Rodney Gentry

This post is a warning to all past, current, and potential future pilots for Beijing PanAm International Aviation Academy (BPIAA). If you want to work as a pilot in China or utilize your Chinese issued licenses after being employed at BPIAA, my situation will be of interest to you.

I came to China in February 2006 to be employed as a flight instructor with BPIAA. I obtained my Chinese commercial pilot license through BPIAA, which was needed to legally flight instruct in China. This is a process that all the foreign flight instructors went through. I completed one fourteen-month standard contract, and left the company on good terms.

After leaving BPIAA, I taught English in a middle school so that my family and I could remain in China. During that time I decided to return to flight instructing, and obtained my current position with another Chinese flight training academy. Currently I am in the process of obtaining my Chinese flight instructor license (which is a relatively new requirement in China), and my company needs my Chinese commercial pilot license transferred from BPIAA. The problem is that BPIAA won’t release my Chinese license.

I have been informed that BPIAA delayed the issue for two weeks, and then demanded money for the license transfer. In addition, BPIAA caused another two week delay by waiting that long to fax the amount they want to be paid. They claim the money is compensation for the costs they incurred to train and license me. The amount BPIAA wants is RMB115,800 (over $16,000 US).

My understanding is that Beijing PanAm does not own my Chinese pilot license, it belongs to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). Therefore, it is illegal for Beijing PanAm to hold my license.

Here are some additional facts:

• The contract I signed never had any clause or stipulation stating that BPIAA could hold my Chinese license. Nor was there anything in the contract about compensating BPIAA for flight training or Chinese licensing.
• I fulfilled my contract and honored my agreement with BPIAA. I even received a contract completion bonus and was later invited to return to work for BPIAA.
• There have been at least four former BPIAA foreign flight instructors that have come to my company to instruct, and not one of them had to pay to have their Chinese licenses transferred. I am the first one to have this problem.

This is shameful behavior when a company hinders the careers of their former employees who honor their agreements. If they are doing it to me, there is a good chance they will be doing it to others. Beware, or you may find yourself in the same situation.

pilotinsky

That's why I am still flying in US.....

KiloAlphaPapa

Could always fly in Mexico!

wxyz

Welcome to China. Once a company sponsors you through the CACC conversion process, they esentially own you until they release you. They justify it by saying it costs them money for the physical, written test and sim check. Even if you apply with a company but never work for them, they have to release you to work for another Chinese company. Be careful of the fine print in China, it's so fine you can't see it with the naked eye.