CABAIR - General discussion for those involved.

[gpn01]

Originally Posted by smarthawke

Wycombe Air Centre is now completely removed from any association with Cabair.

Earlier this week, it was taken over by Arora Family Trust - the parent company of Wycombe Air Park (and Airways Flying Club) operator, Airways Aero Associations Ltd.

I believe the plan will be for WAC to look after commercial training and AFC to do the PPL/hire side of things.



Press release:

Changes in the air at Wycombe Air Park

More good news in these austere times. The previously family-owned FTO called Wycombe Air Centre (WAC), which has latterly been part of the Cabair group, has been rescued by Surinder Arora, whose Family Trust is owner of the airfield operator, Airways Aero Associations (AAA).

The combination of Wycombe Air Centre’s commercial flight training programmes with AAA’s 63 years old Airways Flying Club private flying and training activities will create a formidable force to be reckoned with. The engineering expertise of the two companies will remain in place, delivering services for Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, de Havilland and Tecnam.

The acquisition of Wycombe Air Centre with its access to the experience and aircraft fleet of AAA, will hopefully allow an increase in commercial pilot training at the airfield. The Airways Flying Club’s well known rallies, outings and social activities will now also have a larger clientele.

A new company name will soon appear on people’s lips, too. Booker Aircraft Operations Limited will be the umbrella under which the various flying disciplines, the aircraft operations and the engineering will be run. Fortunately, for both Club members and commercial customers, links with such long histories will not disappear as the names of Wycombe Air Centre and Airways Flying Club will not change.

AAA reports that it is business as usual with all other Wycombe Air Park activities with both Air Traffic Control and Rescue & Fire-fighting facilities in particular remaining in place.

I see that Companies House is now showing Wycombe Air Centre Ltd as being In Administration. Does that mean there's been a change of heart with the prospective ownership or that they've been acquired via a pre-pack administration route favoured as a route to sometimes avoid paying off creditors? There's nothing on their website about administration /acquisition, etc.

[smarthawke]

My understanding (and I'm not privvy to all information or knowledge of things and businesses financial) is that Arora took over Wycombe Air Centre as was after it had gone into administration.

I believe the plan is still that the Wycombe Air Centre name may well live on in name only as the provider of fixed wing commercial flight training at Wycombe Air Park whilst Airways Flying Club will look after all the PPL and private hire side of things.

From what I've seen in the past is that websites aren't necessarily kept up to date when these things happen. Commercial training should resume as soon as the approvals are in place.

[felixflyer]

Does anyone know when Airways are likely to be up and running with the CPL/IR training? I am looking to start this asap and they would be local to me. I also have experience on the P2006T and really enjoy flying it.

Is it likely to take a long time to get approvals etc. up and running or will they be keeping a lot of it from WAC and just changing the name?

[Genghis the Engineer]

WAC have always done CPL & IR; having been at Booker a few times over the last week, they still seem to be operating. If they stick with the same team and general ethos, I think that you could do far worse.

If I were you, I'd go and talk to them as soon as it's convenient to you - just follow the oft repeated "don't pay up front" rule.

G

[FOUR REDS]

How is the new CCAT doing?

4 integrated students caught up in this mess recently passed their IRTs and will finish their MCC today (with JOC still to follow). Well done them!

However, just before Christmas one very senior instructor abandoned ship and moved in the direction of Kidlington (sic!). Obviously it still is not a totally happy ship.

As this thread has been quiet, is there anyone with further info of interest?

[smarthawke]

To bring things at Wycombe Air Park up to date, may I post the following press release in the name of providing facts and current information (not intended in any way to be advertising, mods):



Although flying continued under the Airways Flying Club approvals without a break, a new set of approvals (under the new company name Booker Aircraft Operations Ltd) were granted by CAA in the first week of January 2012.

The new company (trading as both Airways Flying Club and as Wycombe Air Centre) now runs the whole gambit of Private and Commercial courses (see list below).

The expertise contained within and the experience gained by AFC’s 64 years and WAC’s 44 years counts for a great deal. With highly-qualified career instructors and with 7 CAA Examiners within the staff, not only is the CAA happy but so are the customers who have not left, but on the contrary are appearing in their droves.

