Flying through a chill wind

indeed for a Scottish flying college.

FOR the more prosaic among our economic commentators, the barometer of

performance is the building industry. For the others it is aviation,

with all its attendant moments of drama and romance.

David Moss prefers the latter approach and speaks not only

persuasively but also with confidence about a future where people will

be taking to the air in greater numbers and there will be a need for

more pilots to get them to their destination quickly and efficiently.

As managing director of the British Aerospace Flying College at

Prestwick, he has more interest than most in the steady climb out of

recession -- not just in Scotland but worldwide.

He and his team train the pilots, but the chill wind of an economy in

slump has blown through the aviation industry and clients like British

Airways, for whom the college was set up in the first place, have all

but disappeared. The Ayrshire campus is currently home to just 100

students when it would be comfortable with 250.

Yet Moss, who has spent most of his working life on the military

aircraft side of British Aerospace, refuses to be despondent and is

concentrating with his team of 125 people on building the college into

the finest of its kind, in preparation for the return of the would-be

first officers and captains of the future.

''Of course we would like to be up to capacity or even expanding,'' he

says, ''but we have to be realistic. I believe aviation is a good

indicator of how business is doing. More people fly when there is more

business being done, and there is more money to spend on moving people

about instead of trading by phone or fax.

''We have trimmed the workforce here and are a leaner organisation

than when I first came here. That has been a necessity but I believe we

are ready with the finest team of instructors and support staff, both on

the ground and in the air, that is available anywhere. We are ready and

I believe that within a year the trainee pilots will be back here in

numbers and this business will be making money.''

Moss does not hide his gratitude to those on high at British Aerospace

for their confidence in the college while all around has been dominated

by cutback and rationalisation. ''The support has been excellent and we

are all interested in repaying that before much longer,'' he adds.

The reasons for his confidence are twofold -- the expected demand for

pilots caused by economic upturn, and the shortage of trained flight

crew from the Services as they, too, have cut back in recent years.

''The bulk of our instructors were in the RAF but that supply is not

as readily available for airlines as it was. There is also a retirement

bulge on its way for operators like British Airways and they will need

young men and women to take the place of those leaving the company.

''We are ready to supply these young men and women to anyone who needs

them, trained to the most exacting standards. I hope we will be dealing

with British Airways in the future but I would doubt very much if we

will be putting all our eggs in one basket as we did in the early 1980s

with BA.''

The college, based on the fringes of Prestwick Airport beside sister

company Jetstream Aircraft, and by some distance the biggest customer of

airport operators PIK, remains comfortable with its geographical

situation and Moss is quick to quell any rumours of a move.

''When we moved some of our flying programme to Salina in Kansas,

particularly in the winter months, there was local concern that we were

on the move altogether,'' he says. ''Nothing could be further from the

truth. Despite Prestwick's unrivalled weather record there are days in

the winter when the conditions are not conducive to teaching the finer

points of flying.

''In addition we have the nonsensical situation in Britain that

training is zero-rated for VAT but this does not apply to pilot

training. We have a campaign supported by Phil Gallie and other MPs

going on at present, but in the meantime our customers can save 17.5% on

the cost of some of the course if it's done in the US.

''I would also stress that it is our instructors in University of

Kansas aircraft doing the teaching, so there is no question of the

training not being to our standards.''

The Flying College was set up in 1987 as a centre of excellence in the

training of airline pilots: a place where young men and women with no

previous flying experience are prepared physically and mentally for the

demanding and professional role of operating modern high-technology

airliners.

Your correspondent had a crash course -- pun fully intended -- on one

of the jet simulators at Prestwick. With the greatest respect, however,

it should be noted that I did not ask for full flaps while descending

into Hong Kong airport, and ending up instead side-on in the harbour.

Blame the captain, but I'll be back.

A much more successful experience was a few minutes in control of a

Bravo trainer over Turnberry with ex-RAF pilot Derek Earp on hand to

sort out any problems. The adrenalin certainly flows.

The pilot instructor, who left behind the flight decks of Nimrods and

Jaguar fighters for the slightly slower pace of the college, is in no

doubt about the value of the training. ''This is a great set-up here,

not only on the ground with a good set of instructors backed up by the

best of technology, but up here with aircraft well suited for the job,''

he says.

The course takes 14 months and costs #56,000 including accommodation

at the well-appointed Adamton House residency. Graduates will be ready,

after a short period of conversion to the particular company's aircraft,

to sit in the right-hand seat with passengers up the back.

Says David Moss: ''We currently have contracts with a number of top

airlines.

''Our team is constantly working in the world markets to find new

customers for the full training courses, the finishing training we do

for qualified pilots, and all the other courses available.

''I am confident about the future and believe that our 1993 turnover

of #8m could be almost doubled within two years.''