Enabling performance in aerospace organisations
Our Consulting Spectrum
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Operations & Training Systems Setup
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State-ot-the-art operations & training design
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Improved safety, reduced costs, enabled growth
CBTA/EBT implementation in AOCs, ATOs and MTOAs New technology aircraft introduction, including AAM Certification of FSTDs and other aviation products Oversight assistance and training for government organisations Information Security implementation (EASA Part-IS) FSTD selection and configuration (EASA CS-FSTD) Risk assessment for flight training and operations
Our consulting spectrum
CBTA/EBT implementation in AOCs, ATOs and MTOAs New technology aircraft introduction, including AAM Certification of FSTDs and other aviation products Oversight assistance and training for government organisations Information Security implementation (EASA Part-IS) FSTD selection and configuration (EASA CS-FSTD) Risk assessment for flight training and operations
Cpt. Hartmut Fabisch
Partner
Head of advanced cockpit training at Lufthansa • CEO of pilot training network • EASA rulemaking expert • ICAO/IATA training advisor
Cpt. Gunnar Hasse
Partner
Training captain and fleet chief at AeroLogic • Instructor and examiner for Lufthansa Aviation Training and ASL airlines • BSc aviation, embry-riddle
Cpt. Christian Norden
Partner
Director flight ops & training standards at Airbus, incl. the A350 program • Flight ops and HR leadership at Austrian Airlines • EASA rulemaking expert since 2016
Cpt. Holger Hoffmann
Partner
Head of crew training / Head of safety, security & quality at Condor • CEO of pilot training network • CBTA/EBT policy lead for Lufthansa Group • MA in economics
Our Experts
Our Network of Accredited Experts
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The Dieter Harms legacy
Captain Dieter Harms (*1940 – †2026)
Pilot. Educator. Pioneer. Co-founder of harmsaviation.
In June 2026, harmsaviation lost its co-founder, mentor and friend. For more than six decades, Capt. Dieter Harms helped shape how the world trains its airline pilots.
A life in aviation. Dieter joined the Lufthansa Pilot School in Bremen in 1963 and went on to fly the Boeing 737, DC-10 and Boeing 747-400, retiring from the flight deck in 2005 as a 747-400 Captain. From 1980 he led the Lufthansa Pilot School, then became the airline's Head of Training. In 1997 he founded Lufthansa Flight Training GmbH – today's Lufthansa Aviation Training – and led it as CEO until 2005.
The Father of MPL. Dieter decisively advanced and lastingly shaped flight training at Lufthansa and in doing so created a legacy that will endure. He championed Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and helped develop the Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) from its very beginning: as senior advisor to ICAO, IATA, and as a member of the EASA Advisory Board. Pilots around the world now train in programmes built on principles he helped establish.
harmsaviation. Drawing on this experience, Dieter co-founded Harms Aviation GmbH to provide aviation organisations with innovative solutions and help them meet the industry's regulations and standards – delivered by senior practitioners who had done the job themselves.
The man behind the achievements. For all his expertise, what stood out most was how Dieter led: a people-focused leader who believed in those around him and shared his knowledge freely. His work and personality will continue to inspire our team, and his standards – technical excellence, regulatory integrity and genuine care for the people being trained – guide everything we do.
Thank you, Dieter.
Collaborations
Publications
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Regulatory updates
EASA Regulatory update – october 2026
Easy access rules for aircrew: the new FSTD framework (FCS) –
and what it means for pilot licensing (FCL) and training organisations (ATO)
EASA Regulatory update – september 2026
Key regulatory developments, challenges and best practices –
and what they mean for aviation organisations
White papers
Enabling the future of urban air mobility
harmsaviation's expertise in eVTOL certification, training & flight operations
Strengthening aviation cybersecurity
harmsaviation's expertise in EASA part-IS implementation
Our expertise in action
Training management systems (TMS) / pilot assessment and grading
An overview of software tools
Project: Germany’s first EASA flight test training organisation
There was no template to follow. harmsaviation led the project from course concept to national approval and the first course. We developed the syllabus, qualified the instructors, wrote the manuals and managed the relationship with the authority. Approval came on schedule, with no rework.
Project: EASA TRAIN research consortium
As a consortium partner, harmsaviation contributed the operator’s perspective. We mapped pilot training objectives against the nine EASA competencies and turned them into practical FSTD specifications and instructor competency profiles. The result is research that can feed directly into future rulemaking.
Project: Germany’s first EASA flight test training organisation
There was no template to follow. harmsaviation led the project from course concept to national approval and the first course. We developed the syllabus, qualified the instructors, wrote the manuals and managed the relationship with the authority. Approval came on schedule, with no rework.
Project: EASA TRAIN research consortium
As a consortium partner, harmsaviation contributed the operator’s perspective. We mapped pilot training objectives against the nine EASA competencies and turned them into practical FSTD specifications and instructor competency profiles. The result is research that can feed directly into future rulemaking.
