Box Hill Institute for pilots served class action

Students of the Box Hill Institute’s aviation course have filed a class action lawsuit for allegedly sub-standard education practices.

Gordon Legal is representing nearly 200 students in the Box Hill Institute class action. The case alleges that the students, who were hoping to get their commercial pilots license through the course, were provided with teaching standards so low that they did not meet the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s requirements for licensing.

Gordon Legal claims students are left with $100,000+ VET bills and no qualification.

Lead plaintiff Nerita Somers claims to be $77,000 out of pocket and still without a commercial pilot’s license. Jesse-Ray Sealy has also joined the class action; Jesse suffered personal injury after a light plane crash at Moorabbin while under the school’s instruction to solo fly a plane he alleges to have had just 1.8 hours of flight instruction.

Both the college and the contracted course provider, Soar Aviation, were stripped of their authority to train students last year though both have since been re-accredited. Box Hill Institute denies the student allegations.

The case is Nerita Somers and Ors v Box Hill Institute. The plaintiffs are represented by Jack Rush QC and Min Guo instructed by Gordon Legal. Box Hill is being represented Matthew Hooper.