Become a flight training operator

Find out what you need to know to apply to become a flight training operator, complete the assessment process and how to get your certificate.

Depending on what activities you will do you may need one or more of:

Learn more about approval to conduct training activities for Parts 141 and 142 on our About certification for flight training operators page.

Eligibility

You can apply to become a flight training organisation as a single-person operation. You do not need to employ other staff.

To be eligible, single flight instructors must have authorisation under Part 61 of CASR to conduct the flight training they have applied for.

The instructor can only provide training in line with their instructor privileges.

How to apply for a flight training operator certificate

You must apply for a flight training operator certificate if you plan to conduct flight training as an organisation.

You can find more information for individuals operating under a 141 approval on the Become a single instructor flight training operation page.

Follow the steps below if you want to apply as an organisation.

  1. Complete the form

    Complete the form or series of forms for the kind of flight training activity you plan to conduct. Make sure that you specify:

    • aircraft category rating for licences
    • aircraft class or type ratings
    • operational ratings and associated endorsements
    • training for flight reviews.

    Contact us if you are unable to access the forms you need.

    Organisations applying for a Part 141 or Part 142 approval should use the following:

    Download the following form:

    Submit your application and supporting documents to us by following the instructions in the form.

  2. Download and make changes to the sample manual

    Download the following manual:

    Use the Manual Authoring and Assessment Tool (MAAT), a free online tool that formats and tailors the manual for you.

    You can change content in the Part 141 sample operations manual to show how you plan to conduct and manage flight training activities. Change the content only where there is red text in the manual. The scope and complexity of your operation will affect what parts of the manual you change.

    You will need to provide details in the specified areas, including:

    • your facilities
    • types of aircraft
    • personnel

  3. Generate your syllabuses

    For your Part 141 training, you can choose to:

    If you choose to develop your own, we need to assess your manual to ensure the proposed training will meet the requirements of Part 61. To learn more about how we will assess your manual, see Apply for a flight training certificate.

  4. Checklist

    Before you submit your manual to us, make sure you have included all the required information. First and foremost, make sure the manual works for your instructors and other personnel. They are the primary users of the manual and it is a way of applying your requirements for your operation. You should also check that you have formatted the document to make it easy to access and use. This will help to speed up the assessment process.

    Check that you have:

    • updated the publication details (such as publication dates, file names and titles)
    • insert the relevant details and required information for your organisation
    • made any changes that help to address your operation's scope and complexity
    • inserted your flight training syllabuses into Volume 5
    • updated the list of amendments and revision history
    • updated the table of contents.

  5. Submit your manual and form to us

    Submit your operations manual via email as an attached digital file or through the MAAT. You must also attach the relevant application forms. See Apply for a flight training certificate.

    Contact us if you have any problems editing the document.

  6. Reviewing your application

    We assess your application using our protocol suite. This helps us:

    • decide on the suitability of your application
    • ensure we are consistent in our approach
    • provide a record of our decision.

    We will review your application and contact you if we need more information.

    You must address any issues we identify within a reasonable timeframe to avoid any delays in progressing your application.

  7. Pay the fee

    We charge a fee for the assessment of your:

    • operations manual or exposition
    • other documentation
    • key personnel interviews
    • facilities.

    We’ll send you an estimate of the costs to assess your application, based on an hourly rate.

    You must pay the fee before we can process your application.

Cancel an application

To cancel your application after paying the fee, contact us in writing. We will charge costs for any work completed before you cancel.

Assessment

Assessment timeframes vary and rely on:

  • when we receive your payment
  • the quality of your documents
  • the availability of our resources.

We’ll contact you if the recommendation varies from what you applied for.

Our detailed assessment involves 2 stages:

  • document evaluation
  • inspections and tests.

We carry out the assessment referencing the:

Our technical assessor handbooks, protocols and associated worksheets ensure we have a consistent method to:

  • assess compliance with the regulations
  • document the decisions that we make.

We also consider any other civil aviation legislative provisions that apply to your proposed operations.

Certificate issue

We will let you know if we accept or decline your application after our assessment.

If approved, we'll issue the certificate relevant to your operation, either:

  • a Part 141 certificate
  • a Part 142 Subpart B.2 certificate
  • an AOC authorising the relevant Part 142 training activities.

We will email the certificate to you and send the original by mail.

Related content

Related rules and publications

Last updated:
30 Jan 2024
Online version available at: https://www.casa.gov.au//licences-and-certificates/air-operators/flight-training-operators/become-flight-training-operator
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