So here we are at CPL ME IR: Week 7 and to be totally honest with you, things are not going so well at the moment.
So here is the thing, there is a simulator instructor who’s attitude to training is causing problems.
- This guy refuses to give you any training. I am trying to learn IR for the first time and you can not ask him a single question.
- He spends his time berating and belittling you. He will tell you, you can’t fly, you are useless, you will never be a pilot etc.
Throughout the session, he will be shouting at you over the headset from his desk behind the simulator. - Everything that has been learned about teaching and crew resource management is not being applied.
Despite having a very difficult time in the simulator with this guy, I had completed 8 hours in the sim with him. I turned up for my 4th session and from the second I walked through the door I could tell something was not right.
We were supposed to be doing non-precision approaches for the first time and he asked a question I wasn’t totally sure on. So I looked it up from the SOP’s.
He started ranting and raving and calling someone and talking about me in Polish.
I used Google Translate to see what was being said. I will not repaet the things that this guy was saying here, but it was derogatory to say the least.
I found this to be very unprofessional behavior, especially as I am a paying customer.
Then, as if this isn’t bad enough he tells me to leave the simulator. I look at him and say “Are you serious?”. I pick up my things and tell him I cannot believe how unprofessional he is and I am not going to accept this behavior.
You have to understand, despite this guys attitude I have never spoken to him with anything but respect.
I leave and call the course liaison and explain what has gone on. You have to keep in mind this is at least the 5th complaint about this simulator instructor in the last month.
I am told to come in tomorrow and speak to the owners.
As I am leaving to head home I see that the sim instructor has canceled all my slots for the week and given them to somebody else who was ready to start but there were no slots available. I find the timing of all this suspicious to say the least.
I have the meeting with the owners and in the end, I am told that they will sort it out most likely with a new instructor.
So because of this, I have been sitting around my room my training at a standstill because I have not had a simulator session since Tuesday night. I mean I have used the time productively but I need to be in the simulator.
I have been told I should be able to resume tomorrow which I hope is true.
I am due to come home next Wednesday to renew my medical and fly some hours but rather than being finished in the sim, I have spent the week out of training.
Thinking of training via the modular route? Or started and still have questions? Then read The Essential Modular Flight Training Guide.
Good lawd! I read every line and I raging for you. When you’re in this industry and you hear about how someone is being treated, it does get to you.
You’re right about one thing, you HAVE paid for this and if you’re not getting the level of service that you have paid, by all means, speak up(I hope that the owner does something surely.If more than one person complains about the same guy, this is getting out of hand). Aviation industry costs an arm and leg already and it’s instructors like the one who is treating you in an awful manner that are definitely in the wrong profession.
Im sorry to hear about what you’re going through.
Exactly, that is my feeling and feelings that are shared by many others. Quite frankly other schools would not tolerate such behaviour like this but because he has been getting away with it for so long he thinks he can do as he pleases.
It really is unbelievable.
Hi keelan
Sorry to hear this the more and more I see of people doing there training there seems to be similar stories about the instructors. It’s put me off booking with them if get to that stage as it’s not acceptable how your been treated.
Clearly owners aren’t doing anything about it so makes you wonder how they maintain good flow of students.
Fingers crossed for you that things improve.
Regards
Kevin
Hey Kevin, They need a new full time simulator instructor with an interest in actually teaching students.
Wow, really sorry for you. Hope things will turn out ok in the end. Happy that in the end didn’t get to train with them although had my place booked already…however, the problem with instructor availabity seems to be a wider problem. In the school where I am training now there were supposed to be 5 IFR instructors, in the end only one is available and only 9-5 during the week so no training on weekends or evening….
Hey Rafal, it does seem the instructor shortage is Europe wide at the moment. I am sorry that you are all just having to share the one instructor. Which school is this if you do not mind me asking?
That sounds dreadful, especially when you have paid so much for the training. Hope they sort it out for you. Please let us know what happens as it is quite off putting considering them in the future!
Cheers
Hi Roberto, I will keep a weekly update as long as I am here, so I will keep you updated.
Hi Keelan,
What you have been experiencing is totally unacceptable. Imagine the chief pilot at an interview asking about your CPL ME/IR training (a common question) and what would be your response?
Have you also considered doing the rest of the training at a different school? I know it may be more expensive in Span or the UK, but at least you could become a good pilot.
This is exactly it Dave, this is such a fundamental part of training and this is unacceptable.
That thought has of course crossed my mind. The problem is all tests are at the end of course so right now I have nothing to show for it.
Keelan,
Any part of the flight training is important (PPL, TPL, CPL ME/IR, MCC) and to be honest I’m shocked about these incidents since I’ve read lots of good feedback about this school. I do appreciate that some of the students may have slower progress than others, but it is simply unacceptable to literally kick you out of the simulator (after having paid for it) and cancel your sessions for the rest of the week. It’s a modular school after all and as I understand you still work part-time so you cannot spend weeks and weeks there waiting for the slot.
If nothing changes I suggest writing a feedback on Pprune and leaving to a different school. You will not become a confident pilot with good decision making skills with that sort of training.
Yes, I agree it is important.
I don’t think I am slower than anyone else, I just think he is annoyed because I am asking him to instruct and he does not want to.
I agree it’s unacceptable I am waiting to see if I am in the simulator tomorrow.
I just need to get through the sim as I actually have one of the owners for the IR and CPL on the twin so I shouldn’t have any issues there.
Thank you for your honest feedback, it takes guts to say this openly but you are absolutely correct in doing so. They have been my number one choice of school but I will wait for further updates from you before I book anything with them. This is shocking and unacceptable, the owners must sort this out robustly. I hope you get some form of reimbursement. You have enough stress with this training let alone having to tolerate this kind of unprofessionalism! Good luck and I look forward to your next update. Hopefully that is more positive.
Hi Rob, yes I thought long and hard about this update. As this has caused such a huge delay to my training and knocked my confidence so much, I decided it would be wrong to cover it up. All I ask is for some professionalism which should be implied.