AlphaOne (Merged)

And that, gentlemen, will do.

Damien and Martin – continue your “discussion” by PM, if you must.

Thread closed.

This subject will now be unwelcome on the Commercial Aviation Forum until such time as something concrete happens either way and gives us something to discuss.

Grey Area
Moderator

How odd.

In September 2004 you hadn’t even started a PPL let alone anything else but said you were going to start training, and would be taking your CPL skills test in January 2005. In October 2004 you mentioned your CPL test would be in March 2005.

Remarkably though, by January 2005 you were claiming – on the GA forum – to be an airline pilot flying 6 sectors/8 hours a day! But a month later you were still apparently in training at OAT, so presumably the job as an airline pilot folded when they found out you didn’t have a licence?

Anyway I find it most impressive that between February and now you have obviously passed your CPL skills test, yet managed not to say a word about it on this forum.

Bravo – I don’t think I’d be able to keep quiet if I’d done that.

I can keep quiet for only so long, but congratulations on speaking total and utter crap!!! I’ve had quite enough and frankly, you know nothing of me or my situation. I never usually rise to this sort of b@llocks, but well done you’ve managed this time! You seem to post very few valid posts on this entire forum and I no longer have time for it, so this is the last reply you get to your never ending drivel.

I will go through this once and only once, but really Damien, you need an attitude change and fast. Here is a timeline of my trainnig, plus I’d advise you to learn a little about the format of training in the UK. As many people on this forum will tell you I have been referred to for advice on training on more than one occassion and many photos have been posted from my training.

17th September 2003: Accepted to train at OAT on the APP

16th Jan 2004: Start at OAT on AP234 with a team builing weekend

19th Jan 2004: Start of phase one ground school in Instruments, Systems, Performance, Human Factors, Mass and Balance and Principles of Flight

March 2004: My mother falls ill and I’m forced to take four weeks off my course

April 2004: I do school finals and decided to back course in view of my mothers illness

September 2004: After continued ill health with my mother and knowing that I will have an airline job with alphaOne I make the decision to move over to a modular course and start my PPL.

October 2004: I do my PPL course with my instructor Paul Armstrong while continuing ground school

Oct/Nov/Dec/Jan: Hours building and distance learning

January 2005: Due to continuing ill health with my mother and my work on alphaOne I take a break from my training, but after reaching 70 hours PIC I add a MEP to my licence. I NEVER claimed to be an airline pilot, if go back to that post you will see in retrospec that I did not give the name of the airline for which I was due to start flying having just gained a job as I said…that job was with alphaOne initially using the Chieftain, I hadn’t yet launched the airline however so couldn’t reveal the operator for who I was gonig to fly.

February 2005: My instructor Paul leaves OAT for Air Atlantic Training just weeks before my CPL is due to take place. After just one lesson with my new instructor he also leaves having gained a job with Ryanair. With the mess surrounding the CPL I decided to take a break until alphaOne starts flying.

21st March 2005: alphaOne is launched, still taking a break from training.

10th April 2005: New investor joins alphaOne from America, launch delayed, new AOC arrangements made.

APR/MAY/JUN 2005: I have one or two lessons to keep my foot in with my flying but OAT is currently experiencing problems with the Seneca fleet which have had cracked wing spas thus taking 12 of the 15 planes out of service as a result I am furlonged until the fleet is fully servicable again to allow the integrated guys finish their IRs who currently take priority.

July 2005: Continuing to work on alphaOne, still no word from Oxford, looking to move to Atlantic Training to do my CPL once all of the issues surrounding alphaOne are solved.

And here’s the future:

Early August 2005: Announcement of new services

Mid August 2005: Ticket go back on sale.

5th or 19th of September (to be decided): First Flight for alphaOne.

Mid October 2005: CPL completed I join the line with staggered training continuing for my IR.

Now if you are so worthy and know so mcuh, be a man and take up my offer to come and see me and my team and our aircraft which will be coming in from Scotland in the next month and our office and…well the list goes on.

Damien My MEP has been in place for a long time, you don’t need to have completed your ATPL for this, nor do you need to hve completed your ATPL for the type of flying that this part of the operation will be conducting, it simply requires a CPL and MEP, no IR required, thus no fATPL required.

No-one’s broken the Code Of Conduct, T5.

People must be interested in the subject or else they wouldn’t be reading the thread in the first place. 🙂

I see no reason to close this thread – at the moment.

Grey Area
Moderator

Probably another of those threads that is better off being closed.

I can see this thread being just another opportunity to bash the airline.

Andy as you will see from the title of the thread we were enquiring about either getting Twin Otters or Trislanders for this special operation. The Trislanders and Islanders are Piston aircraf,t thus the pilots require an MEP, which all of us have.

Well, I’m glad to hear your flying training is back on track then… :rolleyes: (my emphasis above)

first off, my training, if you had followed what was going on you would have seen that in October last year I came off the APP at OAT due to family issues, I have since continued with OAT on a modular course, I took leave in February to concentrate on the airline until which point that I can resume my training….it’s a suprising amount of work to run an airline, let alone complete all 14 ATPL groundschool exams, and then complete the actual flying.

