Approval first
Ask which authority oversees the school, and for which courses. In the EASA system a Declared Training Organisation can typically train for an LAPL, a PPL, and some ratings. An Approved Training Organisation is required for professional and integrated courses. The exact scope is on the approval or the declaration, not in the brochure.
The brand name on the website is not always the approved entity. The contract, the approval number, and the aircraft operator should line up. If you are training for a UK CAA licence, an EASA approval on its own is the wrong document, and the reverse is also true.
Aircraft, instructors, and the sky
Visit. A fleet of photographs is not a fleet. Ask how many aircraft of the training type are serviceable this month, how maintenance is planned, and what happens to your booking when an aircraft is grounded.
Ask whether you keep one instructor or rotate, and how brief and debrief are organised. Continuity matters more than a famous name on the door. Also ask about the airfield: a busy controlled airport can be excellent experience and a slow place to finish a PPL. Weather statistics are local. A school that cannot describe its winter cancellation rate has not looked.
The syllabus and the record
You want a written syllabus, a record of each flight that you can see, and a way to know how far you are from the skill test. For a professional course, ask for the approved course manual’s hour breakdown, not a marketing slide.
Ask for outcome information you can interpret: how many people started the course you are buying, how many reached the licence, and how many hours they flew. A school can refuse. You can still refuse to prepay. Treat airline “partnership” logos as advertising until you know what the agreement actually does.
Money and the exit
Use the cost guide’s question list. In particular, know the hour rate, what is excluded, and the rule for prepaid blocks if you stop, move, or fail a test. A cooling-off period and a cap on how far ahead you must pay are both reasonable things to ask for.
If a lender is involved, the training approval and the credit agreement are different documents. Know who you repay if the course stops.
A short visit checklist
- Which authority, which licence, and can they show the approval or declaration that covers it?
- Which aircraft will you actually fly, and what is the wet or dry hour rate today?
- Who will instruct you, and how are solo flights authorised?
- How are weather cancellations and maintenance delays handled, and do you pay for them?
- Can you see a training record and the skill-test standard you are being prepared for?
- What is the refund rule for unused prepaid hours?
- For a career course: what is included after the CPL, in writing?
Using the directory
The flight-school directory lists schools and clubs with filters for country and licence, and shows the authority approval number where we have found it. A school can submit itself for review, and a submission stays unpublished until an editor checks it. A listing is not a recommendation, and approvals can change, so confirm the approval number with the authority before you pay.
Sources
Checked on 17 October 2026. Rules are amended, so read the current text before you rely on a figure.
- EASA, Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011), Part-FCL: https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/document-library/easy-access-rules/online-publications/easy-access-rules-aircrew-regulation-eu-no
- Traficom, aviation licences: https://traficom.fi/en/aviation-licences