CAA Flying Unit
The CAA was also responsible for the calibration of navigation and approach aids until the Flight Calibration Services group was privatised and sold to Flight Precision Ltd in 1996.
The history of the Civil Aviation Flying Unit (CAFU) can be traced back to the Air Ministry's Civil Operations Fleet founded in 1944. The CAA and its predecessors have operated 50 aircraft of 13, primarily British, aircraft types including de Havilland Tiger Moths, Avro Ansons, Airspeed Consuls, Percival Princes, de Havilland Doves, Hawker Siddeley HS 748s and Hawker Siddeley HS 125s.
The roles performed by CAFU aircraft included:
- Calibration and testing of radio/radar navigational aids in the UK and overseas
- Flight testing of candidates for the initial issue of commercial pilots' licences, instrument ratings and instructor ratings
- Training and testing of authorised instrument and type-rating examiners
- Carriage of Government Ministers, MEPs and other officials
- Charter flights for Dan-Air Services Ltd
- Radar target flying for the College of Air Traffic Control
- Ordnance Survey photographic flights
- Airport lighting inspections
- Aerodrome categorisation and evaluation flights
- Trials of new equipment and procedures, e.g. Microwave Landing Systems, Ground Proximity Warning Systems
- Refresher flying for Flight Operations Inspectors and other staff
- Educational flights for local schools
Beyond the privatisation of the calibration service in 1996, the Civil Aviation Authority operated two HS 125-700 aircraft successively up until 2002, providing conversion and continuation flying for professional CAA pilots, conducting radar trials for National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and serving the CAA, NATS and Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) in the communications role.
Previous to the privatisation, Stansted Airport had been the home of Flight Calibration, however in 1996 the department was moved to Teesside Airport in the North East of England with the photographic laboratory services contracted out to a local company, HighLight Photographics.
Read more about this topic: Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)
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