No, but hey, you could always be the 1st, don’t forget to let us know how it went

Who’s visited AlphaOne

Just wondering has any of you guys took up martin_EGTKs offer and actually visited or planning to visit the offices of AlphaOne it would be interesting if you have.

Next he’ll be on eBay looking for aircraft LOL 😀 😀 😀

Huh? Why do you need all your pilots to be MEP rated? A MEP class rating is no use for the originally planned Jetstreams, nor for a Twin Otter for that matter – neither are Piston (the P in MEP), and both need individual type ratings anyway rather, than a class rating.

Andy

Andy as you will see from the title of the thread we were enquiring about either getting Twin Otters or Trislanders for this special operation. The Trislanders and Islanders are Piston aircraf,t thus the pilots require an MEP, which all of us have.

Our pilots are all MEP rated which is all that is required for this aircraft type

Huh? Why do you need all your pilots to be MEP rated? A MEP class rating is no use for the originally planned Jetstreams, nor for a Twin Otter for that matter – neither are Piston (the P in MEP), and both need individual type ratings anyway rather, than a class rating.

Andy

Kev, I respect your honesty. Things are very far from falling apart around our ears, quite the reverse in fact. The advert was placed by our operations director with regard to a different part of the operation requiring an aircraft that will be able to cope with extreme STOL limitations. Our pilots are all MEP rated which is all that is required for this aircraft type.

I feel I could go on and on, but as I’ve said, the only thing that will put an end to all of this doubt is actions, and they will be happening soon. Until that time, as previously agreed on these forums, I’m keeping quiet. The Mumbai thread was simply something that I had said I would do and yesterday evening I finally got round to doing it, nothing tactical involved in it at all.

As yet we are yet to deliver and thus many people are perfectly entitled to their current opinions, the only difference between those people and myself is, I know the details and exactly when everything is happening. Until that time it is only fair that everyone expresses their own thoughts on the subject, even if at times it makes our job a little harder at alphaOne.

But you don’t know do you? You advertise for aircraft that, to be honest, are not in the most common usage in Europe. Therefore, you don’t even know what equipment you will be flying. Won’t that cause a problem in the recruitment of pilots? Or will you be having to go to the expense of having the pilots you have already recruited go on to conversion courses? And your advertisement does not have fax or phone numbers.

And how is the suspicion of the public, a number of whom have had previous contact with you, to be allayed?

I’m sorry Martin, from here it looks like it is all collapsing around your ears and you have no way to move either forward or out. I hope my understanding of the situation is wrong and that it is nowhere as bleak as I, and I suspect others, are imagining.

Is the Mumbai thread another attempt at raising your profile? If so, I don’t think it will work here, its relevance is questionable at best.

I sincerely hope you succeed, but my doubts become graver with each successive delay.

Regards,

kev35

When I started this project I was well aware of the fact that no one is trusted until they deliver. I still understand that and it is to be expected that until alphaOne flies people are going to be cynical….to be honest I probably would be too if someone else were starting the airline.

I have much to prove and until I have proven it I have no problems with people expressing their true thoughts on the topic. I’m always up for informed discussion and debate. As yet we are yet to deliver and thus many people are perfectly entitled to their current opinions, the only difference between those people and myself is, I know the details and exactly when everything is happening. Until that time it is only fair that everyone expresses their own thoughts on the subject, even if at times it makes our job a little harder at alphaOne.

I think anyone who decides to start up an airline should be prepared for the cynics, as in any industry. We are here to discuss commercial aviation and while Martin is a member of the forum and is known ‘personally,’ he and Alpha One aren’t exempt from sceptics.

I would like to think everyone here supports him and hope he does well, but you cannot blame anyone for deing doubtful. It’s a competitive and complex industry, you’d be naive if you think everyone becomes a success.

My own view is that it has dragged on a bit (which doesn’t encourage postive views) but I do wish him all the best and can only compliment his determination in getting this far and still fighting.

I’ve been reading these forums for quite some time, but only recently signed up.

Everybody is obviously entitled to their opinion, however it’s a bit harsh on a guy who is a member of this forum, to be criticizing right under his nose, so to speak, think how you would feel if people where talking about your credibility on the project you’ve been dreaming about for years. However I’m not turning this into a massive debate, just food for thought, all the best for Martin, I hope he does everybody proud.

Dan

i read you piece in this months airliner world and i wish all this best with you airline and ill maby fly them some day when u launch

They have not said they can do any better… but some are criticising, I don’t think it’s fair to go criticising him, when they have no idea of the complexities involved and are not starting up airlines for themselves…

Dan05,

I do not want to set up an airline, thankyou. But be assured, having worked in the industry for nearly 20 years, I do have plenty of ideas about the complexities involved. Over those 20 years there have been a few genuine people set up airlines (Richard Branson, Stellios) and countless sheisters who have tried and failed or said they’re trying and have lied. Those of us who are synical are such because we’ve seen it all before. When Martin delivers on a promise, any promise, we’ll be pleased to hear he’s succeeded. Until then…

Andy

I believed in the beginging but using the phrase “URGENTLY” when asking for aircraft does not inspire me with confidence!