UKFlying
UKFlying was set up in 2015 to assist military pilots with their transition into the commercial aviation industry. At that time it was difficult to establish which courses were necessary for military pilots, not to mention that courses were overpriced, it was time for something to change. By working with various flying schools, UKFlying negotiated shortened courses at the most cost effective prices for military pilot conversions.
Having become established as the UK military licence specialists, UKFlying began to assist aspiring commercial pilots with gaining and maintaining professional licences. The UKFlying website and social media pages now keep pilots abreast of regulation changes for both CAA and EASA Flight Crew Licences. UKFlying also assist numerous flying organisations, military units and defence companies with licensing requirements for their pilots.
UKFlying instructors and examiners assist with CAA and EASA licence queries, regulation changes and a whole host of rating renewals and revalidations, including single-pilot instrument ratings. Let us see if we can help you.
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Coxie, GR4, Tucano, Red Arrows, now Hawaiian Airlines:
"This is how courses in the military should be done - straight to the point and doesn’t mess around! UKFlying delivered a bespoke course based on previous experience and type, tailoring it to focus on the areas needed while still covering all the essential requirements. It’s a tough course, but aided by the helpful team at Airways Aviation the results speak for themselves – 100% pass rate at minimum cost. In my opinion if you are a Military pilot looking to get your MEP CPL/IR this is the only option."
Nick B, ME-IR Revalidation:
"Thank you for organising and making the whole experience relaxing, fulfilling and ultimately successful. I appreciate all the effort you put in to make it straight forward for all of us."
Frazer Wood, GR4 and now Jet2:
" UKFlying organised and ran an excellent Fast Jet Military MEP conversion course using Airways Aviation at Oxford. Their facilities were first class and provided us with everything that was required to complete the MEP CPL IR flying in minimum time. The Airways Aviation staff were also willing to help out when required and provided expert technical advice when required. Can't recommend this course and location enough! "
Ninesh, ME-IR Revalidation:
"I thank Steve from UK Flying for all of his help and professionalism during my IR Revalidation. Steve is one of the most humble, helpful and one of the most knowledgeable pilot/examiners that I have met. Steve was also so flexible to fit in my IR Revalidation in time before my licence expiry date. This really helped me so much and I can not thank Steve enough. I would recommend Steve to anyone looking to revalidate their licenses due to his dedication, passion and enthusiasm for aviation."
Matt Doncaster, Harrier, C-17, now Virgin Atlantic 747-400:
“What can I say, UKFlying's approach to military conversions is spot on! They delivered a bespoke syllabus, derived using my past experience, and it worked. They are believers in ‘minimal training requirement’ as quoted in CAP 804 and their success to date says it all. We were confident that everything had been covered and we were ready for the Examiner. UKflying is really onto a good thing with Airways, and I can’t recommend them and their facilities highly enough."
Mark D, ME-IR Revalidation:
"I am extremely thankful for your help. The training I received was excellent. Having not flown for a while I was a little nervous about the level of ability I was at. However, the reading material provided by UK Flying was superb and helped me to make a structured revision plan that ultimately made me feel extremely prepared for my training and test.
The test profile description with your audio was of great help and was a good reminder of what to expect before and during the test with the examiner. I will most definitely recommend UK Flying to the people I know!"
Scottridge Chinook, AW109, now Norwegian 737-800
"UKFlying delivered an excellent DA42 groundschool. They were able to move quickly as they knew the core knowledge of military pilots and delivered additions for the DA42. I then completed my CPL(H)IR to (F)ATPL(A) with Airways Aviation Academy in minimum time and first time passes. The standard of tuition and facilities were excellent to prepare for the tests. I have since had a job offer with Norwegian."
Daz Mackenzie, Tucano and GR4:
"Fantastic course run by UKFlying, facilitated and provided by Airways Aviation. The training was pitched at just the right level for a military guy in current practise and provided the bare minimum to pass the CPL and IR. That said I was very comfortable going in to both tests and thankfully I achieved positive results."
Jenks, GR4 and Typhoon, now Gulstream G280:
"Just completed my CPL and IR. It took week to do the CPL and another couple of days for the IR...have recommended UKFlying and Airways Aviation to many colleagues already."
George Le Cornu, GR4, now BA CityFlyer:
"Thousands of pounds cheaper and completed in half the time of the other schools, the Fast-Jet conversion was fast-paced and super-efficient focussing on the skills needed to transition from military to commercial flying. Top-notch instructors and staff at Airways Aviation Academy in a modern and well-equipped school in addition to the realistic flight sim made for really high quality training. The DA-42 is also great for Fast-Jet pilots due to it’s modern avionics and the absence of any prop/pitch/mixture levers!"
Shep, GR4, Jet2:
"I booked my CPL / IR with UKFlying based on feedback and recommendations from colleagues and I was not disappointed. The course was incredibly efficient and very well-run. The DA-42 is straightforward to fly which minimised time spent learning redundant handling skills and allowed me to concentrate more effort on MEP operations. The Airways Aviation operations building is modern, clean, spacious and there is free tea and coffee. What's not to love?"
Jamie GR4 and Typhoon, now 2Excel:
"I had a 3 month deadline to complete my ATPL to start at 2Excel. UKFlying was able to allocate a course at short notice and I completed my CPL and IR in 10 days. I thoroughly recommend them and Airways Aviation."
