One Air Malaga
Join Date: Jul 2022
Location: Malaga
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Join Date: Feb 2023
Location: Málaga
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Hi Guys, I'd like to share my experience so far on this school.
I started in 2021, Modular "APP" course, along with the first integrated promotion (when I signed the contract, it was not available yet). I completed PPL groundschool just before 2021 ended and went to the authority on late january to do the exams they require you to fly (AGK; POF; OPS and MET) and started flying mid-feb. Initially I would get one flight per week, as most students did and still do, however after I got my solo that would normally increase to 2, 3 a week during the PPL, which meant by July I had my checkrride. I was surprised to find out I was only the third person from my promotion (we were around 60 people for the APP and around 20 from the Integrated) to get my license and that no one was close to the completion of the PPL as they would not get more than one flight per week. In fact, as of today, 7 months later, around a third of these people still haven't had their checkrrides mostly due to the lack of flights and cancellations. Once I got my checkrride, I paid a visit to the school to sign the documents required to expedite the license, around 5 or 6 days after the checkrride. The school closes in August and they told me they'd leave everything ready so by the time they'd come back in September I would already have it. So around mid september I call them to check the status of the license just to find out that "I hadn't signed the papers", blaming me for something I hadn't done as they would not confess that they simply hadn't issued them to the authority. I decided to go once again to the school to deliver the documents, collecting proofs that I was there just so it would not happen again. After that moment, I started to ask on a weekly basis for the status, with no answer. 3 weeks later I would not tolerate it anymore so I started to ask instructors to please raise the problem to the Director, which was actually helpful as he completed in 10 minutes what I had been waiting for since July (we were around november at this point).
So far this is the only problem I've really had with the school and I was not the only student on that situation. I got my license after 4 months but I have a couple mates that had to wait even longer. The school has its pros and cons, so far I've been programmed 105 hours in 1 year which I believe is reasonable, even though I'm just a bit short of 70 hours. The easiest way to get hours quickly here is to become friends with the instructors and use the standby system, so if a flight is cancelled by X reasons you may be given the slot. Around 20 hours from my 70 are from standby calls. The biggest advantage for me is the fact that SENASA (The exam authority) comes every 3 or so months to the school to hold exams, which is way more convenient that going to Madrid and I believe we're the only school in Spain outside Austrocontrol that can offer this.
The Main disadvantages are the lack of flights. Even now on the hour building I rarely get more than one per week, but most of the time it's over 2:30 hours. A DA20 / Tecnam 2008 slot is 95% of the time 1:25, a DA40 / SR20 slot is normally 2:30. It would be great if they were just a bit flexible with programming, or at least you could get asked if you are available during X, as some times I've been rescheduled flights for the following day, let's say instead of a local 1:30 flight, a Navigation to LECU (400 km away) and the way back on train to Malaga.
The ATPL theory can drive you crazy aswell. You get the bristol platform which well, is sufficient, but you don't get theory classes at all, only doubt-solving classes during a couple of days per subject. If you want to go to the ATPL exams you need to do the internal exams which are held once every 3 or 4 months, in the "Revision week". You will also need minimum hours per subject on a platform that tends to work incorrectly when speaking of adding hours to your balance.
If you still are interested in doing your atpl here, please, please and please go for the integrated way. They have 2 or 3 flights per week by contract. Some of the integrated guys that started together with me are almost on they multi phase and here I am, they don't let me do ATPL exams and I've been waiting 3 months to do the Night Rating flights (I did the theory in November!)
