Aviation Skills Partnership to open Cranfield Academy
Aviation Skills Partnership (ASP) and Cranfield University have announced plans for a new academy to meet the continued skill shortage within the aviation and aerospace industry. The organisations say that with the number of aircraft in service set to double by 2030 and airport expansion plans, the requirement for skilled people to support the industry is pressing and immediate. The International Aviation Academy will be based at...
Red Lines and Red Ink: Will Finances Trump Politics Over the UK’s Future in EASA?
With just under two months left before the UK officially withdraws from the European Union, the future for the UK aviation industry, and that of its regulator (the CAA), remains as opaque as ever. It is no secret that both industry as a whole and the regulator in particular wish the UK to remain a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Speaking in September 2017, Andrew Haines – then Chief Executive of the CAA...
Can the Flight Training Industry Cope with Demand?!
Business is buoyant in the commercial flight training sector, with new flight training schools entering the market in both the UK and mainland Europe. The recent influx of new schools will add to the overall training capacity, but even when taking these into account, industry experts are warning that airline pilot demand is outstripping supply and there is no quick solution to bring it back into balance. The industry’s most quoted...
Sometimes Two Heads are Not Better Than One
Soon after I got my PPL(A), back in the dark ages, flying friends suggested that I pair up with another recently qualified pilot. That way, they said, we could share the cost, and also benefit from each other’s experience. One could fly, while the other did the navigation and radio; then we would swap for the next flight. Half the cost, half the work, twice the fun, they told me. A well tried and tested way of gaining...
First Officer Pilot Apprenticeships Given Clearance
The Aviation Industry Skills Board (AISB) has launched the UK’s first ever industry-led First Officer pilot apprenticeships scheme, providing aspiring pilots with a financially supported route to a First Officer position with a UK airline. The AISB sub-group which developed the apprenticeship framework was made up of UK airline representatives from British Airways, Flybe, easyJet, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and TUI UK, which chaired the...
The Right Stuff: How to Win a Flying Scholarship
Andy Fisher was awarded a 12-hour flying scholarship from the Air League in 2016. Sponsored by The Swire Charitable Trust, the award was completed in a two-week period during June taking full advantage of the perfect summer flying weather. From Banbury, Andy who was 19 at the time, chose to complete his scholarship at the nearby Wellesbourne Montford Airfield with South Warwickshire Flying School. Partly because SWFS is one of the...
