The guy doesn't -claim- to have any real world commercial experience
James - at least not anymore... but he probably needs to get some if he
wishes to be treated seriously outside of the protected environment of
Camden Airport. At the moment his students think that he's some kind of
aviation God when, in reality, it's only the grace of family money and
premature promotions (from daddy and his mates in CASA) into positions
he was seriously unfit for (AT THE TIME) that had any impact on his
aviation success. I truly believe the guy has learned a little since the
golden days of AFTS after he and his misfit family drove the business
into the ground. I believe they used the failed experience as a means to
start again when buying another established business they could run
without making the same mistakes. This is exactly what they have done.
Don't mistake my tone because I do think that they are EXCELLENT
instructors and have a FANTASTIC school, but I also don't think it's the
kind of school where you want to do any commercial training since their
own commercial exposure amounts to scenic flights in 172's and the odd
flight in a beaten up training twin. James, maybe they make up their
stories to give themselves a little more credibility to potential CPL/IR
candidates than they actually deserve? Aviation is one of those funny
industries where we accept without hesitation that we'll learn something
from somebody who has never done it before. It's many a year since I've
instructed (yes, I am ex Basair so I'm not one to talk about quality)
but since leaving GA I've come to realise how inappropriate is was that
I was teaching commercial candidates when I had NEVER EVER conducted a
commercial flight; let alone a multi engine IFR charter flight.

I admire anybody that is prepared to endure general aviation long term
and make the training industry their home. Let's face it James, a
customer is better off with Curtis than they are with most of the other
schools and/or transient instructors in the industry.