172 in addition to already 8 aircrafts up there. There is a plenty of aircrafts available and student- to-aircraft ratio no more than 5 to 1 ...
2. Sure we do aircraft maintenance at base in Lleda ! There was an some small issues with aircraft maintenance before - but we fixed everything!
3. We have a plenty of highly qualified instructors and we keeped at the student-to-instructor ratio of no more than 6 to 1...
4. Weather delays are minimum.
5. All students on time for program completion except those who lazy and not concentrating on study and flying.
6. Accommodations in Lleda is very affordable and you'll have a plenty to choose from...
As I can see they are lying about everything... I hope some of the students(or pilots) who is in Lleda now can posted honest report on what is going on upthere - so new guys not getting burn...
Regarding our flight school fleet, BAA Training currently operates a fleet of 7 single-engine Cessna 172S aircraft, of which two are undergoing extended maintenance. Additionally, we currently have 1 own Tecnam 2006 MEP and 1 rented one, bringing the total to 2. According to our plans, we will be increasing our C172S fleet during 2023 and 2024.
Maintenance
We would like to emphasize that BAA Training operates its own Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) organization called Avia Repair Co, situated at Lleida International Airport, alongside our flight school facility.
Avia Repair Co specializes in high-quality maintenance activities, encompassing routine or pre-planned maintenance that is typically scheduled based on factors such as flight hours since the last maintenance check, the number of cycles, or the age of the aircraft. Additionally, the organization carries out ad-hoc maintenance tasks.
Regrettably, our maintenance capability was temporarily disrupted as a result of the aforementioned storm. However, we are pleased to inform you that since the end of February, our maintenance hangar is fully operational and functioning smoothly.
While it is true that we experienced flight cancellations due to technical issues, it is important to note that these decisions were made in adherence to safety protocols and to allow sufficient time for a comprehensive analysis of the situation. We prioritize the safety of our operations and ensure that necessary repairs are carried out effectively.
It is worth mentioning that the establishment of Avia Repair Co a couple of years ago did not introduce an entirely unfamiliar business field for BAA Training. As a member of the Avia Solutions Group (ASG), the parent company of BAA Training, we were already part of a group that operated twelve MRO organizations. This affiliation provides us with trusted resources, enabling knowledge sharing and robust spare parts supply support.
Furthermore, we have established partnerships with several MRO organizations that assist us in performing more complex maintenance tasks when necessary. These collaborations bolster our capabilities and allow us to deliver comprehensive maintenance solutions.
Instructors
The presence of active instructors at our Lleida base is influenced by several factors, including student enrollment and overall training demand. Consequently, instructor availability may vary depending on the season.
All of our ground and flight school instructors possess extensive qualifications, with a minimum educational background of a Bachelor's/Master's degree or even a Ph.D. Many of them bring diverse experiences to the table, having served as military pilots, air traffic controllers, Captains, glider pilots, and skydivers from a range of countries, including Lithuania, France, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Latvia, and more.
We take pride in our instructors' high level of expertise and their ability to impart their knowledge and practical insights to our students. Their varied backgrounds and wealth of experience contribute to a rich and diverse learning environment that prepares students for a successful career in aviation.
Location
As Lleida typically has mild winters, comfortable spring and autumn seasons, and warm but dry summers, students can expect a suitable climate for their training activities. Occassional unfavorable weather conditions, such as fog, are the most common reasons for flight cancellations. These conditions can be challenging to forecast and beyond our control. Additionally, cancellations may occur due to technical issues or identified maintenance requirements. We strongly encourage students to participate in briefings to gain insight into the reasons behind flight cancellations, as this is considered an integral part of the learning journey.
Program completion
It is challenging to provide a definitive timeline for when a student will complete the program. However, on average, our students complete both ground school and flight school in 18 months when training in-class and 20 months when training remotely. It's important to note that some deviations are occasionally unavoidable, and there are cases where students may complete classroom-based training in 20 months. However, we are proud to announce that recently we have been surpassing our own records, with some students completing the program in just 17-17.5 months.
