PHILIPPINES TRADITION: Students gather with the academy’s flight instructors and director at a solo bath ceremony, a Philippines tradition after a student completes his first solo flight.
KUCHING: The emergence of budget airline carriers, and airlines all over the world taking delivery of more new aircrafts, have led to a growing demand for pilots in the thriving aviation industry.
Though deemed as one of the most profitable occupations in the world, earning a pilot’s licence can be both costly and time-consuming that eventually may contribute towards a shortage of pilots — which can be a serious problem.
To combat the worldwide shortage of qualified, dedicated and professional pilots, the All Asia Aviation Academy (AAA Academy) was established in the Philippines in March 2008 by Toru Maeda of TM Holdings Co Ltd Japan — aimed at developing skilled and confident pilots who will flourish worldwide.
The academy, which is the first joint aviation school between Japan and the Philippines, operates beside the runway of IBA Airport, Zambales, approximately 130km northeast of Metro Manila and is equipped with all the facilities necessary to prepare for an aviation career.
ASPIRING PILOT: AAA Academy student Christopher Tay of Kuching completing his Cessna 172 additional rating. He is seen here with Civil Aviation Authority Philippines check rider Captain Rico Hermoso.
I MADE IT: AAA Academy student Syed Muhammad Muzakkir of Johor seen here with Civil Aviation Authority Philippines check rider Captain Rico Hermoso after completing his Cessna 172 additional rating.
Aspiring pilot students here are under the guidance of AAA staff, mechanics and instructors comprising world-class professionals bearing exemplary credentials in the fields of general aviation and the airline industry.
During the period of the course, students will have the opportunity to fly different aircraft types and makes from the academy’s fleet of eleven Cessna 152, three Cessna 172N, two Piper Seneca PA-34-200 and a Cessna 421C while at the same time are trained with a Level III Advanced Flight Training Device (AFTD) equipped with a worldwide database to simulate instrument approach procedure to any chartered airport around the world.
The AFTD is equipped with basic and advanced navigational facility, simulating flight environments from Visual Flight Rule to Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) conditions and partial instrument panel flying.
This device further enhances training by interfacing piston-engine and turbo-prop performance simulations.
The Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with Instrument Rating (IR) and Multi-Engine Rating (MER) programme is applicable to students both with and without previous training as the academy customises the flight training hours to meet the needs and requirements of students and their home countries’ authorities of civil aviation such as Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
During the CPL with IR and MER course, students will have to undergo four stages to achieve their licence, namely the Private Pilot Licence (PPL) Training from 00 hours to 60 hours, the CPL Trainings from 61 hours to 170 hours, the IR Ground Training with 20 hours Flight Simulator Training and finally the IR and MER Training from 171 hours to 200 hours.
AAA Academy offers an accelerated CPL with IR and MER that can be completed in six to seven months and the programmes include all procedures like the Special Study Permit (SSP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance, medical exams, other examinations and licensing while accommodation and transportation are also included in the training packages.
Upon graduation, a variety of options are available for students such as applying to international airlines as first officer or cadet pilot or taking up the Flight Instructor (FI) course with AAA Academy.
The FI licence is one way to successfully enter the world of commercial flight, gain invaluable experience and build the pilot-in-command hours needed to earn a respectable position in the world of flying.
This course allows one to start the journey of acquiring a deep understanding of the basic and essential principles of flight as well as provide the chance to acquire the skills unique to working with people from different backgrounds with different ways of thoughts and expectations and it will foster an environment where ‘by the book’, disciplined flying is the norm.
Essentially, a flight instructor will begin his or her aviation career working in a structured environment that includes being closely monitored and mentored.
During the ground class, students will learn techniques of applied instruction, appraisal of student progress, the learning process, elements of effective teaching, student evaluation and testing, training theories, training performance development, lesson planning, classroom instructional techniques, utilisation of training resources, examination and correction of
student errors, human performance relevant to flight instruction, and hazards involved in simulating system failures and malfunctions in the aircraft.
The flight instruction segment will have students learn teaching techniques including demonstration, student practices, recognition and correction of common student errors, flight manoeuvres and procedures.
Presently, AAA Academy has around 40 students on campus hailing from countries such as Nepal, Oman, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, Lithuania, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea, while ten are working on their conversion of licence in India where upon completion will return to AAA to finish the remainder of their course in Multi-Engine Rating (MER) and Instrument Rating (IR).
Three Malaysians have graduated from the academy while seven are currently undergoing the courses there, of which four hail from Kuching, all looking to fulfil their dreams of soaring the skies as qualified, professional pilots.
For further enquiries on AAA Academy, please call IGWY Consultants May Low at 082-418485 or 016-8861991 or Chee Kwong Lee at 012-8871991 or via email at [email protected].
Alternatively, visit the academy’s website at www.aaa-central.com or All Asia Aviation Academy Facebook page.
Catch them at the Borneo Post International Education Fair (BPIEF) on Mar 3-4 from 10am to 6pm at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK). For more information on BPIEF 2012, log on to www.bpief.com.