UK AOC operator DragonFly has welcomed two new first officers to the team who have successfully passed the company’s first in-house type rating courses since its approval as an Approved Training Organisation (ATO).

DragonFly has operated the Beech King Air 200 since its formation in 2004, which makes it one of the most experienced operators of the type in the UK. Therefore, it made sense for the company to become a UK CAA ATO, enabling it to train its own and external pilots on the aircraft.

DragonFly teamed up with the Finnish Aviation Academy in Pori, Finland, to use its full flight simulator (FFS) to deliver the intensive 14-hour practical course. This was closely followed by a conversion to the actual aircraft back in the UK at the company’s Cardiff airport base. Candidates Sayed and Charlie each completed six landings with the training manager before being officially signed off to fly passengers, alongside DragonFly’s experienced captains.