# What is an ATO?

An ATO, or Approved Training Organisation, is a flight school approved by its aviation authority, such as the UK CAA, to deliver pilot training, including for commercial licences, instrument ratings and instructor certificates. Approval brings a management system, a compliance function and oversight by the authority, which is more than a DTO carries.

## How RALPH handles it

RALPH is built for approved and declared training organisations alike. Lessons are bookings, tagged with your own categories, the flights that follow them are recorded against the tech log, and every change is audited with who made it and for whom.

## Related terms

- [DTO](/resources/glossary/dto)
- [Pilot authorisation](/resources/glossary/pilot-authorisation)

## Questions, answered

### Does a school need to be an ATO to train private pilots?

No. A DTO can train for the PPL and LAPL; a school needs ATO approval to train for commercial licences.