Compton Flight Training is a flying school and self-fly club at Compton Abbas Airfield on the Dorset and Wiltshire border, near Shaftesbury. The same team also runs a sister club in the Cotswolds.

The main course is the Private Pilot Licence. After that, the school offers further ratings for pilots taking the modular route towards a commercial licence, and hour building for anyone who needs to log time. Trial lessons are available if you want to try it before committing.

The fleet is all Piper. Three PA-28 Warrior IIs, G-BFDK, G-LFSW and G-CDDG, are used for lessons, self-fly hire and hour building. A Piper Cherokee 140, G-AXJX, is kept for self-fly and hour building only, so it isn’t used for training. All four are four-seaters, which gives you more room than a two-seat trainer and means you can take friends or family along once you’ve passed.

Qualified pilots can join the Compton Self Fly Club and hire the aircraft for their own trips, whether that’s a day out or building hours towards a CPL.

Reviews from members point to good instruction, well-kept aircraft, friendly staff and clear airspace around the airfield, which makes Compton Abbas a relaxed place to learn compared with a busy airport.