I started in 2021, Modular "APP" course, along with the first integrated promotion (when I signed the contract, it was not available yet). I completed PPL groundschool just before 2021 ended and went to the authority on late january to do the exams they require you to fly (AGK; POF; OPS and MET) and started flying mid-feb. Initially I would get one flight per week, as most students did and still do, however after I got my solo that would normally increase to 2, 3 a week during the PPL, which meant by July I had my checkrride. I was surprised to find out I was only the third person from my promotion (we were around 60 people for the APP and around 20 from the Integrated) to get my license and that no one was close to the completion of the PPL as they would not get more than one flight per week. In fact, as of today, 7 months later, around a third of these people still haven't had their checkrrides mostly due to the lack of flights and cancellations. Once I got my checkrride, I paid a visit to the school to sign the documents required to expedite the license, around 5 or 6 days after the checkrride. The school closes in August and they told me they'd leave everything ready so by the time they'd come back in September I would already have it. So around mid september I call them to check the status of the license just to find out that "I hadn't signed the papers", blaming me for something I hadn't done as they would not confess that they simply hadn't issued them to the authority. I decided to go once again to the school to deliver the documents, collecting proofs that I was there just so it would not happen again. After that moment, I started to ask on a weekly basis for the status, with no answer. 3 weeks later I would not tolerate it anymore so I started to ask instructors to please raise the problem to the Director, which was actually helpful as he completed in 10 minutes what I had been waiting for since July (we were around november at this point).
So far this is the only problem I've really had with the school and I was not the only student on that situation. I got my license after 4 months but I have a couple mates that had to wait even longer. The school has its pros and cons, so far I've been programmed 105 hours in 1 year which I believe is reasonable, even though I'm just a bit short of 70 hours. The easiest way to get hours quickly here is to become friends with the instructors and use the standby system, so if a flight is cancelled by X reasons you may be given the slot. Around 20 hours from my 70 are from standby calls. The biggest advantage for me is the fact that SENASA (The exam authority) comes every 3 or so months to the school to hold exams, which is way more convenient that going to Madrid and I believe we're the only school in Spain outside Austrocontrol that can offer this.
The Main disadvantages are the lack of flights. Even now on the hour building I rarely get more than one per week, but most of the time it's over 2:30 hours. A DA20 / Tecnam 2008 slot is 95% of the time 1:25, a DA40 / SR20 slot is normally 2:30. It would be great if they were just a bit flexible with programming, or at least you could get asked if you are available during X, as some times I've been rescheduled flights for the following day, let's say instead of a local 1:30 flight, a Navigation to LECU (400 km away) and the way back on train to Malaga.
The ATPL theory can drive you crazy aswell. You get the bristol platform which well, is sufficient, but you don't get theory classes at all, only doubt-solving classes during a couple of days per subject. If you want to go to the ATPL exams you need to do the internal exams which are held once every 3 or 4 months, in the "Revision week". You will also need minimum hours per subject on a platform that tends to work incorrectly when speaking of adding hours to your balance.
If you still are interested in doing your atpl here, please, please and please go for the integrated way. They have 2 or 3 flights per week by contract. Some of the integrated guys that started together with me are almost on they multi phase and here I am, they don't let me do ATPL exams and I've been waiting 3 months to do the Night Rating flights (I did the theory in November!)
Join Date: Feb 2024
Location: Southampton
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I really wished I had found this thread before signing up with One Air. I think I was taken in by their "award winning" training facilities and the fact that it was in the south of Spain, so flying hours would be more reliable than in the UK, weather-wise.
Like others, I was told that I would be able to complete in about 3 months - and in hindsight this should have been another red flag.
I had to return to the UK for family reasons, after only having 1 lesson in the air. Granted, all the theory was completed and all exams had been passed, but flying lessons were very hard to come by with an awkward booking system.
Some of the instructors I spoke with were just as frustrated, as they wanted to instruct/ fly.
But from what I can tell, there are too many students, too many instructors and not enough aircraft.
I'm in the process of trying to get a partial refund (mainly for the unused flying hours), so I wanted to see if anyone else is in a similar situation, and maybe we could start a coordinated group effort (as I think a many-to-one approach may have more chance over a one-to-one approach)
Like others, I was told that I would be able to complete in about 3 months - and in hindsight this should have been another red flag.
I had to return to the UK for family reasons, after only having 1 lesson in the air. Granted, all the theory was completed and all exams had been passed, but flying lessons were very hard to come by with an awkward booking system.
Some of the instructors I spoke with were just as frustrated, as they wanted to instruct/ fly.
But from what I can tell, there are too many students, too many instructors and not enough aircraft.
I'm in the process of trying to get a partial refund (mainly for the unused flying hours), so I wanted to see if anyone else is in a similar situation, and maybe we could start a coordinated group effort (as I think a many-to-one approach may have more chance over a one-to-one approach)
