If true, then that really is a shame.
Commercial training at Oxford has been an institution for years but, with all the pretenders now in existence, maybe time for a shake up.
I had the good fortune to work both at OATS in the early seventies and later OAA, in the days when it won the Queen’s Award for Industry.
The flying side workforce was huge with, for example, about 100 instructors, some of whom were very well-known, plus a large fleet of well-maintained Piper aeroplanes.
Nearly all were retired Forces Instructors with individuals from all three Services. We even had permanent CAA examiners available at the school.
Quite a large number of now retired British Airways Captains, as well as of other major airlines, owe their sound training and self-discipline to the staff at OATS.
An aside and as a matter of interest was the arrival of the first jet at Oxford in 1972, a Learjet, OO-LFA, from Luton ; yes, on the short, then sole metalled RW29, just over 700m.
Maybe the jet operation of ‘London’ Oxford Airport is now more important to the airfield owners.