Flight training for UK license abroad post 2023

[flying.scotsman1]

I've had such conflicting answers from ATO's and the CAA themselves regarding the question if I can complete a CPL/IR abroad after the 2023. I contacted schools in the EU such as diamond flight academy who say they cant offer training for UK licenses after the end of this year, and others who say they can? CAA have said it must be an approved school in UK airspace.

My reason for avoiding UK schools is simply the cost at the moment with better value abroad. However if the training is not compatible with the CAA then it's a pretty pointless endevour.

Has anyone got more clarification or is intending to complete the training abroad next year?

[selfin]

Most UK training organisations approved to conduct training outside the UK will be listed in Standards Docoument 31. The remainder will operate as satellite bases for parent ATOs located in the UK.

[richpea]

My reason for avoiding UK schools is simply the cost at the moment with better value abroad. However if the training is not compatible with the CAA then it's a pretty pointless endevour.


Preach! The CAA are going to have to come up with a way to support more pilot training in the UK or make a complete mockery of the whole "we want piloting to be a diverse and accessible career" bollocks... or be sensible and find more ways to allow European schools to provide training!

[spitfirejock]

Why not consider the best of both worlds?

Consider the USA and training at a UK approved ATO for the FAA licence (PPL, IR, Multi, CPL) with UK or European instructors thereby ensuring the conversion using the Bilateral Agreement will be simple easy and less expensive because you will have reached the required standard. My best estimation, you could complete the whole thing (zero-CPL/ME/IR) for 65% of the cost in the UK (depending on which school you chose of course).

Trying to be impartial here, why not look closer all of the schools which have FAA and UK CAA and EASA approval?, not in any particular order;
L3
Skyborne
Pilots Paradise (now Wings Airline Academy)
2-Fly

[VariablePitchP]

Why not consider the best of both worlds?

Consider the USA and training at a UK approved ATO for the FAA licence (PPL, IR, Multi, CPL) with UK or European instructors thereby ensuring the conversion using the Bilateral Agreement will be simple easy and less expensive because you will have reached the required standard. My best estimation, you could complete the whole thing (zero-CPL/ME/IR) for 65% of the cost in the UK (depending on which school you chose of course).

Trying to be impartial here, why not look closer all of the schools which have FAA and UK CAA and EASA approval?, not in any particular order;
L3
Skyborne
Pilots Paradise (now Wings Airline Academy)
2-Fly

Agreed except the L3 bit, be ready for an absolute skip fire of a training pipeline if you go down that route.

[clarkeysntfc]

I don't believe Skyborne are EASA approved, only UK CAA.

[Reverserbucket]

CAA have said it must be an approved school in UK airspace.

UK ORA.ATO.150 says that for an ATO approved to provide training for the instrument rating in third countries (i.e. outside of the UK), the training programme shall include acclimatisation flying and the skill test to be taken in the UK.

There are quite a few ATO's offering both modular and integrated training under a UK approval outside of the UK where students return to the UK to complete the IR acclimatisation and test, some of which have been mentioned. Standards Doc 31 only lists UK site addresses though so a bit of research will be necessary.

[selfin]

"Standards Doc 31 only lists UK site addresses"

It lists addresses for ATOs whose principal place of business is overseas. The only satellite base approved for UK Part-FCL courses, that I know about, is Naples Air Center.

[Reverserbucket]

"Standards Doc 31 only lists UK site addresses"

It lists addresses for ATOs whose principal place of business is overseas. The only satellite base approved for UK Part-FCL courses, that I know about, is Naples Air Center.

Standards Doc 31 lists all UK ATO's, DTO's & PTO's, irrespective of principal place of business.

Indeed, NAC is a satellite of Andrewsfield Aviation but there are others in the U.S. as well as closer to the UK, in France and Spain for example.

[BillieBob]

There are currently no US-based CPL/IR ATOs directly approved by the UK and only four approved by EASA. Naples Air Center operates under Andrewsfield Aviation's UK approval, its EASA approval was revoked a number of years ago.

[Reverserbucket]

There are currently no US-based CPL/IR ATOs directly approved by the UK and only four approved by EASA. Naples Air Center operates under Andrewsfield Aviation's UK approval, its EASA approval was revoked a number of years ago.

L3 Harris in Sanford, CAE in Mesa and Skyborne at Vero Beach are UK approved, and there are a number of UK approved rotary ATO's with sites in the US, but no, no independent US owned fixed-wing schools without a UK training facility (as NAC, FSI, WMU etc. used to be). No reason why there couldn't be though, apart from the need to comply with the ORA.ATO.150 third-country IR training & testing requirement.