The British School of Aviation (BSA) has gained approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to offer both face to face and online engineer type rating training for Boeing 737 family aircraft.
The approvals will cover Boeing 737 Classic, NG and MAX aircraft at the former Monarch Aircraft Engineering training academy at Luton Airport, which was established about one year ago.
Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, it launched an online type rating course in July for B1/B2 qualified engineers for Boeing 787 aircraft.
Shonu Bamrah, CEO of BSA, says the company was investing in new capabilities pre-pandemic. “Even before COVID-19, BSA was in advanced discussions with a number of international customers regarding the merits of online and virtual-reality-based training, in response to the economic challenges faced by the industry,” he says.
Bamrah predicts further distance learning when carrying out aviation training but feels face to face learning will still play an important role in the years to come.
“Whilst we anticipated increased demand for distance learning solutions, face-to-face training is still required, particularly in regard to new recruits, such as apprentice engineers, which airlines and MROs will need in the years ahead,” he says.
BSA expects students to being returning to its facility once novel coronavirus restrictions are eased by the British government. It has created classrooms for up to nine students, as opposed to previous intakes of 16 to ensure social distancing procedures.