Around 2,000 pilots are trained by CTC Aviation every year, 300 of whom pass through its ab initio courses.
The company owns four crew training centres — three on the South Coast of the UK and one in New Zealand — and a crew accommodation centre.
Karen Bath, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing Services, says: “We have invested in cutting-edge CBT, Diamond, Boeing and Airbus simulation and digital training devices; all specifically chosen to embrace our airline-focused approach to ab initio training.”
Not just an FTO
CTC offers ATPL, CPL/IR and MPL qualifications, and examiner, instructor and command courses. It also provides training, including type rating, and recruitment support for airline clients.
Its commercial airline pilot training programme, CTC Wings, aims to develop students’ technical knowledge alongside their non-technical skills so that they can move on to one of its partner airlines (which include BA and easyJet).
The training process
Students on the CTC Wings Cadet course train in the UK and New Zealand for around nineteen months. “CTC has a unique approach to training that we term ‘VI’ — vertical integration. Essentially this is airline-focused training — we concentrate on the end goal of developing the required skills to become a safe and professional airline pilot. We employ airline practices from selection and throughout training,” says Karen. “For example, energy management and making sure the aircraft is stable on a final approach.”
She adds: “Cadets benefit from mixing with qualified pilots during their ATPL ground school and intermediate Airline Qualification Course and MCC phases, and can see how the theory works in practice by observing type rating simulator sessions during their basic training.”
Additionally the course has gained Learning Skills Council approval, which enables students to apply for Professional and Career Development loans. Students pay their fees in a series of instalments, and are not required to pay in advance of training. CTC and, where applicable, a student’s partner airline pay for all training and associated costs until the end of the Basic and Intermediate training sections of the CTC Wings Cadet course. Because of this, students are required to deposit a security bond, which is held in a subsidiary company during the course of their training. Financial risk protection for the bond is also offered that will refund up to �40,000 in the event of a course failure.
Perhaps more importantly, CTC actively seeks out job opportunities on behalf of its graduates, and liaises with its partner airlines regarding their intake requirements. “We are determined to get our pilots placed,” says Karen. “We are very proud of our 100 per cent placement record.”