Based on recent statistics, our student employment rate stands at 87%.
Accommodation
There are both campus accommodation options and hotels nearby to fit everyone's preferences and budget. Below are some examples:
· Campus University Residency of Lleida
· La Vila de Lleida Campus University
· Ibis Hotel
· Nastasi Hotel
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We understand that students may have experienced issues related to a limited number of training aircraft, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused. However, we assure you that the situation has now stabilized, and each student is allocated a fair amount of flight hours for their training.
Apart from the number of training aircraft available, the total training duration is also subject to students' progress, instructor availability, and weather conditions. Therefore, it is challenging to provide a definitive timeline for when a student will complete the program. However, on average, our students complete both ground school and flight school in 18 months when training in-class and 20 months when training remotely. It's important to note that some deviations are occasionally unavoidable, and there are cases where students may complete classroom-based training in 20 months. However, we are proud to announce that recently we have been surpassing our own records, with some students completing the program in just 17-17.5 months.
It is worth noting that training disruptions partially occurred due to a severe storm that occurred in Lleida during the summer of last year. This natural hazard caused damage to our maintenance facilities and aircraft, leading to the temporary cancellation of flight training operations. During this period, we had to rely on external providers to perform maintenance on our aircraft, as our own facilities were destroyed. However, prompt action was taken to address the consequences of the storm, resulting in the swift resolution of the issue and the restoration of operational capacity. The flight school has since resumed its operations smoothly, providing uninterrupted training to our students.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
Apart from the number of training aircraft available, the total training duration is also subject to students' progress, instructor availability, and weather conditions. Therefore, it is challenging to provide a definitive timeline for when a student will complete the program. However, on average, our students complete both ground school and flight school in 18 months when training in-class and 20 months when training remotely. It's important to note that some deviations are occasionally unavoidable, and there are cases where students may complete classroom-based training in 20 months. However, we are proud to announce that recently we have been surpassing our own records, with some students completing the program in just 17-17.5 months.
It is worth noting that training disruptions partially occurred due to a severe storm that occurred in Lleida during the summer of last year. This natural hazard caused damage to our maintenance facilities and aircraft, leading to the temporary cancellation of flight training operations. During this period, we had to rely on external providers to perform maintenance on our aircraft, as our own facilities were destroyed. However, prompt action was taken to address the consequences of the storm, resulting in the swift resolution of the issue and the restoration of operational capacity. The flight school has since resumed its operations smoothly, providing uninterrupted training to our students.
Kind Regards,
BAA Training team
.If your advertisement campaign were a success and you somehow managed to secure a large student intake, those students will go through the same issues as students had to go through before. You don't have the capacity to train more than 10 students for the flying phase and you would take any opportunity to f*** paying customers over for any given opportunity. The only reason why things seem to go 'smoothly' now is because the situation has changed- you finally get the amount of students which you can sort of handle. I say sort of, because you are still having trouble with the multi engine.
Your competitors are offering a wayy better deals, FlyBy in Burgos, with 21 planes of their own and the course price is full board, meaning that it includes accommodation, 3 meals a day, all 14 CAA exam costs, ICAO english proficiency test etc. AND they get what they are promised unlike you.
EAS Barcelona, the ones from whom you rent your fleet from offer top notch maintenance, have superior facilities and most important of all fly their own fleet in their own colors
FTE Jerez, full board, excellent fleet with minimal to no delays, successful placement of cadets in to their respective airlines. Despite companies such as Etihad outsourcing the ab initio training to them, just like turkish airlines did with you, they are able to manage smooth operations and provide fair treatment to all of their students equally, and we all know how this went in your company
and who received priority treatment. Moreover, in the end when a students hours are counted and if they have flown less than what they've paid for, they get their money returned in FTE. In yours nope. After going through the headache that you cause them in flight training, to receive a license you threat students to pay more or you do not issue the certificates for the issuance of the license.You are a mafia and no amount of apologies will convince anyone. You already gave us a superficial apology back in 2018
To all BAA Training current and future pilots,
Reacting to the current situation at our Ab Initio school, we apologize for inconveniences that we have caused you.
