Flight Training UK is a UK CAA Declared Training Organisation for pilots who already fly, or used to. Rather than teaching people from scratch, it concentrates on continuation, advanced and differences training for holders of anything from an SPL, NPPL or LAPL up to a PPL, CPL or ATPL, including pilots whose licence has lapsed.

It has been flying from airfields across Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset since 2013 and doesn’t tie you to one home base. Training flights have used places such as Bournemouth Airport and Thruxton, which helps if you want to get comfortable with controlled airspace and your RT.

The course list is long: SEP class rating, biennial flights with an instructor, tailwheel, variable-pitch propeller and retractable undercarriage differences, TMG class rating and the TMG extension for glider pilots, converting an SPL to a PPL, sailplane towing, cross-country endorsement, supported long-distance hour building and cross-Channel check-outs. A flight examiner can also be arranged.

The aircraft are an IFR-equipped 180hp Piper PA-28 Cherokee, G-RVRA, and a Cessna F177RG used for the variable-pitch and retractable training. For non-pilots there are introductory flights, including a Jurassic Coast route over Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door, and a yearly Reach for the Skies programme for young people interested in an aviation career.