Sydney Flight College (SFC) has partnered with the aviation assessment company Symbiotics to change how it selects pilot cadets1. Under the agreement, announced by Symbiotics on 28 September 2026, the Australian school will use the online ADAPT assessment platform at both of its training bases, Bankstown College and Tamworth Pilot Academy1. SFC published the announcement on its own news page on 6 October2, and it was also carried by the training publication Halldale Group and by Asian Aviation34.

According to the announcement, the aim is to create "a consistent, evidence-based selection process for all cadet applicants regardless of where they apply from."1 The assessment is meant to identify candidates with the aptitude, cognitive skills and behavioural attributes that the two organisations describe as "most closely aligned to success in pilot training."1 SFC says that by improving candidate selection and supporting higher course completion rates, it aims to increase the number of qualified pilots progressing into the aviation workforce1.

Who is Sydney Flight College

SFC says it started in 1969 and calls itself "one of the largest flying organisations in Australia."5 Its website states that the college is accredited with the Australian Skills Quality Authority and "CASA Part 142 approved, allowing both integrated and non-integrated flight training."5 Under the rules of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), a Part 142 approval is needed for multi-crew flight training and for integrated training towards a PPL, CPL, ATPL or MPL, while Part 141 covers non-integrated training6. The regional base is relatively new: Australian Aviation reported in October 2023 that the Tamworth site, 400km north of Bankstown, would open the following July and house 32 students and 10 instructors7.

At Tamworth, SFC offers a 12-month Airline Pilot Package that combines a Commercial Pilot Licence diploma with a multi-engine instrument rating, multi-crew cooperation (MCC) and upset prevention and recovery training, plus two months for ATPL theory credits8. The listed entry requirements are a Higher School Certificate or a Certificate IV or higher, a minimum age of 18 on or before the first day of the course, and meeting numeracy and English language requirements8. In March 2026, SFC announced the addition of an ALSIM Airliner simulator to its Tamworth academy9. The manufacturer, which describes the Airliner as an FNPT II MCC certified device, published its own announcement on 1 September, quoting SFC chief executive Joseph Pilo as calling it "the final piece in delivering our complete airline pilot training pathway."10 For background on the two training routes, see our explainer on how modular and integrated training work.

Airline-style screening at the start of training

Aptitude testing is a familiar step in airline cadet selection, and SFC presents the move as bringing that practice into its own admissions. "Our goal is simple: to give every student who joins Sydney Flight College the best possible opportunity to succeed," Pilo said in the announcement1. "By adopting the same assessment platform used by airlines around the world, we're introducing an additional level of confidence and consistency into our selection process," he continued1. He added: "Ultimately, success for us isn't measured by enrolments. It's measured by students completing their training, achieving their licences and going on to build successful careers in aviation."2

Hannah Davies, Symbiotics' Director of Strategy and Growth, framed the partnership around the wider pilot shortage. "The aviation industry needs more pilots, but addressing that demand isn't simply about increasing training numbers," she said. "It's about identifying individuals with the aptitude, capability and personal attributes required to succeed through what is an intensive and demanding training journey."1 She described the arrangement as introducing an assessment process "at the earliest stages of recruitment."1

Symbiotics describes ADAPT as a platform for online tests "created by our in-house psychology and technical teams", used to pre-screen candidates for roles including cadets, pilots, cabin crew and instructors11. On its pilot aptitude testing page, the company says its assessments follow ICAO core pilot competencies and cover areas "such as leadership, teamwork, workload management, personality and many more", and that it aligns with IATA guidance on pilot aptitude testing12. It also states that "ADAPT does not pass or fail candidates": the process gives the organisation a breakdown of performance and a recommendation, and the organisation takes the final decision12. Organisations can use the tests throughout selection or "as one stage of a wider selection protocol."12

Shortages in the background

The announcement links the change to Australian government policy, citing the 2024 Aviation White Paper1. The government released the White Paper on 26 August 2024, setting out its vision for the sector towards 2050 through 56 policy initiatives, one of the 10 key areas being "a skilled, secure and productive workforce"13. Its workforce factsheet says the industry "currently faces shortages of key workers including pilots, flight instructors, aviation maintenance engineers and more" and that pilot shortages "have had a disproportionate impact on General Aviation businesses and on smaller and regional airlines."14 The factsheet adds that the government will "set expectations for large Australian airlines to support a sustainable pipeline of domestic pilots."14 Pilo said the government had identified pilot shortages as a significant challenge and that flight training organisations "play a critical role in addressing that challenge."1

What this means for applicants

For prospective students, the practical change is an extra step before enrolment. Applicants to SFC's cadet programmes, at either Bankstown or Tamworth, will sit the same online assessment, whichever campus they apply to1. Neither organisation has published score thresholds, any fee for the assessment, a start date for the new process or how results will be weighed against the college's existing academic, age and English requirements18. Symbiotics' general description of ADAPT leaves the final decision with the training organisation, but how SFC will use the results is not set out in the announcement112.

Candidates who have already prepared for airline aptitude tests may find the format familiar, since SFC describes ADAPT as the same platform used by airlines1. Our guide to multitasking tests in pilot selection explains one common type of task. SFC says the aim of the new process is higher course completion rates and more qualified pilots entering the workforce1. Whether the new process changes completion rates at SFC is something only future results will show; the college has not published current completion figures in the announcement1.