Can sailplanes be used for commercial flight training?
The use of sailplanes in commercial pilot flight training programmes was one the presentations discussed at the 2023 European Airline Training Symposium (EATS) held in Portugal. Sergio Gómez Brito, Head of Training at Spanish ATO Quality Fly, gave a presentation on the use of sailplanes in integrated ATPL training programmes, saying that it combines an enhanced competency-based training (CBT) methodology with sustainability. In an...
Armstrong/Isaacs Bursaries for PPL students opens for 2024
The Armstrong/Isaacs bursaries, run by the UK Light Aircraft Association (LAA), are once again open, with five bursaries of £1,500.00 on offer this year to PPL students currently undergoing flight training. Armstrong/Isaacs bursaries are funded from the Armstrong/Isaacs Fund, which is based on a major donation from David Armstrong, who was a founder member of the original Ultralight Aircraft Association in 1947, a lifelong member of...
Red Bull aerobatic experience with Matt Hall
Red Bull Player Grace Short takes a ride with Red Bull Air Race Champion Matt Hall in a high performance Extra 300L aircraft. The Australian YouTube and Twitch content creator says the flying experience was one of the most amazing opportunities she has had as a part of Red Bull so far. In the video Short experiences what it is like to fly an aerobatic sequence that is not dissimilar to one completed during a typical Red Bull Air Race...
The ‘striking’ cost of strikes
EUROCONTROL has released a study analysing the impact of air traffic management (ATM) related strikes in Europe in terms of flight cancellations, delays and emissions and testing various mitigating measures. The study was carried out by the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM) on the request of the European Commission, closely examining ATC industrial action in France, Italy and Greece between 2018 and 2022, highlighting considerable...
North American pilot shortage gap tightens
According to analytics company Oliver Wyman the outlook for the North American pilot shortage is lessening, due an increased supply of newly trained pilots coupled with a constrained airline demand. Oliver Wyman’s latest figures now project the gap between pilot supply and demand up to 2032 to shrink to around 13,300 from just short of 17,300 and 23% smaller than last year’s projection. Both the shortage and the narrowing of the gap...
Soaring scholarships
The Honourable Company of Air Pilots (HCAP) launched its 2024 Gliding Scholarships at the Pilot Careers Live event held at Heathrow. The scholarships provide a one-week residential course at an approved British Gliding Association (BGA) training centre with an aim to take the scholar as far as completing their first solo flight. The scholarships are open to people over the age of 16 and are flown at designated Youth Gliding Centres in...
