CPL at High Wycombe
 

I have enrolled in the CPL course at High Wycombe in June and wondered one of two things.
Has anyone else enrolled with them for June if so speak up as we might be posted together also if anyone has trained there, any ideas or comments please?

If you mean the 'scare' centre then I did some training with them years ago. Main problem is/was that Wycombe don't have any nav aids and sits relatively high so weather can be a problem (although it regularly sits on top of fog).

I would neither recommend nor disuade you from them, in particular as I've not done business with them for years.

BTW it is known as the 'scare' centre because it rhymes with 'air' and, as pilots, we have to make these observations, never using the correct terminology in case anyone thinks we've only just entered the flying game.

My only 'scare' was when it came to paying my bill

True they don't have their own navaids there but there are a few places around that do and at least that means you won't be bumping into other student pilots flying around with the heads inside.
I found it a good place to train, lots to do in High Wycombe itself, the only thing I would say is make sure you pin down your training slots from the word go. I had real problems trying to get any actual flying done in the 3 weeks I was there. In fact it took about another month to get the "booked" flying done.
Who is your instructor?

Grandad Flyer..........

I haven't been told who will be my instructor yet, they also said that as part of the CPL course they arrange the flight bookings and I will not need to get involved with that side. I will apparently also be partnered with another student and we will sit in the back whilst the other is learning ETC.....which is a good thing as you can pick up on things you might otherwise not notice. Thanks for the advice though, I'll bear it in mind.

I've recently finished my CPL at WAC and was very pleased with them. I had no problems with slots / aircraft availability etc and the times we didnt fly were only due to weather.

I would recommend them to people, and I'm planning to return later for the IR etc.

Email me if you want if you have any specific questions.

:)

I did the CPL at Wycombe and also did the IR there as well. Very good,friendly and professional. No pompous types or out of control egos in sight. Maintenance is also taken very seriously.No nav aids is not a problem,and there are some very knowledgeable ground instructors/ex vulcan types.

I did my CPL and IR there a while back. I would echo the comment already made regarding make sure you get to fly when you are booked. When I was there the attitude seemed to be that a 1000 slot was quite OK to slip to 1115, but if you decided to show up at 0930 instead of 0900 after a few occasions of this happening then suddenly you had thrown the whole programme into disarray. They did over-commit themselves in a major way with advanced training last year (perhaps because the offer of guaranteed money up front now instead of possibly next month was too good to turn down), and some people were annoyed at being kept sitting around all day waiting for briefings or to fly. Having said that, there has been a change of administration staff recently and things do seem to be better organised. They have a good relationship with CAAFU at Cranfield and a good reputation with some airlines for the standard of training.

"No pompous types " etc:.. Well perhaps not strictly true. There are a couple of examples of big fish, small pond syndrome, but I suppose you get those everywhere. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif

The other thing to say before I duck behind the parapet is don't forget who's paying who! The 'customer' element can sometimes get a bit lost..

------------------
"Take-off is optional, Landing is mandatory"

Thanks all for your comments, it seems like I'll be in good hands. Good luck with your future training, perhaps I'll see some of you down there this summer. I'll be the "Trainee pilot"!

Wycombe Air Centre for CPL/IR??
 

Hi,

Im looking into where to do my CPL/ME/IR and was wondering if anyone knew anything about Wycombe Air Centre. Anyone with any experience of the instruction there?

Thanks

Foz

Is there really no one out there with any experience of them??!

Any help would be great.

Foz

Foz2

Check your PM's...

Wycombe air centre
 

Thinking about finishing off my IR at wycombe air centre (part time), any comments about them, good or bad would be appreciated?

Wycombe is a highly reputable school and without hesitation I can recommend them to you. How part-time is part-time for you? Continuity is important in commercial training (however so is having finances to pay for it and getting leave from work!). I suggest that you visit them and work out a plan.

Part time probably going to be weekends and maybe I can string 4 days together every now and then- Thurs-Sun or Sat - Tues. I haven't got much to do though, I already have the min required hours, it's just to finish things off.

I did my IR with WAC a few years ago. Some of the staff moved on but the school was 2 things:

1. Expensive
2. Worth every penny.

I couldn't recommend a school more. Very professional and incredibly helpful.

I've been flying as a PPL with the club for a couple of years now.

After groundschool, I'll be doing the CPL and IR there. This I hope speaks for itself.

The club is more interested in making good pilots than making big profits.

Ratpup

There's a club at Booker that owns brand new Cessna 172's. Is it WAC?

yup, and very nice they are too :D

IR at Wycombe
 

Hi, could anybody please help me decide whether or not to do my ME IR at wycombe air centre. I have done a search but was hoping for some more recent information, any views from experience or just general opinion would be massively appreciated.
Thank You

Capt Holland