Si Taylor, GR4, Typhoon and Red Arrows, now TUI on 737/787:
"I believe the combination of Steve and UKFlying is currently the best choice for mil fast jet to CPL/IR. The value and efficiency of the course are excellent. I was done within a week and Steve couldn’t have been more helpful or flexible to fit around a tight timeline. The setup is both professional and welcoming and their operations staff were great. Thanks Steve."
DG, Puma Pilot
"From my initial enquiries until the completion of my CPL and MEIR, UKFlying has been an invaluable resource along the way. The process of transitioning from a military career to a civilian one can be a daunting prospect, but it was made far easier with their help. I would recommend UKFlying’s services to anyone"
Greg Weal, Navy Merlin, now Thomas Cook
“Making the transition from rotary military to fixed wing civilian aviation was a relatively daunting task as there seemed to be quite a lot of unknowns and grey areas of the exact path to follow. Fortunately UkFlying were incredibly knowledgable about the ever-changing process, and were instrumental keeping a two way flow of information going between the training provider and the CAA. UkFlying also fought hard to get Tutor AEF hours counted towards initial licence application which saved me a lot of time and personal expense. Thanks again.”
Stef Wurwal, Typhoon, now Jet2
“UKFlying provided me with a simple, convenient and highly effective way of gaining my CPL/IR in a short timescale without compromising on training quality for the next stage in my aviation career.
I made use of three of the UKFlying recommended training providers - FlightDeck Wingman, Skyborne Aviation & JetMasterclass. All provide a personal, efficient and enjoyable service to make the transition to becoming a professional commercial Pilot a fulfilling experience.
I would recommend UKFlying to anyone wishing to make the transition."
Phil, Hawk T1, Tornado F3, Tucano QFI:
"Thanks for your help. UK Flying has been really helpful on my ‘journey’ even if I must admit I wasn’t sure initially where you would fit in. All my queries were answered very swiftly. I’ve already recommended you to several of my peers following on behind."
Michael Barclay, Merlin, 32Sqn AW109E, now business Jet:
"Skyborne delivered my ATPL(H) to CPL(A) MEIR in 6 weeks which was brilliant. They are a lovely bunch and just starting out. The customer experience with them is fantastic."
Andrew Payne, C130J, now BA777:
"I can’t thank you enough for all the help and advice that’s got me here, it’s really appreciated. Equally, Skyborne were great too with the CPL/IR (especially Alistair Checketts who trained me). I’m glad things are going well for you and UKFlying as military pilots need all the help they can get!"
Tom Maddock, GR4, Tucano, Reaper:
"Skyborne - I thought the staff and instructors there are very flexibly minded and are absolutely aware of the varied backgrounds the military guys doing the conversions come from. They are extremely keen to establish the areas you need to focus on both practically and theoretically to be confident going into the CPL/IR. I think the instructors there have an excellent foundation of varied experience from big and small commercial operations plus enough military experience to be credible and able to advise us. Duncan took care of my training and was superb. Roberta on the operations side and Alistair, as Chief Instructor, were also very proactive and keen to facilitate my progress. Thanks to Ian for also signing the worlds amount of paperwork; this must have worked as I received my license after only 2 weeks of e-licensing submission!"
Carnie, FJ:
Firstly a huge thanks to you as your website and personal guidance had been key to enabling me to get to this stage. It has allowed me to spend the precious time during the hectic run up to departing the service to focus on learning the significant amount of info for the exams/tests etc rather than trying to understand the complicated CAA process.
Tom Louciades, Chinook:
"Thanks for everything to date. The services you provide are second to none. The information pack ups are just right for the MEIR revalidation and left no unanswered questions prior to the check ride. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone for flying related information or services. Please keep up the good work. You’re invaluable to all, especially those of us trying to transfer from the military flying world to the commercial aviation sector"
Ben Reilly, FJ:
I would recommend Skyborne to anyone. I was thoroughly impressed with the professional atmosphere, the building and of course the aircraft. I was also impressed by how friendly / welcoming everyone was and how committed they were to getting you through the course as quickly as they possibly could.
Steve Badham, Chinook:
A potentially daunting experience, that has been hard work at times, but also thoroughly enjoyable. I have been so impressed by the professionalism at all the outfits, but also the standard of instruction, particularly at Skyborne and Jet Masterclass. I must also pass a special thanks to UKflying, who have shown me the way through what seemed like a maze 18 months ago. Steve has been on hand to answer questions, big or small, and even came to help me burn through some sim hours to keep the momentum when things slowed down at Skyborne. Obviously I know no different, but I would recommend all the trg establishments I used to get me ready and ultimately pass my BA sim assessment to get into the A320 hold pool.
Mark Parker, A400M to Jet2:
I’m chuffed to bits but I owe you a massive thanks for your help in sorting my ME IR with Skyborne and also for renewing my IR a few months back. (That turned out to be my smartest ever move given that jet 2 opened recruitment a few weeks later and a current licence was a prerequisite!)
I can’t fathom how or why you do all this stuff- it must be a tremendous amount of work- but you made the entire process so easy for me.
Thanks so much.