What's New?
Bruno
Bruno has gone to doggie heaven at the ripe old age of fourteen and a half.
He will be greatly missed, although not by people whose sandwiches he has stolen!
He has been replaced (although we will never forget him) by Domino.
Domino was born on 5th January 2012, so is still very boisterous.
So far, he has not stolen any sandwiches – although that is not for lack of trying.
Flybe
As a Flybe-approved training organisation, we have a continual dialogue with this airline. Unfortunately, Flybe are not recruiting at present as they have a very stable workforce. However, we look forward to once again recommending students to them as soon as the aviation jobs market picks up. Their Chief Pilot (Ian Baston) visits us a couple of times a year to keep in touch and to do a presentation to our students.
Blue Islands
We have now had at least 6 ex-students join Blue Islands, the airline based in Guernsey. Dougie Hoblin, their Chief Pilot, visited us late last year and stated that he was very pleased with the calibre of students we turn out and would be employing more ex-PAT students in the future.
GPS Approaches
GPS approaches are gradually being introduced at UK airports and before long will be widely available across European airspace.
PAT wishes to train pilots who not only have the required skills for today’s flying but are also well-trained for the future.
In line with this policy, PAT spent considerable time, effort and money (including an in-flight video produced with Bournemouth University) in developing a CAA-approved GPS training programme.
From June 2010, all of our students have been trained (in the FNPT II and in the aeroplane) to be competent in flying GPS en-route (BRNAV) and RNAV non-precision approaches.
The CAA at Bournemouth have agreed that a GPS Approach is an option for our students undergoing the initial Instrument Rating Test, instead of the NDB approach which is normally considered more difficult. Unfortunately, students do not know, until they turn up for the test, which approach they will have to do.
GPS Approaches - an update
Until December 2011, the only GPS approaches available in the UK were based on a horizontal profile only. On 17th November 2011, Alderney implemented a vertical profiling GPS approach (LPV). On 23rd November a Trislander from Aurigny and a Duchess from PAT became the first two aircraft in the country to carry out an LPV approach, both aircraft with a CAA test pilot on board.
Our aircraft is now approved to carry out LPV approaches. We are the first training school in the country to have such approval.
Although the CAA currently cannot carry out LPV approaches as part of the IR test (it is neither a precision, nor a non-precision approach,. PAT fully intends to include this training during the IR course.
PAT is proud to, once again, be the school leading the way with an instrument approach of the future.
Former Students
We have a page on our website giving details about where our ex-students are now. If we have missed you off this list, please e-mail or telephone us.
Personnel changes
Gerald
Paul Newman
Multi Crew Cooperation/Jet Orientation Courses
Most of our students use European Skybus, here at Bournemouth Airport, for their MCC course.
We have had nothing but good reports of the training provided by European Skybus.
Flight Examiner Training
Anthony has been running CAA-approved examiner training courses,FE (CPL), and CRE/IRR/OPC, since October 2006 and has now trained over 50 professional examiners. For more information, refer to his website www.flightexaminertraining.co.uk.
For those who may not yet have heard (and there are STILL some of you around), we moved on 8th May 2007 to
We have moved office and our new address is:
Oakland House
Building 420
Aviation Business Park
Bournemouth Airport
BH23 6NW