How many UK ATOs will offer UK commercial training next year?

[4535jacks]

Does anyone know if anyone UK based ATOs are committed to delivering commercial training under the UK CAA next year?

Stapleford told me they couldn't garantee it as the demand is for EASA licences and Aeros told me they will be EASA only from next year.....

If most of the ATOs offer EASA only, where will thr pilots with UK licences and exams train??

[Alex Whittingham]

Good planning, Aeros. When I spoke to them last year they saw no need to apply for EASA approvals because the UK licence was going to be 'the gold standard'. Likely unless either we stay in EASA or an exemption is agreed the UK ATOs will hold two approvals, UK and EASA. CPL & ME training will be conducted as normal, IR will be done in association with a continental ATO. Also, demand may change....

[4535jacks]

Alex, I think the cost of maintaining ATO status may restrict some businesses to being just EASA or just UK.

[PilotLZ]

Let's first see if the UK CAA licence will be treated as an equivalent of EASA for insurance purposes. If yes, it will hardly make any difference to an ATO which one to offer. If not though, those intending to fly commercially will likely opt for EASA as it will give them greater flexibility in future employment. Therefore, ATOs geared towards commercial training will likely be predominantly EASA, while those who mostly do PPLs and serve private pilots will stay under the UK CAA. That's my semi-educated guess on what will determine the general direction in which an ATO will choose to go. What will any one particular school choose though is in the hands of its management. Therefore, it's best to ask them directly.

[Alex Whittingham]

Assuming the same standards are applied, an ATO can hold both UK CAA approvals and EASA approvals post Brexit, the only additional cost being the extra approval fees paid to one extra authority. In other words we can anticipate no or minimal extra organisational or admin costs, just the annual fees. I doubt that would create an issue unless EASA try to impose the costs that they did before in the example of the US ATOs. If that's the case UK ATOs can come to an agreement with an existing EASA ATO to operate as a satellite. I'm anticipating the IR schools in particular will take this path. I can't recall what the fee structure is for their direct EASA approvals post Brexit. My memory is not a great deal in relative terms

[greeners]

EASA quote a 'standard' fee of round 35,000 euro for the initial applcation.

[Alex Whittingham]

That is a lot, I remember figures like that being bandied about for approvals in the US, but a lot of that was based on air fares, the number of days involved etc., rest time for EASA personnel having crossed so many time zones etc.... I have found the relevant web page for what EASA call 'early applications' for direct approval if there's an exit with Brexit . The page (https://www.easa.europa.eu/brexit-early-applications#process) quotes a fee based on 8 working hours at €247 an hour = €1976