Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1875740
low&slow wrote:
Lockhaven wrote:@PaulSS

I don’t want to depress you further, however after holding a UK ATPL for the last 20+ years I had to SOLI to Malta because of work. Five months ago I applied for a UK FCL licence they took the money almost instantly 300+ pounds but I am still waiting for the licence.

So, how far throught the CAA complaints procedure are you?


Apparently it is now with licensing for approval and issue however they cannot give a time frame for how long that may take.
Thankfully I have my EASA licence so it doesn’t affect work, I don’t really know why I bothered applying for it other that having held a UK ATPL for 20+ years so thought it be better to have a UK one as well as an EASA one.
#1875742
Does the CAA Cellma application/renewal work the same way as DVLC?.
I renewed my 70+ driving licence 4 weeks ago.
My 3 year expiry date is 30th Oct. – So, another 21 days to go and not yet received.
However, I note from the renewal form, that I am allowed to continue driving should the new licence not arrive by that date, subject to not knowingly having/or listing a reason for my application to be refused.
Does the ‘Cellma’ application allow the same concession?
Has anyone found themselves grounded so far?
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By AndyR
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1875771
low&slow wrote:
Lockhaven wrote:@PaulSS

I don’t want to depress you further, however after holding a UK ATPL for the last 20+ years I had to SOLI to Malta because of work. Five months ago I applied for a UK FCL licence they took the money almost instantly 300+ pounds but I am still waiting for the licence.

So, how far throught the CAA complaints procedure are you?


The complaints procedure is pretty much a waste of time and effort. Just the typical management speak response and a we will endeavour to do better. They are simply there to protect the organisation, not to assist in my recent experience (x 3!)
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#1875976
I got an email saying they are doing an audit of PMDs and I hadn’t declared aircraft weight and my PMD was invalid.

I went back in and repeated it, and they’ve now added a pop up that you cannot proceed past without choosing an option, so that definitely wasn’t there before.

I am now PMD’ again.
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1876045
@Cessna571sounds like it was definitely your fault in their eyes for not clicking on something that wasn't there. Why didn't you click on something that wasn't there the first time and avoid wasting their time and giving them more work? I am sure they will be telling the high-ups about all the people like you delaying them...
;-)
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#1876046
AndyR wrote:The complaints procedure is pretty much a waste of time and effort. Just the typical management speak response and a we will endeavour to do better. They are simply there to protect the organisation, not to assist in my recent experience (x 3!)

Pretty much to be expected from a first tier reponse, but the longer it takes to get your licence or whatever back the more time you have to kick it up another level. If you reply that you find their response unacceptable and will continue to escalate the matter at every opportunity until your licence is in your hands, with the correct details on it, then there's a chance that they might pull their finger out and get on with it. Five months to receive a professional licence (even if not strictly needed) is unacceptable and should have been escalated to the highest level. I can understand Lockhaven thinking it's not worth the aggro but I would have happily spent a few minutes every few weeks to push the thing along just as a matter of principle.

The other point, of course, is that the more official complaints they get the more chance there is that they might actually improve. Sending the occasional plaintive email or whining on the internet won't have any effect.
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By GrahamB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1876047
I attended the second of the Virtual Voyage seesions last week.

IIRC the main reason given for implementing Cellma was that the previous database was donkeys years old, inaccurate and difficult to support.

So they've replaced it with a cumbersome off-the-shelf system into which a fairly simple set of requirements has been shoehorned, and badly at that, which looks and behaves like it was designed as a sixth form project.

it's p1ssed off its customers, and in many cases has posed a threat, if not actually compromised, their employment. Furthermore, it's p1ssed off one of the key contributing resources to the future success of the process, the AME community, to the point that many are giving up.

But the CAA now gets its £8 up front in the process instead of at the end as before, so that's alright then. :roll:
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User avatar
By AndyR
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1876143
low&slow wrote:
AndyR wrote:The complaints procedure is pretty much a waste of time and effort. Just the typical management speak response and a we will endeavour to do better. They are simply there to protect the organisation, not to assist in my recent experience (x 3!)

Pretty much to be expected from a first tier reponse, but the longer it takes to get your licence or whatever back the more time you have to kick it up another level. If you reply that you find their response unacceptable and will continue to escalate the matter at every opportunity until your licence is in your hands, with the correct details on it, then there's a chance that they might pull their finger out and get on with it. Five months to receive a professional licence (even if not strictly needed) is unacceptable and should have been escalated to the highest level. I can understand Lockhaven thinking it's not worth the aggro but I would have happily spent a few minutes every few weeks to push the thing along just as a matter of principle.

The other point, of course, is that the more official complaints they get the more chance there is that they might actually improve. Sending the occasional plaintive email or whining on the internet won't have any effect.


Seven months and counting, with many kicks, from myself and employer. Bit daft having to take a LPC every 6 weeks to survive on a 6 week temporary certificate (now that the 6 month COVID ones have gone) but that’s what it’s starting to look like having to do now that my 6 mph temporary certificate is expiring with no sign of an updated licence.

Maybe when it arrives the correct ratings will also be on it. Maybe….
By Lefty
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1878656
Just tried to log on to CAA Portal and Cellma.

Problem 1
Found the CAA Portal - but couldn't for the life of me find where to log on. There isn't a big LOGIN button as with most website - thee is a very tiny hyperlink hidden in the masses of text.

Problem 2
Logged on to CAAS Portal
Requested Medical
It then gave me a page which it auto-filled with all my personal details - then asked if I wanted to "continue to request a service". (Well isn't that why I logged on to the medical page .... !! If I hadn't wanted a service I would have just logged out !!).
The when I said "Yes, I would like a service". It came back saying that it would take the CAA up to 5 working days to verify the details I had submitted".

FFS ! I didn't submit any details that needed verification, I only confirmed that my personal details they had presented to me - were correct! HTF does it take 5 days to confirm something that they had already confirmed - and had just displayed to me??? What a total f-Up !
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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1878665
Out of idle curiosity I went to portal.caa.co.uk and got straight to the login screen as expected.

I then logged in and had a look at my services. It seems that I can now use e-exams and e-licensing. Unfortunately I can't get to e-licensing without filling in all the personal details (that they already have) under the e-exams registration heading plus nominating a training school.

Yup @Lefty it is a fiasco.
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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1878671
VRB_20kt wrote:Bear in mind that portal isn’t Cellma.


Good point but the portal and the implementation of Cellma share a common theme of poor systems analysis and design