A VERY SUCCESSFUL DAY AT THE FLYER PROFESSIONAL PILOT TRAINING SHOW, DUBLIN

SEPTEMBER 12th

HI ALL,

WE MANAGED TO GET SAFELY BACK TO CORK AFTER A VERY SUCCESSFUL FLYER SHOW AT THE REGENCY HOTEL IN DUBLIN AND I CAN NOW TAKE 10 MINUTES OUT FROM A VERY BUSY SCHEDULE TO RECAP A LITTLE.

FIRSTLY,BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE INVOLVED FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND HELP RIGHT THROUGH FROM ORGANISATION TO EXECUTION,WHICH MADE THIS SHOW THE WHOPPING SUCCESS THAT IT TURNED OUT TO BE FOR ATLANTIC.

THIS IS OUR THIRD SUCCESSIVE YEAR DOING THIS EXHIBITION AND EACH TIME IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

THE WORK REALLY STARTED ABOUT 3 WEEKS PREVIOUSLY, ORGANISING EVERYTHING FROM COFFEE MACHINES TO FLYERS TO BANNERS TO STAFF.THEN WE TRAVELLED UP TO DUBLIN ON THE FRIDAY TO SET THE STAND UP,WHICH WE HAD DONE BY ABOUT 6PM,AND AFTERWARDS AT ABOUT 7PM WE WERE TREATED TO A VERY NICE RECEPTION IN THE HOTEL BY ALSIM.

THE SATURDAY MORNING TOOK US BY COMPLETE SURPRISE,BUT GLAD TO SAY A VERY PLEASANT SURPRISE.FROM THE MINUTE THE DOORS OPENED AT 9.30AM WE WERE INUNDATED WITH PEOPLE AT THE STAND. I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF THAT THIS WAS JUST AN EARLY MORNING RUSH AND IT WOULD CALM DOWN IN AN HOUR OR SO,BUT, HEY, WAS I WRONG...BY ABOUT 12PM I WAS THANKING MY LUCKY STARS THAT I HAD A "HEARTY BREAKFAST" BECAUSE THERE WAS NO STOPPING THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT KEPT ON COMING TO THE STAND.

I THINK MY BIGGEST SURPRISE WAS THE FACT THAT THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE WANTING TO TRAIN EVEN IN TIMES OF "RECESSION"... MIND YOU I HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE DURING OTHER RECESSIONS IN THE PAST... ALL THE "CLEVER" PEOPLE SEEM TO RECOGNISE THE FACT THAT TRAINING DURING A RECESSION MEANS THEY ARE QUALIFIED AND READY FOR THE INEVITABLE BOOM THAT ALWAYS FOLLOWS A RECESSION, ESPECIALLY IN THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS I FOUND MYSELF HAVING TO ANSWER THAT DAY WAS "EUR59,999 TO TRAIN AS A COMMERCIAL PILOT, THAT CANT BE RIGHT, WHAT ARE THE HIDDEN COSTS ?".........

NONE......NONE........NONE.......NONE.......I THINK I WOKE UP A FEW TIMES FOR SOME NIGHTS AFTERWARDS REPEATING THE SAME WORD.....................BELIEVE IT OR NOT ,THE COMPLETE TRAINING FROM START TO FINISH CAN BE DONE FOR EUR59,999... I HAVE TO SAY A SPECIAL THANKS HERE TO THE TWO MODELS WHO SPENT THE DAY LOOKING SO LOVELY AND WEARING OUR EUR59,999 T-SHIRTS AND GIVING OUT OUR LEAFLETS.

I WAS ALSO AMAZED AT THE AMOUNT OF OTHER SCHOOLS THAT HAD STANDS AT THE SHOW,THEY HAD COME FROM ALL OVER.......ENGLAND.....SPAIN.....EVEN AS FAR AWAY AS FINLAND AND AMERICA,JUST GOES TO SHOW,IRELAND MUST LOOK LIKE IT HAS A GOOD FUTURE FOR AIRLINE PILOT TRAINING.

THE IRISH AVIATION STAND WAS WELL REPRESENTED THAT DAY ALSO WITH THE VERY HELPFUL LORRAINE DENIS AND SIMON WHITE ,WHOM I AM SURE SPENT THEIR WHOLE DAY ANSWERING EVERYONES COMPLICATED LICENSING QUESTIONS.

THINGS STARTED TO CALM DOWN FROM ABOUT 3PM AND AT ABOUT 5PM ,AFTER ABOUT 10 CUPS OF COFFEE EACH,WE STARTED TO DISMANTLE THE STAND AND PREPARE FOR THE JOURNEY BACK TO CORK..............EVERYONE OF US SO HOARSE WE COULD HARDLY SPEAK.

I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE DARREN WARD OF THE FLYER MAGAZINE FOR ORGANISING SUCH A SUCCESSFUL SHOW AND I LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEARS.

IN THE SHORT TIME SINCE THE SHOW WE HAVE BEEN INUNDATED WITH PEOPLE ENQUIRING ABOUT OUR COURSES AND IF THIS IS A SIGN OF WHATS TO COME , THEN THE FUTURE LOOKS VERY BRIGHT INDEED.

SAFE FLYING AND SEE YOU NEXT YEAR...........

Allen Field C.F.I.