The original 43 Air School opened in 1942 as part of the Joint Air Training Scheme during World War II. Approximately 100 aircraft, mainly Avro Ansons and Airspeed Oxfords, were used to train navigators, bomb aimers and gunners.
The new 43 Air School was established in 1988 by well-known flying training personality, Jim Kennard-Davis, and his wife Penny. The first pilot training course commenced on 01 February 1989, with 11 self sponsored trainees. The school was awarded its first corporate contract in 1992, and in 1995 it trained its first group of pilots for one of the regional airlines.
The mid nineties were watershed years for the company, and under a new management team including two additional shareholders the evolution to become a fully fledged airline pilot training institution gathered impetus, culminating in the school being awarded contracts by the major airlines in South Africa, BA Comair and SAA. In 2002 it was acquired by National Airways Corporation (NAC), part of the Imperial Group of Companies.
Today, a team of highly qualified professionals with extensive operational experience (airline, military and commercial) provides training of an international standard to some 160 airline, military, corporate and self sponsored students from around the world.
