[RichM]

Hi,

I flew weekly some 5 years ago while working towards my PPL before moving away at which point I discontinued by training. I started flying with another school nearby a year ago but decided to stop as I did not like the PA-28 compared to the C172 I was familiar with. I felt like I was starting all over again despite having 50 hours under my belt.

Now another year has gone by. I asked for my flight training record/notes to be returned to me, though the Flight School in question refuse to do so and will only send them to another school. - Despite the fact that I gave my previous notes/records to them in the first place!

I don't want to be on bad terms with them, hence asking on here - But is there some rule preventing them from giving it to me directly?

Thank you

Rich

[lobstaboy]

Schools are understandably reluctant to part with training records - they need them to cover their backsides in case there is a claim that a particular student was not taught properly. There may well be a legal requirement to keep them too.
That said, I can't see why they wouldn't let you have photocopies, apart from the hassle - have you offered to pay for their time spent retrieving them etc?

Edited to add - I just checked. According to the guidance I have the school should keep them for a minimum of two years after the final entry.

[Devonian]

They need to be sent to your new school. Get your new instructor to ask for them. There shouldn't be a problem. Good luck.

[Flyin'Dutch']

It may well be that a new school can only use a copy that comes from another ATO/FTO so they know they are not changed by a student, but I suspect rect that under the data protection legislation they cannot refuse you insight in your record, or even must destroy them if you so wish.

[Sooty25]

I would ask for copies just in case the current school goes bust before you start with another.

If you are going to get your license though, you probably was to find a school you do like at get stuck in. All these breaks aren't helping.

[ArrowStraight]

It's a simple procedure. Their records have to be kept by them, even if you gave them your previous records when you joined. They just became part of their records. You may have a right to get back just the bit you gave them, but the previous school should not have given you those originals in the first place.

The procedure is:

You formally ask them to send copies of their training records to your new chosen school. They do not send their originals to anyone. If they fail to send the copies to the new school in a reasonable amount of time you complain to the CAA.

[lobstaboy]

You formally ask them to send copies of their training records to your new chosen school. They do not send their originals to anyone. If they fail to send the copies to the new school in a reasonable amount of time you complain to the CAA.

Indeed, but that is not what I understand the OP is asking. He doesn't say he is resuming training at a new school. He just says he wants the records from the school he was training at for himself. No mention of what he wants to do with them.

[riverrock]

You can request copies for yourself under the data protection act, but no right to the originals.

Each school should have a data retention policy which states for how long they will be kept. That would be at least as long as any training expires for use for a rating (not sure how long that is).

[PeteSpencer]

ISTR if a flying school stops trading or goes bust in the UK the records have to go to the CAA .

From there they can go to your new flight school but you can only have copies under FoI act not the originals

Peter

[Fellsteruk]

Regardless of aviation, it’s your data and under GDPR you have a legal right to request a copy of the data they hold and they must comply, appreciate you don’t want bad terms but if your not getting what you want I’d contact the ICO and raise a complaint.

[NDB_hold]

Write to them and say you are making a Subject Access Request under GDPR.

They are entitled to make a 'reasonable' charge for their time.

[riverrock]

No - it's free.
They can only charge if you repeat your request or it is manifestly unfounded or excessive - which won't apply here.
https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/gu ... of-access/

[RichM]

Thanks for the replies, I think I might have to play the GDPR card but I was hoping not to.

I asked my original flight school some 100 miles away if they would be keen to have the notes back as they were the ones who gave them to me directly previously. For some reason, it seems they are now reluctant to do so. However, they did say that the notes/hours logged prior to September 2016 don't count for anything now. Essentially implying I'd need to start all over again in terms of hours at least. Is this true?

[Bathman]

Right first up there was no requirement for Registered Facilities to have training records in the first place. And as you started flying some 5 years ago I would very much expect that they would of been a Registered Facility.

Secondly don't even bother getting the CAA involved as even if they were an FTO/ATO they will still do absolutely nothing about it. Same for written exam passes. A school refused to pass them onto my new school. All the CAA did was say to me that they have to pass them on. When this didn’t happen they did nothing about it.

Then all this about if a school goes bust then they will pass the training records onto the CAA again its absolute rubbish. As when this said school went bust and even after 6 months of hassle there was not a sign of the training records.

If you want my two pence just go to your new school show them your logbook and take it from there.

[lobstaboy]

However, they did say that the notes/hours logged prior to September 2016 don't count for anything now. Essentially implying I'd need to start all over again in terms of hours at least. Is this true?

It depends what they mean
But in any case given the elapsed time, if you want to begin training again the school you go to now will need to start you from the beginning again. You will have retained a little, but not much, of what you learnt before.
You will end up in total doing more than the minimum number of hours - everybody does even without gaps - so the time you did 4-5 years ago is academic really. The best you can expect is that the experience you had before will help you progress faster this time.
This may sound hard, but it's true.