What Clacton Aero Club does

Clacton Aero Club is a family-run private flying school established in 1988, operating from Clacton Airfield in Essex, United Kingdom, under the legal entity Cirrus Aviation Ltd. It is the sole flying school at the airfield, providing private pilot licence training on a grass runway in unrestricted airspace with low traffic. The core technology is conventional general aviation flight training delivered in light aircraft including the Cessna 152, Cessna 172, and a refurbished PA-18 Super Cub, with on-site aircraft maintenance capability provided by partner CAS Engineering under CAA Part M Subpart G & I approvals. On-site CAA examiners are a notable operational feature, minimising flight test delays and allowing ground exams to be scheduled per individual student readiness.

The business generates revenue across multiple streams. Primary revenue comes from intensive residential licensing courses: a 2-week NPPL course at £7,840 and a 3-week PPL(A) course at £9,800, each with a £500 deposit. Usage-based training is priced at £215/hour on the PA-18 Super Cub and £245/hour on the Cessna 172 (with IMC training adding £10/hour), while licensed pilots can self-hire a Cessna 172 at £220/hour. A 2-day tailwheel conversion course is priced at £1,050. Trial flying lessons start at £150 in a Cessna 152, with flight time creditable toward a PPL. Membership subscriptions (£30/month or £140/year) and gift vouchers broaden the customer base. Sister company Classic Wings extends the brand into vintage WW2 aircraft experiences at Duxford, including Spitfire flights.

Customers are entirely individual consumers, segmented into aspiring private pilots seeking first licences (primary), licensed pilots seeking aircraft hire and additional endorsements, and experience seekers purchasing trial flights or gift vouchers. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the company website, phone, email, and an on-site presence at Clacton Airfield, with no intermediaries and no B2B or institutional customers disclosed.

Name

Clacton Aero Club

Legal name

Cirrus Aviation Ltd

Website

https://clactonaeroclub.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Clacton Aero Club is a family-run UK flying school established in 1988, offering NPPL and PPL pilot licensing courses, trial lessons, aircraft hire, and tailwheel conversion training from Clacton Airfield, Essex, under Cirrus Aviation Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flight Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Aviation Pilot & Crew Staffing/Training Services (THABAFAJ)

Keywords

• Pilot licence training
• Trial flying lessons
• General aviation instruction
• Self-hire aircraft
• Tailwheel conversion training

Headquarters

HQ city

Clacton-on-sea

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Flight Training Courses: Intensive residential courses for NPPL and PPL(A) licenses including flying hours, ground exams, landing fees, and fuel. 2-week NPPL course at £7,840 and 3-week PPL course at £9,800.
2. Aircraft Hire: Cessna 172 available for hire at £220 per hour for licensed pilots.
3. Training Hours: Hourly training rates for PA-18 Super Cub at £215/hour and Cessna 172 at £245/hour. IMC training adds £10/hour.
4. Tailwheel Conversion Course: 2-day tailwheel conversion course with 5 hours instruction at £1,050.
5. Membership Fees: Monthly membership at £30 and annual membership at £140. Includes indemnity cover.
6. Trial Lessons: Trial flying lessons in Cessna 152 from £150, with flight time counting toward Private Pilots Licence.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Clacton Aero Club provides private-pilot licence training, introductory flying lessons, hourly instruction, and light-aircraft hire from Clacton Airfield. It also offers post-licence services including tailwheel conversion, cross-channel checkouts, differences training, licence revalidations, and club memberships.

Product overview

Clacton Aero Club is a family-run flying school established in 1988, offering a comprehensive portfolio of aviation training services from its base at Clacton Airfield. The core offering centers on pilot licensing programs including NPPL and PPL(A) training courses, with intensive residential options ranging from 2 to 3 weeks. Supporting services include trial flying lessons, aircraft hire (Cessna 152 and 172, PA-18 Super Cub), tailwheel conversion courses, cross channel checkouts, and licence re-validations. The club operates sister company Classic Wings, which provides vintage aircraft experiences at Duxford including WW2 aircraft flights. On-site aircraft maintenance is available through CAS Engineering, which holds Part M Subpart G & I approvals and offers full maintenance, rebuild, and restoration services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CAS Engineering: Aircraft maintenance facility operated on the airfield by CAS Engineering, a family-run business with Part M Subpart G & I approvals.

