Verification explained

Approval status labels

Verified in authority record

The provider appears in an aviation-authority register or official document that we fetched, and the record is cited. Where the register shows a course scope we show it; where it does not, the scope is marked as not established.

Stated by the school

The school says it holds this status on its own website, but we could not confirm it in an authority record. Treat it as a claim to check with the authority.

Not verified

We could not establish the status from either a register or the school. It is flagged for review. This is not a negative finding.

Sources conflict

Sources disagree (for example a register says approval while the school says declaration). Both are shown and the record is flagged for review.

Approval, declaration, certificate and registration

Certificate

A certificate issued by the authority to the training provider.

Approval

An approval granted by the authority (for example an approved training organisation, ATO).

Declaration

A declaration the provider has filed with the authority (for example a declared training organisation, DTO). A declaration is not an approval.

Registration

The provider is registered with the authority, which is not the same as a course approval.

Authorisation

An authorisation for specified activities.

No school certificate applies

Training is delivered under the individual-instructor licensing rules (for example FAA Part 61) with no training-school certificate. This is not a lower or higher status; it is a different one.

In European systems an approved training organisation (ATO) holds an approval from its national authority, while a declared training organisation (DTO) has filed a declaration. A declaration is not an approval, and the national authority, not EASA, is normally the competent authority for an individual school. The United Kingdom has its own regime under the UK CAA.

United States: Part 61, Part 141 and Part 142

Part 141 is a pilot school certificate issued by the FAA. Part 61 training is delivered by certificated instructors without a school certificate; it is a normal, valid way to train and is not labelled “FAA-approved school”. Part 142 covers training centers that use simulators. We never describe all Part 61 instruction as an approved school.

What status is not

• It is not a safety ranking or quality score.
• It is not an employment guarantee, and completing a course does not by itself give you a licence or rating.
• It does not establish immigration permission or international-student eligibility.
• Schools and sponsors cannot buy or award themselves a verified status. Only our research and review set it, with an audit trail.

Freshness

Every record shows the date it was checked. Authority registers change; always confirm with the authority and the school before paying a deposit. See the guide questions to ask before paying a deposit.