Venkat Raman
One of the most popular flying schools in the country has dismissed a number of complaints including assault, harassment and racial remarks by an international student, saying that they lacked ‘corroborative evidence.’
Senthamil Mayilvaganan, a pilot from Tamil Nadu, with an impressive performance record and insatiable passion for flying and lofty ambitions of becoming a commercial pilot for an international airline, is obviously disappointed.
Christchurch based International Aviation Academy of New Zealand (IAANZ) Chief Executive Peter Randle said that he had hired a private investigator based on an email sent by Indian Newslink listing the student’s charges.
These included allegations of assault by one of the flying instructors, racial and discriminatory remarks by a member of the Academy and other complaints.
We took the issues with Mr Randle and agreed to grant him about a month’s time to investigate. As we readied this issue for printers, he said that the investigation involved extensive interviews of students, instructors and other IAANZ staff. The student who had made the complaint was also interviewed.
Respected Source
To his credit, Mr Randle did not reveal the identity of the student, but we have done so, since Mr Mayilvaganan had requested us to do so along with his complaints, so that “no one else should suffer such harsh experiences and concentrate on their career building efforts.”
“Every student of aviation aims to become an international pilot carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers including world leaders and VVIPs. They should have peace of mind and clarity of thought and action. Any bad experience on the ground can affect their judgment and prove to be dangerous,” he said.
Mr Mayilvaganan has sent us a very long list of complaints including a detailed description of each of them as they occurred. We did not have reason to doubt the veracity of the complaints because these came through a highly respected member of the community.
The Complaints
Following is a summary of the complaints received by us: 1. Demand for an additional sum of $13,423.80 ‘on the premature assumption that he would be required to extend his visa after completing 200 hours.’ This was when he had completed just 70 hours 2. IAANZ’s refusal to allow a friend to transfer a sum into his Trust Account saying it was illegal while Mr Mayilvaganan allowed him to transfer $3400 to another friend’s account a few months earlier 3. An Administrator‘s comment ‘I hate this Indian thing’ 4. A departing charge of $3000 demanded by the Administrator, later reduced to $500 after Mr Randle intervened and 5. Refusal by a Senior Instructor to hand over his Logbook and Summary Sticker essential to continue his flying career.
Repeated assault
The most serious complaint of Mr Mayilvaganan related to the behaviour of another Instructor after getting drunk at a bachelors’ party attended by all instructors.
“This instructor (name withheld) slapped me repeatedly that night. I had taken him to the party and waited to drive him home. It was then that he began using foul language and beating me. I was too stunned to speak,” he said.
IAANZ Response
Mr Randle said, “We were very concerned that the student became upset while studying at our school and take allegations like this very seriously. As a leading international provider of pilot training we have taught over 2000 students over 22 years and this is the first time I can recall such allegations have been made. As you know from your research, many of our students graduate and go onto work for leading global airlines, and it’s not just because of the training, it’s also because we take the safety of our staff, students and the public very seriously.”
Not convinced
Mr Mayilvaganan said that he was not convinced by Mr Randle’s response.
“He has not given us any report on what their findings were. I have filed a complaint of assault at a local police station. I am not sure how many students have suffered in the past. I hope they come forward and report to Indian Newslink,” he said.
But he admitted that IAANZ provided him with quality training and that most of the instructors were good.
“These instructors are an important part of the Academy and they made me hate the institution. The way these people treated me urged me to leave this country. Luckily I was able to find a new place to study and I have planned to continue my training in Middle Earth Flying School, at Matamata. My parents were not satisfied with the way that I was being treated by the Academy and had asked me to return to India. But my passion towards flying is still holding me back,” Mr Mayilvaganan said.
Photo :
Senthamil Mayilvaganan in the cockpit of an aircraft
IAANZ offers excellent training but needs manage some issues
