Bolivar Aviation

[Hoke]

Did anyone on this board attend Bolivar Aviation or know of anyone who did? I would love to get in touch with some of the guys/girls and know what they're up to.
I know of 4 of us at Southwest, 1 at Fedex, 1 at Continental and 2 at Cathay Pacific.

 

[AV80R]

Did anyone on this board attend Bolivar Aviation or know of anyone who did? I would love to get in touch with some of the guys/girls and know what they're up to.
I know of 4 of us at Southwest, 1 at Fedex, 1 at Continental and 2 at Cathay Pacific.

I know several who lost thousands of dollars when the flight school went belly up and wouldn't refund the money deposited into their flight accounts. One guy lost $11,000 - had to pay the money upfront to get the "free housing." Bolivar Aviation - what a scam that was!

 

[Fokkerflyer]

Hoke check your pm

 

[NuGuy]

Did anyone on this board attend Bolivar Aviation or know of anyone who did? I would love to get in touch with some of the guys/girls and know what they're up to.
I know of 4 of us at Southwest, 1 at Fedex, 1 at Continental and 2 at Cathay Pacific.

WOW! I haven't heard that name in ages.

I didn't go to Bolivar, but worked at a competing shop down the road (SEFA).

I remember when Bolivar was the 800 lb gorillia. They had like 100 airplanes and then overnight they went bust (well, that's how I remember it).

FWIW, SEFA alums had similar success...I know of 2 at NWA, 1 at UAL, 3 at AWA and 1 at SWA. A fair number dropped out, but I think that was par for the course.

I miss the era of the "oversized mom 'n pop flight schools". A lot of character was lost from the scene when those places went belly up in the 90's.

Nu

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I run into a couple now and then. I was there in 91. A couple of the people I know are either out of aviation or met with bad accidents in Europe. I know of one that is at CAL and I am going to AirTran. It was a good time.

 

[NuGuy]

I run into a couple now and then. I was there in 91. A couple of the people I know are either out of aviation or met with bad accidents in Europe. I know of one that is at CAL and I am going to AirTran. It was a good time.

Heyas Secret,

I was at SEFA in 91.

I run into guys who dropped out now and then. I can't help but wonder if they were the smart ones. But it was a fun time...always brings a smile to my face thinking about it.

I knew a number who met untimely ends as well. It always seemed to happen to the good guys, never the scum bags. That's Karma for you.

Good luck at da Tranny!

Nu

 

[Palomino]

I miss the era of the "oversized mom 'n pop flight schools". A lot of character was lost from the scene when those places went belly up in the 90's.

Nu

oversized mom 'n' pop flight schools = terrorist farms in retrospect?

glad they're gone. we don't need that kind of character running around.

 

[ron burgundy]

[I attended school there 10/88-05/89. Instructed from5/89-7/93. then lawn service.frieght in a 402.
1900 commuter,another 1900 commuter,then vangaurd airlines,then southeast airlines,Now Airtran..

Livin the dream baby!!!!

 

[NWA Furloughee]

Ah Bolivar Aviation, I spent a brief period of time there in 1992 adding an instrument endorsement to my multi-engine rating. Their in-house examiner for the checkride must have been having a really bad day before I met him because he handed me an engine out, no gyro (as in covered up ADI and HSI), NDB approach for my last approach. Although I had never heard of such a thing or flown one before, I did manage to fly the approach (using the whiskey compass), only to be busted because I violated the MDA by 50 feet.

In my book an approach like that would constitute a genuine, multiple failures emergency and I would be asking for all the help I could get, from other crewmembers or ATC. It is not in the FAA instrument flight check guide and my instructor was really peaved. Since I was on a guaranteed program, I received two more hours of no-cost dual insturction. My instructor and I took turns shooting engine out, no gyro NDB approaches. After which I took another checkride with a different examiner who hadn't included that multi-headed beast in his playbook. I received a standard checkride, which I passed.

I for one was not saddened to see Bolivar shut its doors. The lack of any checkride standardization was unacceptable and should not be tolerated in a FAR Part 141 school.