Customer: a mid-sized European national airline
harmsaviation supported the airline’s move to EBT and advanced CBTA, from programme design through the first training cycles. Instructors embraced the change because our consultants had done the same job themselves, on the line and in the simulator. The airline now trains against its real operational risks, not a checklist.
Customer: a UK flight training organisation (ATO)
EASA third-country approval was the most complex regulatory project this ATO had undertaken. harmsaviation mapped the gaps between its national approval and EASA requirements, prepared the management team and guided it through the audits. Approval came two months ahead of plan, with no findings that needed rework. That allowed the ATO to deliver a major contract with a European airline.
Customer: an Asian flight school (ATO)
Closing audit findings was not enough. harmsaviation traced them back to their root causes in the training system and fixed those. At the next audit, findings were down 70%.
Customer: a European aviation services company
The company had strong services and a capable team, but no structured way to sell, and growth had stalled. harmsaviation designed a sales process built around how B2B aviation customers actually buy, and introduced a CRM the team uses every day. We helped select the commercial leaders and coached them until they could run the function on their own. A new bonus model linked pay to the targets that matter. Within 12 months the pipeline grew by 30%, customers remarked on a noticeably more professional approach, and important new contracts followed.
Customer: a European private equity firm
Before investing in an Asian flight training provider, the firm wanted the business assessed by people who had run training organisations themselves. harmsaviation’s due diligence went well beyond the data room. It covered approval scope, the instructor pipeline, simulator use and regulatory exposure. Our client invested with a clear view of the risks and a 100-day plan ready on day one.
Customer: a European secured private credit investor
harmsaviation showed the investor what the business plan did not: where the approval scope was limiting revenue, and what it would cost to fix. Those findings shaped both the valuation and the plan after the deal.
Customer: a European flight training (ATO) and MRO provider
harmsaviation stepped in as interim Head of Training at a critical moment. Within six months the company had a clear, compliant structure, qualified nominated persons and a team able to carry on without outside support.
Customer: an Asian flight school (ATO)
Our assessment was candid and at times uncomfortable, and it was what the organisation needed. Working closely with middle management, we redesigned processes and structure to secure compliance and enable growth. The school has since expanded its presence in Asia.
Customer Experience
Successfully completed customer projects
Germany’s first EASA flight test training organisation
There was no template to follow. harmsaviation led the project from course concept to national approval and the first course. We developed the syllabus, qualified the instructors, wrote the manuals and managed the relationship with the authority. Approval came on schedule, with no rework.
EASA TRAIN research consortium
As a consortium partner, harmsaviation contributed the operator’s perspective. We mapped pilot training objectives against the nine EASA competencies and turned them into practical FSTD specifications and instructor competency profiles. The result is research that can feed directly into future rulemaking.
A mid-sized European national airline
harmsaviation supported the airline’s move to EBT and advanced CBTA, from programme design through the first training cycles. Instructors embraced the change because our consultants had done the same job themselves, on the line and in the simulator. The airline now trains against its real operational risks, not a checklist.
A UK flight training organisation (ATO)
EASA third-country approval was the most complex regulatory project this ATO had undertaken. harmsaviation mapped the gaps between its national approval and EASA requirements, prepared the management team and guided it through the audits. Approval came two months ahead of plan, with no findings that needed rework. That allowed the ATO to deliver a major contract with a European airline.
An Asian flight school (ATO)
Closing audit findings was not enough. harmsaviation traced them back to their root causes in the training system and fixed those. At the next audit, findings were down 70%.
A European aviation services company
The company had strong services and a capable team, but no structured way to sell, and growth had stalled. harmsaviation designed a sales process built around how B2B aviation customers actually buy, and introduced a CRM the team uses every day. We helped select the commercial leaders and coached them until they could run the function on their own. A new bonus model linked pay to the targets that matter. Within 12 months the pipeline grew by 30%, customers remarked on a noticeably more professional approach, and important new contracts followed.
A European private equity firm
Before investing in an Asian flight training provider, the firm wanted the business assessed by people who had run training organisations themselves. harmsaviation’s due diligence went well beyond the data room. It covered approval scope, the instructor pipeline, simulator use and regulatory exposure. Our client invested with a clear view of the risks and a 100-day plan ready on day one.
A European secured private credit investor
harmsaviation showed the investor what the business plan did not: where the approval scope was limiting revenue, and what it would cost to fix. Those findings shaped both the valuation and the plan after the deal.
A European flight training (ATO) and MRO provider
harmsaviation stepped in as interim Head of Training at a critical moment. Within six months the company had a clear, compliant structure, qualified nominated persons and a team able to carry on without outside support.
An Asian flight school (ATO)
Our assessment was candid and at times uncomfortable, and it was what the organisation needed. Working closely with middle management, we redesigned processes and structure to secure compliance and enable growth. The school has since expanded its presence in Asia.
Customer experience
Recommendation letters
