Pictures from Yesterday

Preston, you may well be right, I heard this from some office worker at Ryanair.

Thanks for that wysiwyg, I know quite a few pilots who trained at PPSC and I’ve only heard great things of it. It’s a pitty it went bust. When were you there? Do you know a guy called Steve Hunter, he trained there a while back and is now a senior captain with BA on the 777. He’s been my guru in my quest for an ATPL, coming with me everywhere, giving me references and great advice!

Martin – I did the CPL navs, Tech and ATPL navs (under the CAA rules rather than JAR) at PPSC (Professsional Pilot Study Center at Bournemouth) but they subsequently went bust. The owner (an AIH 757/767 pilot comitted suicide while I was on my last bit of training there, although I don’t think it was anything to do with me. I did my Performance A training over a weekend at the Gatwick Hilton with (in my view the god of ATPL training) Alex Whittingham. Alex is a former RAF TriStar pilot who lost his medical and established the commercial ground school operation at Bristol. His ability to teach is second to none. As with most self improvers (I already had nearly 1000 hours) the flying part of my training consisted of 2 sections, the CPL GFT (General Flight test) and the IR (instrument Rating). I completed all my training for both of these at Wycombe Air Center, sitting the tests at Cranfield. Finally, I did a LOFT (Line Orientated Flight Training) course on the rather crude 737 simulators at OATS. I believe OATS have updated these sims since.

Have you got a CRP 5 nav circular slide rule or will they be supplying you with that too? If not, I can help.

Martin are u sure about the B732 front??? Las ti heard was December 2004 retirement date – i’d expect this to come forward as opposed to slip back?

Saw EI-CNV today at NM. I love noisy stuff and that smell of Avtur fumes, but i can see Brussles wanting rid soon…

Great shots Martin. Well done matey. 🙂

Though it was a long time ago, I rememeber flying my first 732, back in the 80’s, G-AVRN, Britannia. Good Flight.

Cheers Martin. Glad you had a good time. 🙂

I’ve got the manuals in a bundle with the actual training. But thanks so much for the offer, I really appreciate it. Where did you do your training?

Have you bought all the Oxford manuals yet? If not I may be able to help you and possibly save you quite a bit of money!

wysiwyg, thanks for the advice, I’ve taken heed, the situation isn’t good at the moment. I’m just going to take it as it comes. However to be honest I haven’t really heard much of Wycombe for the ATPL. From the research I’ve done OAT and Cabair seem to be the only schools actually getting graduates into jobs, and even not many are getting employed in the first 6 months. I do however know 7 pilots personally who have graduated from OAT in the last 18 months 4 of those got jobs in the first six months, and I think the other three are now working.

However rest assured OAT aren’t telling me that airlines will be begging to recruit me 😉 In fact they have been telling me the full extent of the current situation. But I have to bare in mind I won’t be qualified until mid 2005 and a lot can change between now and then. So fingers crossed.

I’ve been very lucky to have people like yourself keeping my feet on the ground and reminding me of the true extent of the situation.

Anyway, on to lighter matters, my ticket for the whole trip cost £35 including all taxes etc.

From what I’ve heard the 732’s won’t be out of service until late 2006/early 2007.

Martin – go for it but please be ready to accept that people will tell you what you want to hear thinking that they are giving you the desire to succeed.

I spoke to one of the senior personnel at Wycombe Air Center last week. They had one of the very highest success rates of any commercial training establishment in the late 90’s. In the last 3 years they have had one person succeed in getting a job and that includes all of their instructors as well. No doubt OATS are telling you that they have airlines begging to recruit you.

Very clear and big!

Great pics.

1 quid doesn’t sound surprising. The vast majority of the ticket is actually airport and other taxes, it seems.

Someone on the Flypast forum reckons Ryanair will be using Prestwick as a base for the scrapping of it’s 732’s.

I had a quick look at ryanair.com for a daytrip STN-BLK a week on Saturday – 1p each way!!

You only get 25 minutes at BLK though! But you can do an early morning departure and evening return for £12.50 return which strikes me as pretty good.

It’s just a shame I live somewhere like IOM, as otherwise I would give that a try one damp weekend.

Martin – aren’t Ryanair retiring the 732? I thought that was one of the reasons why they ordered 150-odd 738’s?

Cheers Mongu.

I was chatting with the Ryanair crew and they were backing up what I had been told by OAT and saying that Ryanair is my best bet for a job after qualifying. Apprently I’ll be on the 732 for a minimum of six months before being moved to the 738. However if I do join Ryanair I might do what this crew did and stick with the 732! 🙂

The Dublin – Stansted service was operated by a 738 and there was a huge difference between it and the 732.

Martin, those are great shots – well done.

I agree the 732 is a nice ride. I remember once stepping off a 744 at LGW and taking off on a 732 to MAN about 40 minutes later, the difference was pretty darn big. It felt quite sporting and nimble, even though the engines look small and weedy!

Wow! Thanks for all the info Preston, things make a lot more sense now. That would also explain why the ELA 737-200 was still there 13 hours after I left Stansted.

ahhhhhhh 56k modems 😡

Great pics! I also loved the B732 last time i was on in July-August 2000, what a plane, hopefully might get back on one before there retirement!

RE the Continental B733s, they were purchased or leased by Buzz shortly before RYR purchased then. Then RYR decided not to “paint em up as they dont operate any other B733s,supposed they will get rid soon. Hence the G-BZZ reggies also – i think there were 6 in all?

I think EAL have an a/c based at STN for ad-hoc work as well as it’s own prgramme for a tour operator. Might cover part of a niche the old British World covered from STN.