The combined engineering department now has 8 engineers and looks after over 70 aircraft.

Commercial Flying Courses will be run under the WAC banner and the exclusive Airways Flying Club will continue all of the Private Flying training and self-fly hire.

The combined aircraft fleet (see below) is not exclusive for either Commercial or Private flyers.... all are available for any course (within reason!) or for self-fly hire.

The one-stop shop for all of the courses is now based under the Control Tower, from where the Airfield Operations continues to be run.

Websites will be amalgamated very shortly, but are found at:

Learn to Fly - Airways Flying Club
WYCOMBE AIR CENTRE
Wycombe Air Park - EGTB | Fly at historic Booker Airfield in High Wycombe Buckinghamshire
Tecnam UK



The Aircraft Fleet now comprises

6 Cessna 152
1 Cessna 172 (glass)
5 Piper Warrior
1 Tecnam P2002 single
1 Piper Dakota (glass)
1 Piper Arrow
1 deHavilland Chipmunk
2 Beechcraft Duchess
1 Tecnam P2006T twin (glass)



Private Flying and self-fly hire:

JAR /EASA PPL
NPPL
Night Qualification
IMC Rating
PPL Instrument Rating
Multi-engine Piston Rating
Flying Instructor Courses (Single / Multi / Night / Instrument)
Flight Examiner Courses
Tailwheel conversion
Aerobatics courses
Complex SEP conversion
Glass cockpit transition

Commercial Flying:

Modular CPL
Instrument Rating

Simulators:

FNPT 2 and FNPT 1
for IR revalidations
CPL and IR Military conversions
CPL and IR conversions

[keith williams]

That really is excellent news Smarthawke.

Can we expect a similar announcement regarding EPTA any time soon?

After all, at the time of the CABAIR crash, WAC was the owner of EPTA and the WAC management team were running EPTA.

Or are the losses suffered by the EPTA students, staff and suppliers, viewed as an acceptable price to pay for the resurrection of WAC?

[smarthawke]

I don't profess to understand who owned what, belonged to who, who was a director of what when it comes to the former Cabair group of companies - even after reading the previous very detailed posts). That said, I think you'll find that WAC never 'owned' or 'ran' EPTA though they may have been part of the same group (Worldwide?).

I can only comment on where we are at Wycombe Air Park, as detailed in the two press releases. The basics are that Wycombe Air Centre Ltd was rescued from the administrators by the Arora Family Trust, as a single 'entity' - and that did not include any other part of what was previously under the somewhat broad umbrella of Cabair.

Certainly there is now no connection between the fixed wing flying training organisations at Wycombe Air Park (Airways Flying Club and Wycombe Air Centre - both part of Booker Aircraft Operations Ltd) and any flying establishments elsewhere and nor is that likely to change.

[wigglyamp]

Wycombe Air Centre was not taken over as a gong concern but rather as sale of the trade and assets. As such all approvals were lost (hence the new applications mentioned by Smarthawke) and the trade creditors have NOT been paid.
The press release announcing the take-over by Aurora was issued before any formal announcement to creditors of the administration, so many creditors (us included) believed our debt would be safe and taken on by the new owner as part of a going-concern takeover. I feel we were rather misled!

[bornamoth]

bornamoth

Careful, HL..... KEEP CALM & CARRY ON.... The (secret) creditor-list records that there are those individuals and companies around who were owed much more. An important thing to remember in this difficult World is that if there was any "misleading" about whether owed monies were safe, it was not perpetrated by the rescuers. Guess you know that students' monies have been preserved and loadsajobs retained .... not as bad as history records from other Phoenix risings. Some people are actually pleased that it's all been rescued and look to a brighter future!

[gpn01]

Originally Posted by wigglyamp

Wycombe Air Centre was not taken over as a gong concern but rather as sale of the trade and assets. As such all approvals were lost (hence the new applications mentioned by Smarthawke) and the trade creditors have NOT been paid.
The press release announcing the take-over by Aurora was issued before any formal announcement to creditors of the administration, so many creditors (us included) believed our debt would be safe and taken on by the new owner as part of a going-concern takeover. I feel we were rather misled!