With the growing student number at our Ab Initio school, we have added 4 additional aircraft to our fleet and a flight base in Spain in order to extend our training capabilities. Nevertheless the number of force majeure situations that appeared during few past months left us with struggles to replan flight training schedule accordingly. We acknowledge facing longer delays of flight training than initially planned for approximately 14% of our current students.
Understanding the seriousness of the issue we have done a set of steps in order to change the situation and get back to the normal flight training schedule.
We are:
Reacting to the current situation at our Ab Initio school, we apologize for inconveniences that we have caused you.
With the growing student number at our Ab Initio school, we have added 4 additional aircraft to our fleet and a flight base in Spain in order to extend our training capabilities. Nevertheless the number of force majeure situations that appeared during few past months left us with struggles to replan flight training schedule accordingly. We acknowledge facing longer delays of flight training than initially planned for approximately 14% of our current students.
Understanding the seriousness of the issue we have done a set of steps in order to change the situation and get back to the normal flight training schedule.
We are:
- undergoing the selection processes for multi-engine and single-engine IRF and VFR instructors to join our team in December, January and February
- closing a purchase process for an additional Cessna 172 to join our fleet as we speak
- negotiating the purchase for one more Cessna 172 to be added in spring
- ready to transfer Tecnam 2006: as soon as the weather will allow the aircraft will depart from Vilnius to Lleida
you kept on and you keep on promising things, which you will not and cannot fulfill and this is a fact . None of the things which you have stated recently regarding job guarantees etc. can be backed by any sort of evidence, but the opposite- the fact that people remain unemployed as pilots after going to BAA is definitely provable
Face it BAA the reputation damage has been done and the only students who you will be getting are the ones not clever enough to do their research about your school ie. reading forums, your google reviews and talking to alumni. Thankfully there are only a few of them, but the ideal would be 0.
You have been completely exposed and there is literally nothing that you are offering.
G1000 planes? Many schools in Europe have them and the course price is a third of what you offer with 2000% better treatment
Cadet programs? LOT failed, Avion failed, Small planet failed.
Job guarantee? You cannot even guarantee jobs to your cadets so how can you guarantee a job to other guys. Very few people who graduate from the integrated course get called to an interview, let alone land a job (unless they pay for retraining somewhere else).
Talent pool? useless, no one get recommended anywhere and the people responsible for it don't even reply. No one has found a job through BAA through their talent pool
Airlines connections? NONE except the ones owned by your sister company, which have the worst employment conditions known to aviation in Europe. Avion express didn't even take their cadets from BAA, BlueBird is not even hiring anymore as they have a surplus of pilots and KlasJet's training is so bad that the pilot's don't even know how to manually land a plane and let's not even talk about the salaries
Fleet? You rent it from someone else who offers the same course for way cheaper
Instructors? One was caught transporting parts illegally to Russia and you don't have many instructors as you stated
Type Rating? The thing is useless unless you have minimum 500h on type. Airlines prefer to train their employees through their own SOPs and the type rating is course where these SOPs are introduced- so it makes no sense to pay for self sponsored type rating without a job, as you'd need retraining anyways. Not mention, for someone with low hours, you cut their opportunities exponentially and increase the costs for revalidation should they require it if they do not land a job on type (which will be the most probable case if you have BAA in your CV)
In the end you offer nothing and people are seeing that. This is why you flock to these forums to implement damage control, but in reality people are seeing that you are not worth the investment
You don't deserve money nor students
Last edited by lleidapilot; 4th Jul 2023 at 03:09.
