In July 2012 the Pilot Training College (PTC) based in Waterford, but with many students training in Florida, collapsed leaving some 350 students and their sponsors, owed some €5m,stranded in the middle of their training, training funded mostly by personal borrowing,that costs close to €100,000.Some were owed close to€70,000 including a family in Dublin West.The liquidation of PTC is not expected to result in any payments to these students.

PTC was approved as a flight training organisation by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA),a state body, as recently as Autumn 2011. Whilst the IAA says it is not a consumer protection body it is supposed to ensure that there is adequate funding to complete the required training. This it clearly failed to do including approving PTC when it's financial future was already extremely problematic.

The response of Official Ireland has been to completely deny any responsibility for the dreadful situation faced by all these ambitious and hopeful trainee pilots. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar paid for flights home from Florida for those stranded there then denied any further role. The IAA denied legal responsibility. The Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communication promised a forensic enquiry but then reneged on its promise in private.

Please sign the Petition if you think the Trainee Pilots should get full financial compensation for their education, which they had already paid for. Thank you.