AeroGuard signs Qatar pilot training agreement and expands fleet
US flight training academy AeroGuard Flight Training Center has signed an agreement with Qatar Aeronautical Academy (QAA) to train its cadets in the US. The strategic agreement involves the two companies collaborating on the joint delivery of pilot training programmes, including establishing AeroGuard’s Arizona campus as an additional training location for QAA. In addition to this US expansion, AeroGuard has also previously developed...
A new benchmark for flight instructor pay?
Since the recovery began from the pandemic and airlines began recruiting hard to operate their aircraft, a shortage of flight instructors has been a growing concern at both PPL and commercial pilot level in Europe (and pretty much everywhere else it seems). This is hardly a new occurrence, with periodic shortages of flight instructors a perennial thorn in the side of the flight training industry. Now, Gloucester-based Skyborne Airline...
Don’t just demonstrate…Teach!
FTN is delighted to announce that aviation luminary Alan Newton is joining FTN this month as our newest columnist, sharing experiences and wisdom gained during a career that has seen him rise to the top of the flight training industry. Alan is the Head of Training and Director of On-Track Aviation Limited. He learned to fly in the Royal Air Force in 1980 and served on a number of Squadrons. He gained an A2 Qualified Flight...
The straw that broke the student pilot’s back?
With the UK Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement just released, there would appear to be no new tax breaks or other funding assistance on offer for individuals enrolling on commercial pilot training programmes, once again leaving them with no formal ‘student’ recognition from Government. Loganair CEO Jonathan Hinkles calls the situation anachronistic, explaining that it stems from the 1970s when airlines and, in the case of Air...
AFTA partners with VistaJet
Atlantic Flight Training Academy (AFTA) has confirmed a new partnership with VistaJet, running its new Pilot Mentored Programme. Based in County Cork in Ireland and founded in 1995, AFTA is an EASA Approved Flight Training Organisation (AFTO), successfully training over 2,500 commercial pilots to date, making it well placed to train the next generation of VistaJet pilots. The AFTA and VistaJet Pilot Mentored Programme consists of five...
Airlines react to the CAA’s approval of NATS price increase
Already in the doghouse over its system failure back in August which caused over 2,000 flight cancellations, NATS is once again in the firing line following the CAA’s approval for the UK air traffic controller to increase its enroute charges. First proposed in August, the CAA has now approved new price controls that mean that NERL (NATS Enroute) will increase the average unit rate for its regulated activities over 2023 to 2027 by...