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Many alumni of yours went to other institutions after finishing with BAA to retrain certain parts of the course to clean their name to get better employment opportunities
their LinkedIn profiles, which is available for anyone to see, stands as a testament to thisyou are not even in contact with alumni so you don't even know where they are and what are they doing.
Bet the sample size in your statistics gathering was like 5
Last edited by lleidapilot; 4th Jul 2023 at 05:04.
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Give us the average figure of the 3 last years, back when you were giving preferential treatment to turkish cadets, I have already added a screenshot of 20+ students, from a variety of different time frames and it definitely goes beyond 24+ months and people can confirm this themselves by looking at LinkedIn profiles of BAA alumni
Last edited by lleidapilot; 4th Jul 2023 at 05:02.
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Maintenance
We would like to emphasize that BAA Training operates its own Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) organization called Avia Repair Co, situated at Lleida International Airport, alongside our flight school facility.
Avia Repair Co specializes in high-quality maintenance activities, encompassing routine or pre-planned maintenance that is typically scheduled based on factors such as flight hours since the last maintenance check, the number of cycles, or the age of the aircraft. Additionally, the organization carries out ad-hoc maintenance tasks.
Regrettably, our maintenance capability was temporarily disrupted as a result of the aforementioned storm. However, we are pleased to inform you that since the end of February, our maintenance hangar is fully operational and functioning smoothly.
While it is true that we experienced flight cancellations due to technical issues, it is important to note that these decisions were made in adherence to safety protocols and to allow sufficient time for a comprehensive analysis of the situation. We prioritize the safety of our operations and ensure that necessary repairs are carried out effectively.
It is worth mentioning that the establishment of Avia Repair Co a couple of years ago did not introduce an entirely unfamiliar business field for BAA Training. As a member of the Avia Solutions Group (ASG), the parent company of BAA Training, we were already part of a group that operated twelve MRO organizations. This affiliation provides us with trusted resources, enabling knowledge sharing and robust spare parts supply support.
Furthermore, we have established partnerships with several MRO organizations that assist us in performing more complex maintenance tasks when necessary. These collaborations bolster our capabilities and allow us to deliver comprehensive maintenance solutions.
LY-MEP has been in the ground for so long that you might as well store it in a museum.
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It is worth noting that training disruptions partially occurred due to a severe storm that occurred in Lleida during the summer of last year. This natural hazard caused damage to our maintenance facilities and aircraft, leading to the temporary cancellation of flight training operations. During this period, we had to rely on external providers to perform maintenance on our aircraft, as our own facilities were destroyed.
Storms, hail showers are not uncommon weather phenomena in Lleida, therefore they cannot be pushed aside by labeling them 'unprecedented' when it happens regularly every year at the same time, during the same periods of months. Temperatures rising to above +40 degrees celcius (which increases strong convective activity) is the norm in the summers in Lleida and in Spain in general, this is almost common sense.
You cannot start to scratch your head and wonder why fleet damage occurs and cry force majeure whenever something happens to your fleet when you yourself have not taken the necessary measures to protect it.
And we certainly know that other schools in the same region where you operate DO take the necessary precautions for adverse weather conditions and instead use proper hangars, store fleet indoors with proper securing measures in place and utilize airport infrastructure to their extent.
But we all know why you don't do this - it is to save money at the expense of training quality
Last edited by lleidapilot; 4th Jul 2023 at 05:29.
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This is not irregular, nor is it new, everyone in the region and the country knows this, so you are being very dishonest here.
Weather related disruptions are not under your control, however opening a base in the foggiest city of Spain and then claiming that we cannot do anything about weather is like dispatching a broken plane and claiming that the crash was out of your control.
You could take actions to mitigate weather related delays like for example opening a winter base in a less foggier place? Or you could completely relocate the base to another place ,where fog is not an issue.
However, you decide to throw your hands up and exclaim that it is not your problem- because you don't care about the quality of training.
Last edited by mindaugenius; 5th Jul 2023 at 11:48.