This Review Overall Rating
Theory completed at Coventry Ground School - brilliant instruction and PadPilot manuals were good. However there was little communication about the stages to come after ground school in regards to flight training location. There was also a real pressure for first time passes, and pressure to sit exams first time even if students would rather defer to a later date when they would feel more ready. Accommodated in a house with other cadets.
Flight training at Goodyear, AZ. The DA40s spent months grounded due to repeated ECU failures and power loss resulting in multiple off field landings during my time there. The DA40s were unreliable to fly and real pressure to fly them despite students unwilligness. Due to this, widespread disruption was caused to flight training. However, instruction on the whole was excellent, and L3 put money aside to create a strong social presence including pizza nights and other social events. DA42 training was good, aircraft were always serviceable, maintenance carried out quickly (partly due to Lufthansa Training's maintenance hanger located adjacent) and instructor availability and scheduling became much better. Furthermore the staff that worked in the Goodyear training centre were phenomenal, and always willing to help.
The final stage of training in Bournemouth - a tiny training centre well over capacity. Very few serviceable aircraft, with a maintenance hanger full of DA42's that are out of service. As a result, training was often disrupted. IR sims were generally well scheduled, but lots of disruption on the DA42. Integrated students were at the back of the queue and L3s lowest priority, behind MPL cadets, and other students with a deadline for type rating. Whilst I was there they also announced a new contract to train RAF students, which amazed all the students there because at the time there was only two serviceable DA42s, causing a wide amount of delays to student training. As a standard integrated student, you really were at the back of the queue. Furthermore, we were based in Southampton for our training in Bournemouth, meaning a 1 hr 20 round commute to training each day. Again, no apology for L3 nor were they willing to accept any form of responsibility. The Director of Flight training was also unreachable, students would have to commute to Bournemouth and sit and wait for often days on end in order to get an exit interview. Very poor treatment of customers.
AQC was a much better service, and completed professionally and to a high standard.
After flight training, little communication was given, or updates on position in the airline hold pool. I was eventually offered an interview for THY, but turned it down for another job that I found after applying without L3's help. 6 months into that job, I was offered an EZY interview.
Course(s) taken:
General
Aircraft
Simulators
Theoretical Training
Practical Training
