L3Harris Gets UK Approval To Train Cadets at Florida Flight Academy

The approval helps align the company’s 32-week pilot training program with international regulatory requirements. It also gives L3Harris opportunities to train more pilots when the airline industry faces shortages, the company said.

Under the approval, L3Harris can teach integrated ATPL courses to U.K. cadets at its Sanford Flying Training Academy near Orlando, Florida, where favorable flying weather typically allows student pilots to accrue hours quickly. The company said it expects to receive similar approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, and other global regulators in the coming weeks.

“Integrated ATPL cadets can now complete basic flight training at our U.S. Academy, getting maximum use out of our fair weather flight academy in Orlando, Florida, which is in alignment with commercial airline and cadet customer feedback,” said Dave Coward, vice president and general manager for L3Harris Training Services.

The accreditation enables ATPL cadets to complete 32 weeks of basic flight training using single-engine aircraft at the Florida-based academy. The program includes numerous skills tests, navigation, night flying, and a first solo flight. After that, the cadets return to the U.K. for advanced multiengine training. The full course is designed to turn candidates with little or no flying experience into qualified airline pilots in about 72 weeks.