UK CAA announces all Registered Training Facilities, RTF, to convert to Declared Training Organisations, DTO, status by the Spring 2019, in a move to cut down ‘planned’ operational requirements for flying schools offering private flying qualifications.
The welcome decision will require all private pilot flying schools that are classed as Registered Training Facilities to convert to the new simpler Declared Training Organisations criteria, instead of the unpopular ‘proposed’, and much more complex, regulatory standards of professional Approved Training Organisations, ATO.
In a positive interchange, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, said:
“Declared Training Organisations have been given formal approval by the European Commission, overcoming the final hurdle in establishing the new flight training category”, and the CAA, “would begin the process of informing all the affected UK training facilities.”
Currently, the UK Civil Aviation Authority have not publicised any criteria for flying schools aiming for the new standard saying:
“Schools will simply have to declare its activities meet the set standards in order to commence training, rather than having to obtain full regulatory approval.”
Nevertheless, all private flying schools will have to convert to Declared Training Organisations status by the 8 April 2019, if they want to continue offering training towards European Aviation Safety Agency licences.
Registered Training Facilities can start their conversion process to Declared Training Organisations standing by the 3 September 2018.
The CAA will be issuing updates on the DTO process through its Skywise notification system in the coming weeks.
More in-depth reporting about the new DTO requirements, and, their effects on flying schools and students will be available in the September issue of Flight Training News.