Only have the 2010 Annual Accounts to hand but Wycombe Air Centre seemed to be a thriving business - growing balance sheet and decreasing bank loan, etc. Anybody know how come it suddenly went into administration?

[jez d]

Statement from FRP Advisory, the company that managed WAC's pre-pack administration:

Worldwide Aviation Holdings Limited, previously the parent company of both Worldwide Aviation Limited and Wycombe Air Centre, is a sub-group of the Cabair group of companies.

It suffered severe cashflow problems after intercompany debts were not recoverable due to the failure of two group companies – Cabair International Aviation Limited and European Pilot Training Limited (EPTA) earlier this month.

Commenting on the transactions, Jason Baker said: "World Aviation Holdings Limited suffered as a result of an inability to collect on intercompany debts, which in turn adversely affected sub-group businesses. This had a dramatic impact on cashflow and left both World Aviation Holdings and Wycombe Air Centre in a position where neither business was able to continue to trade as a going concern.

"To preserve each company's value through goodwill, we determined the best course of action would be to proactively market the businesses prior to going through a managed administration process. This process allowed us to protect the companies while a buyer was sought, safeguarding jobs and providing creditors with the best possible chance of a return."

[gpn01]

Originally Posted by jez d

Statement from FRP Advisory, the company that managed WAC's pre-pack administration:

Thanks Jez. In fact the full press release (FRP Advisory secures the sale of Worldwide Aviation Limited & Wycombe Air Centre - FRP Advisory) shows how the whole process started a little earlier and provides a bit more information:

"21 December 2011

FRP Advisory, the specialist restructuring, recovery and insolvency firm, has secured the sale of two companies owned by the same parent group, as a part of a managed administration process, safeguarding the jobs of 55 staff.

Wycombe Air Centre has been sold to Booker Airfield Operations Limited as a part of a pre-packaged administration process, following the appointment of Jason Baker and Geoff Rowley, partners at FRP Advisory, on 12 December - saving the jobs of 35 staff.

Jason Baker and Geoff Rowley were also appointed Joint Administrators to World Aviation Holdings Limited, which entered into administration on 20 December. As a part of a managed administration process, the Joint Administrators secured the sale of shares in Bournemouth based Worldwide Aviation Limited, which was 90 per cent owned by World Aviation Holdings Limited, to D.S. Aviation Limited. The transaction safeguards the jobs of 20 staff.

Worldwide Aviation Holdings Limited, previously the parent company of both Worldwide Aviation Limited and Wycombe Air Centre, is a sub-group of the Cabair group of companies.

It suffered severe cashflow problems after intercompany debts were not recoverable due to the failure of two group companies – Cabair International Aviation Limited and European Pilot Training Limited (EPTA) earlier this month.

Commenting on the transactions, Jason Baker said: "World Aviation Holdings Limited suffered as a result of an inability to collect on intercompany debts, which in turn adversely affected sub-group businesses. This had a dramatic impact on cashflow and left both World Aviation Holdings and Wycombe Air Centre in a position where neither business was able to continue to trade as a going concern.

"To preserve each company's value through goodwill, we determined the best course of action would be to proactively market the businesses prior to going through a managed administration process. This process allowed us to protect the companies while a buyer was sought, safeguarding jobs and providing creditors with the best possible chance of a return.""

[Uncertainofposition]

Domino Theory

gpn01

Whilst peddling my sorry backside up from 300' in the bonsai twin on a single wheezing Rotax, the absence of all the light blue Cessnas on the back row became increasingly albeit slowly apparent. It was the domino effect so often seen in these cases. WAC expended a lot of time and AVGAS training for their parent company that was never allegedly reimbursed due to their going in to administration. Not surprisingly their collapse took WAC down with them. They in turn presumably had unmet outgoings to the airfield via BAFC, or whatever they are called this year, hence their interest in acquiring them.

The majority of the singles were leased, hence the tumbleweed now blowing around the almost empty back row. Furthermore of the two Duchesses, which were always a bit tatty and getting longer in the tooth than one of Buffy's friends, Charlie India needs an awful lot of TLC and Charlie Juliet had half a wheels up and may not be an economic rebuild. As the former had what my erstwhile instructor euphemistically explained to me as a negative rate of climb on one engine she may not be much missed. If the Tecnam Twin can get my hefty carcas and an examiner up to circuit height before turning crosswind on one microlight engine, then I have seen the future, and surprisingly it seems to work.