Products and services

• NPPL (National Private Pilots Licence) Course A 2-week intensive licence course for aspiring private pilots, including 32 hours of flying, 6 written exams, and a navigation skills test. The package is priced at £7,840, subject to stated exclusions and a £500 deposit.
• PPL(A) Training Private pilot licence training for aspiring pilots, including a 3-week intensive JJA PPL(A) course with 40 hours of flying and landing fees at Clacton included. The intensive course is priced at £9,800 and has its own deposit and stated exclusions.
• Trial Flying Lessons Introductory lessons conducted by a qualified instructor in a Cessna 152, covering basic flight principles and hands-on manoeuvres. Lessons start at £150, and flight time can count toward a private pilot licence.
• Hourly Flight Training Pay-as-you-go instruction in a PA-18 Super Cub at £215 per hour or a Cessna 172 at £245 per hour. IMC training costs an additional £10 per hour.
• Aircraft Hire Self-fly hire of a Cessna 172 for licensed pilots at £220 per hour.
• Tailwheel Conversion Course A 2-day course using the refurbished PA-18 Super Cub, with 5 hours of instruction for a tailwheel endorsement. It is priced at £1,050, with fuel and Clacton landing fees included.
• Cross Channel Checkouts Specialized checkout training for licensed pilots who want to fly across the English Channel.
• Differences Training Training that enables pilots to fly different aircraft types requiring a differences endorsement.
• Licence Re-validations Training and examination services that help licensed pilots maintain and revalidate their existing licences.
• Club Membership Club membership offered monthly at £30 and annually at £140, with flying privileges and indemnity cover included.
• Gift Vouchers Vouchers available for purchase as gifts for a pleasure flight or trial flying lesson.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record.

• Classic WingsStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company offering trial lessons in Cessna 172 plus sightseeing flights and flying experiences in genuine WW2 vintage aircraft including Dragon Rapide, Tiger Moth, T6 Harvard, and 2-seat Spitfire. Free entry to Imperial War Museum Duxford included. Both are trading names of Cirrus Aviation Ltd.
• CAS EngineeringImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOn-site aircraft maintenance organisation with Part M Subpart G & I approvals. Family run business with 45 years of experience. Specialises in BCAR license work (A, B & C and Part 66), vintage aircraft rebuilds and restoration, natural and synthetic fabric work, wood repairs, and riveting skin repairs. Full certification coverage with aircraft maintenance carried out and certified in-house. No landing fees for maintenance customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stapleford Flight Centre: Long-established Essex/London-fringe aero club and PPL/NPPL training school; directly comparable single-site UK flight school offering private pilot licences, trial lessons, and aircraft hire to a similar aspirant-pilot customer base.
• Sherburn Aero Club: UK aero club operating from a single airfield with PPL training, trial lessons, aircraft hire, and membership subscriptions; near-identical business model and customer segments to Clacton Aero Club.
• Lydd Aero Club: Kent-based aero club offering PPL training, aircraft hire, and trial lessons; comparable coastal-UK flying school with a similar recreational-pilot target market.
• Tayside Aviation: UK flight training organisation offering PPL, NPPL, and ATPL courses with aircraft hire; comparable general-aviation training operator serving aspirant private pilots.
• Booker Aviation: Flight training school at Wycombe Air Park offering PPL courses, trial lessons, and aircraft hire; comparable UK fixed-wing private pilot training school.
• Aero Legends: UK vintage/Classic Wings-style operator offering trial lessons and experience flights in restored historic aircraft; comparable experiential aviation offering that overlaps with Clacton's Classic Wings sister brand.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwood Flight School: Well-known UK aerodrome-based flight school offering PPL training and trial lessons as part of a broader Goodwood estate; overlaps in flight training but operates within a wider premium hospitality and motorsport portfolio.
• CAE Oxford Aviation Academy: Large global aviation training group with UK operations delivering ab-initio and type-rating pilot training; a much larger incumbent in the same flight-training category but serving the professional airline pilot segment rather than PPL hobbyists.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/104840622942299

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clacton Aero Club