More staff profiles

Today we'll continue with short staff interviews made by students. First of all, Flight Instructor Javier Martinez was interviewed by Jordi. Where do you live? I've been living in Sabadell for 2 months Are you married or single? I'm single How old are you? I'm 27 years old How old were you when you decided to become a pilot? I was 16 years old How old were you when you began to study to be a pilot? I was 20 years old In which other companies did you work before? In Spanair on an Airbus 320 as a flight student for 6 months, in Senasa in Salamanca and Adventia as a ground instructor. What are your objectives? To become a captain in a big airline What would you do if you have to go away to get this objective? I have no problem with moving to a foreign country. Do you have any hobbies? Yes, I like playing the electric guitar. Do you have any advice to give to the student pilots? Yes, you have to study very hard for this job. What's your favourite aeroplane? The MD 87 What things would you change about your job? A fixed timetable would be good. Carlos then interviewed David Moreno. How old are you? I'm 24 years old Where o you live? I live in Sabadell How long have you been working here? Since January Do you like it? Yes, I do. What would you like to do if you weren't a pilot? I'd like to be a policeman, a Mosso. Have you got any hobbies? Yes, diving and playing tennis. Are you married? More or less!

Red Bull Air Race

Last Saturday saw the first Red Bull Air Race to be held in Spain. Barcelona's Bogatell beach saw more than 1 million spectators arrive to spend the evening watching planes perform almost impossible manoeuvres in the sky, and pretty close to sea level as well. Top Fly sponsored the only Spanish contestant in the race, Alejandro Maclean, who finished in 7th place with a time of 2:53:32. Here is a full list of the places: Pos Name Nat. Time 1 Peter Besenyei HUN 02:33.82 2 Mike Mangold USA 02:39.56 3 Kirby Chambliss USA 02:40.95 4 Klaus Schrodt GER 02:48.30 5 Nicolas Ivanoff FRA 02:50.08 6 Nigel Lamb GBR 02:51.59 7 Alejandro Maclean ESP 02:53.32 8 Paul Bonhomme GBR 02:53.79 9 Michael Goulian USA 02:54.36 10 Steve Jones GBR 03:00.32 11 Frank Versteegh NED 03:05.91 Fortunately the weather was almost perfect for the race, with very little wind and the skydivers and pilots were able to show off their skills to the best advantage. I'm sure more than 1 spectator will have been bitten by the flying bug, maybe we'll see some of them here at Top Fly in the future!!

Staff Profiles

Today we will begin a series of interviews with Top Fly staff. The interviews are conducted during the English tutorials on Tuesday and Thursday. The students write are give the interviews themselves. This gives us all a chance to get to know the staff much better and for the students to practise speaking to diffeent people in English. INTERVIEW by Albert Garcia What’s your name? Xavi Rovires Where were you born? I was born in Sabadell on 22nd April 1974 Where do you live? I live in Sabadell Are you married or single? I have been married for 5 years Have you got any children? We have got 1 son. He’s 3 months old What do you do? I’m a pilot. I have been a flight instructor since 1999 Have you got any hobbies? I like listening to music a lot. I played with 3 rock bands. The first band was called “carcoma”, the second “horse town” and the third didn’t have a name. I played the guitar. How long have you been working in aviation? Since 1999. How do you get to work? I often get to work by car but sometimes by train. What’s the best/worst thing of your job? The best, my colleagues. The worst, the bad days, this work depends on the weather. Here's an interview conducted by Pere Román and Daniel Meyer. What's your name? Sylvia. What's your favourite hobby? Listening to music, different kinds of music-except classical. Where do you live? In Barcelona. Are you married? No. How many brothers or sisters have you got? I have 1 sister. Where will you go on your next holiday? To Mallorca What's your favourite food? I like Italian food, pasta. In the future, where do you want to work? I want to work at Zaragoza airport. Will you go to see the RedBull Race next Saturday? Yes, I will.