[smarthawke]

Apart from rightly praising the virtues of the Tecnam P2006T, perhaps I can make a small comment or two on the airplane spotting game, Uncertainofposition...

Two of the six former WAC Ltd C152s are on Annual inspection. One Duchess is also on its Annual (including propeller overhaul), the other awaiting TLC back to flying condition.

The other three singles (that's three out of nine) were leased and have been returned.

Airways Flying Club was named that from 1948, changed to British Airways Flying Club in line with its then parent company. Since becoming part of Arora Family Trust, BAFC reverted back to its heritage name of AFC. So, in 64 years, two (perhaps three if you wish to be a pedant) name changes - not quite an annual happening.

[PPRuNe Towers]

Just so you know,

Just so you can never kid yourselves, here's what goes on behind the scenes:

Dear,

As you will be aware Cabair suffered some financial problems last year but Cabair International (UK) Limited purchased the old CCAT business in Cranfield. We are up and running and providing integrated and modular training to both old CCAT and new students.

There is an old thread which must have had thousands of hits that is still ranked very high on a google search for cabair. This is really restricting our marketing effort when potential students google the new business and see this old thread. We are keen to advertise on Pprune and the new Cabair but cannot do this while this thread is still appearing on page 1 of google. Is there anything we can do to remove this old thread from google or at least stop new threads linking to it.

I really do appreciate your help.

Best regards
Andy Cruise.

[attitudeflyer]

Cabair: New marketing strategy

“Love is in the air!” - courtesy of Cabair - Press Release - Digital Journal
"If you’re looking for love – Cabair International would love to meet you!"
"for all those looking for love – Cabair International has the career to match!"
This seems to be Cabair's new mission statement. Spend over 70k to get a girlfriend!

Cabair has gone through a transition period recently, is it flight training purely for male students or a new dating agency for the rich and desperate?

Views would be greatly appreciated as I am a very confused newbie.

[BillieBob]

In other words, "The truth hurts!"

[mad_jock]

What exactly has changed from the previous incarnation of Cabair apart from they have zero'd thier debt problem by using students money and then not giving them the training that was purchased.

If its the same managers and setup its only a matter of time before exactly the same thing happens again.

I see from the press release they are doing road shows to "recruite" 100 pilots . How does that work?

The amusing thing is that the PPrune link in google is truncated if you actually click the more from button you actually get 5 pages worth of references about cabair on PPrune most of which are not very pleasant if your on the recieving end as a brand.

To actually get what they want you would have to strip out all those threads. And Cabair doesn't realise how search engines work.

The sooner they realise they now have a posioned brand name (hopefully before they rape any more students of money) the better.

[North of the Field]

Cabair: New marketing strategy
“Love is in the air!” - courtesy of Cabair - Press Release - Digital Journal
"If you’re looking for love – Cabair International would love to meet you!"
"for all those looking for love – Cabair International has the career to match!"
This seems to be Cabair's new mission statement. Spend over 70k to get a girlfriend!

Cabair has gone through a transition period recently, is it flight training purely for male students or a new dating agency for the rich and desperate?

Views would be greatly appreciated as I am a very confused newbie.

Hi attitudeflyer!,

Views from an ex Cabair student... I've just read the link and am totally bewildered as to who the hell thought that was a good way of promoting the school! - sounds really quite desperate to me (I suppose everyone is desperate for business at this difficult economic time but cheesy marketing to that level is really quite unnecessary in opinion! - I think when you're spending a lot of money on a product you want facts not bull$hit - e.g. Ferrari don't sell cars with the tagline "buy a Ferrari, attract women"... whether or not that's the enquiring owners motivation is up to him/her!).

If you're looking at Cabair as a potential place to train well I can only offer an opinion based on several years ago. Overall I can't knock the training I paid for (ups and downs - due to one or two what I would call less than professional instuctors but they were just bad apples and the vast majority of them were in my opinion good guys (I'm sure this is common in other flight training establishments)).

I'd say the main problem with Cabair is the lack of support upon completion of training. Whether or not things have changed since I left I can't comment on.