Thomas Dunn, Chairman of UK’s leading modular flight training company, the Aeros Global, shared his insights/recommendations to flight training organizations following the closure of FTA Global, and Tayside Aviation.

“I would argue that market forces are the simplest solution to this dilemma. Aeros currently has a £12m forward order book and every single pound is safely held in our customers own personal bank accounts not in ours. We do require our new students to pay an enrolment fee for uniforms, iPads, software, study materials, headsets, etc but nothing for flight training. All flight training is invoiced after the service has been delivered to the students’ complete satisfaction. All prospective students should demand this from every training provider, if they refuse, take your business elsewhere. Pay as you go would solve this long standing issue overnight,” said Dunn.

“Possibly ninety percent of flight training schools out there are honest and well managed. They have delivered thousands of qualified young professional pilots, who have gone on to enjoy a lifetime in one of the very best careers ever. Please don’t allow the very few dishonest or badly managed establishments to spoil our fantastic sector of education,” he added.

Dunn also sent an open letter to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Excerpts from the letter state:

“The recent failure of several ATOs/DTOs with the loss of many millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs impacts negatively globally on the reputation of the CA as a regulatory and monitoring organisation. Many students have lost tens of thousands of pounds each because they have been required to pay in advance for their training and the companies have then entered administration.

This has resulted in a lack of confidence in your inspectors. When I question them about their qualifications, they reel off an impressive list of pilot qualifications but zero business qualifications or experience.

I believe the root cause of these failures can be attributed to the lack of detailed assessment of ATO & DTO applications with the lack of proper assessment of your Fitness of Character policy.

As a consequence applicants of questionable “Fitness of Character “are being aided and abetted to misappropriate millions of pounds from their customers through inappropriate methods such as abuse of the deferred income system.

There remain in the UK at least two further large approved training organisations who have taken millions in advance payments from their students and another financial collapse cannot be ruled out.”

He then went to offer assistance to the regulator to discuss the current situation and possible solutions.

“I have been requested to Chair, a group of highly qualified and experienced business leaders to investigate the CAA’s ability/desire to address these issues,” Dunn added.

Source: Thomas Dunn (Aeros Global)
Photo Credit: Aeros Flight Training (shown as meta image)