GENERAL AVIATION SITUATION DEBATE

THE GENERAL AVIATION SITUATION IN SPAIN TO BE DEBATED AT TOP FLY The professional pilot training school's 15th anniversary conference series continues at Sabadell Airport. "AOPA-SPAIN: General Aviation in Spain- what is it and how do we defend it?", is the title of the conference to be given by Marlies Campi in the Aula Magna at Top Fly on Tuesday, 25th of April. General Aviation is a sector which generates a large volume of business in advanced countries; it also plays an important role in the generation of first jobs. It's an authentic stepping stone between the room and a job as an aviation professional in a regular airline, it is of enormous importance in the professional development of the new generation of pilots. AOPA-SPAIN, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Spain was founded in 1980. AOPA is represented in more than 60 countries, uniting almost half a million pilots. The AOPA was first set up in The United States 35 years ago and is recognised as a valuable interlocutor for organisations such as the ICAO, the FAA, the JAA, or Eurocontrol.

Beta Programme Success

THE BETA PROGRAMME CAN PRODUCE A FLYING ADDICTION Top Fly's system to lose the fear of flying is successful. Silvia Carré, one of the first users of the Beta Programme, has sent us a photograph which was unthinkable for her only a few weeks ago. In the photo Silvia is shown at the controls of a Cessna 172, carrying out a flight over the Osona area (Barcelona) where she lives. Not only has Silvia overcome her fear of flying, but she has also been bitten by the flying bug and took great enjoyment in having a bird's eye view of the world. Is this because the Beta Programme creates addiction? Congratulations, Silvia, well done!!!

TWO NEW "METROS" FOR THE TOP FLY FLEET Top Fly now owns the best Metroliner fleet in Spain. The new EC-GEN and EC-GJM aircraft, both Fairchild Metro III, will spend some time in the Top Fly maintenance hangar at Sabadell airport before being fully incorporated into the fleet. During their stay in the hangar, they will be subjected to a thorough maintenance check which will last some weeks. At the end of this process the aircraft, painted in the Top Fly colours, will be sent to their final destinations.

A quick tour of the academy

Here's a quick tour of the academy, from photos taken at International School Inauguration in October, 2005.

This is a panoramic shot of the main buildings, including the classrooms, reception etc. The new building, where you can find the aula Magna, reception and the teachers and instructors (when they aren't in class).

Here is a photo of some of the instructor-all looking ready for business, as is the fleet in front of the hangar, below.

Here's an inside view of the hangar-it's usually much busier than this!!!

Below is a shot of the simulator room, where the pilots practise their manoeuvres; and the airbus simulator with two students bringing her safely into land.

And finally, the cabin crew simulation room, where the future flight attendants are able to familiarise themselves with the procedures and constriants of working inside a plane.

Commercial Aviation Master

A MASTERS IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION BEGINS The classes will start on the 6th of October The inaugrial session took place in the ETSEIAT conference hall. The first group for the Master in Commercial Aviation: Strategic Management and Direction will have 14 students. These students come from different backgrounds, such as the aeronautic profession, business management and economy. This Master in Commercial Aviation: Strategic Management and Direction is the result of collaboration between our school and the UPC Foundation.

THE FIRST EUROPEAN FTO TO GAIN CERTIFICATION FROM THE CHINESE AERONAUTIC AUTHORITY, CAAC.

TOP FLY, THE FIRST EUROPEAN FTO TO GAIN CERTIFICATION FROM THE CHINESE AERONAUTIC AUTHORITY, CAAC. The first group of student pilots from the Republic of China could begin their studies at the installations at Sabadell Airport next autumn. The certification obtained by TOP FLY is the fruit of a two year negotiation; which finished with a five day visit by a Chinese delegation to the Top Fly installations at Sabadell Airport at the end of February. The delegation, which was formed by high level delegates from the Chinese Aeronautic Authority (CAAC), noted the high level of effectiveness in the training given at TOP FLY, as well as the quality of the fleet and teaching staff. This certification converts TOP FLY in one of the eight FTOs in the world to be approved by the Chinese government; it is the first in Europe

Welcome

Welcome aboard the Top Fly blog! This space is designed for both staff and students to communicate with the rest of the organisation by posting tips, advice, news, up and coming events, experiences, comments etc., as well as improve their English. There are links to web pages to help improve general and aeronautic English. Comments/posts can be posted directly, or through the school's English teacher. We hope you find this resource useful.