Highland Aviation Training Ltd is an Approved Training Organisation at Inverness Airport. Highland Aviation offers flight training and aircraft maintenance, including Piper and Cessna Aeroplanes and Autogyro/Rotorsport Gyrocopters.
Highland Aviation provides training towards the UK Part-FCL PPL(A), the UK Part-FCL LAPL(A) and the UK Gyrocopter PPL(G). It also provides training for the UK CAA IMC rating IR(R) and the night rating.
In addition to these ratings Highland Aviation also provides beach landing courses and mountain flying training.
History
Started in 2009 with a small fleet of Piper Aircraft, Highland Aviation now operates eight aircraft, including three gyrocopters. Highland Aviation currently have over 500 members, growing from a small cabin on what is now the Long Stay Car Park at Inverness Airport, they are now based on the North Apron of the airfield within a state-of-the-art facility.
Experiencing continued growth throughout 2018/19, Highland Aviation became a Part.145 Subpart F approved organisation, allowing them to perform maintenance on a wider range of aircraft. They currently maintain nearly twenty aircraft.
They have received multiple awards for their flight experiences, including a 2019 Travel and Hospitality award.
Mountain flying
Situated near the Cairngorms and the Scottish Highlands, Inverness Airport is a suitable place from which to explore and learn to fly around mountains. Highland Aviation offers trial flights and training courses in mountain flying.
Ben Nevis, Scotland's highest mountain, extends up to only 4,409 ft allowing pilots to experience mountain flying without having to consider the effect of altitude on aircraft performance.
Beach landings
Beach landing is illegal in most countries without proper permission. With many secluded areas with long sandy beaches, Scotland is one of the few regions in the world where beach landings are possible. Highland Aviation is the only training provider in the UK to offer a dedicated course of beach landing instruction. Most of the course is completed at Barra and Sollas.
Beach landings are accomplished by using a soft field approach with power remaining on throughout the procedure. This will result, if executed correctly, in a very smooth touchdown with a high nose attitude. The nose can then be lowered onto the beach gently to avoid digging into the soft sand.
Air Tours
Highland Aviation offers air tours of varying lengths around the Scottish Highlands. Popular shorter destinations include Loch Ness and the Cairngorms, whilst Ben Nevis and the Isle of Skye prove popular for longer durations. Flight lengths vary from 20 minutes up to two hours.
Flying Courses
Highland Aviation has over 60 students enrolled across 14 courses, the majority training towards the grant of a pilot's licence.
EASA Licences and Ratings
The UK Part-FCL PPL(A) training course consists of a minimum of 45 hours flight training and leads to the award of an internationally recognised Private Pilot's Licence. Training is conducted from Inverness Airport in the two-seater Piper PA38 or either the four-seater Piper PA28 or Cessna 172. The Qualifying Cross-Country is flown to Wick Airport and Kirkwall Airport in Orkney. This course is mostly aimed at students wishing to progress on to larger and more complex aircraft or wanting to obtain their Commercial Pilot's Licence. The UK Part-FCL LAPL(A) is a training course leading to the award of a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence, which is accepted across Europe. The training course consists of a minimum of 30 hours flight training and can be undertaken in any of the fixed-wing aircraft. The Qualifying Cross-Country is flown to Wick Airport or Oban Airport. This course is mostly aimed at recreational fliers. The Night Rating is a post-licence qualification that allows pilots to fly during the hours of official night. The Night Rating course is five hours and is offered seasonally to both LAPL and PPL holders. Training is conducted mostly at Inverness Airport with a navigation exercise around the local area or to either Wick Airport or Aberdeen Airport. The Flight Instructor Course consists of three separate courses, depending on whether the candidate wishes to train as a Flight Instructor, Class Rating Instructor, or add night training privileges to their existing certificate. All three courses are conducted at Inverness Airport. The SEP Class Rating course provides training towards the issue of a Single-Engine Piston Rating for existing licence holders. The LAPL to PPL conversion course allows pilots holding a Light Aircraft Pilot Licence to convert to a Private Pilot's Licence.