PIA Flight Academy Starts Training Cadet Pilots

[Abbas Ali]

PIA Flight Academy to be formally launched in July 2011.

KARACHI: PIA has started training of cadet pilots at Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Flight Academy where 16 cadet pilots are being imparted flying training.


KARACHI: Director Standards and Special Projects PIA, Capt. Junaid Younus with trainee cadet piltos of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Flight Academy, at PIA Training Centre (PTC) on the occasion of commencement of cadets flying training operation through Cessna 172N aircraft from Karachi.

A simple ceremony was held at PIA Training Centre (PTC) on Friday. The cadets under training at the academy have started flying on Cessna 172N aircraft at Karachi.


KARACHI: pair of Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft (registrations AP-BAJ & AP-BBN) in PIA livery photographed inside Ispahani widebody aircraft maintenance hangar at Jinnah International Air Port (JIAP), Karachi. The two Cessna aircraft will be part of 'Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Flight Academy' being established by PIA at Nawabshah Airport in Nawabshah/Shaheed Benazirabad.

Director Standards and Special Projects PIA, Captain Junaid Younus while breifing, said that the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Flight Academy will be formally launched in July 2011. He said the flying academy was now functional and all this has been made possible due to personal efforts of Managing Director PIA, Captain Nadeem Khan Yousufzai within a short span of three months.

All the engineering facilities have been planned to be shifted and made available at Nawabshah. Until then, the flying operations will be undertaken from Karachi, he said.

The Academy is part of the process undertaken by the government for meeting the flying needs for pilots in the airline industry for the national flag carrier and other airlines.

The Academy will use modern training aids such as simulators besides computer based training facilities, models and actual aircraft instruments for training. The training is being conducted by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certified flight instructors.

Director Standards & Special Project PIA said the CAA has been very cooperative and helpful and has granted Air Operating Certificate (AOC) after conducting detailed inspection in accordance with international standards.

Source: Business Recorder (June 25, 2011 print edition)

[Uzair Ansari]

are the cadets in this academy already inducted in PIA and they just have to finish the course?

[meekal ahmed]

I don't understand this.

Many of my friends trained at a PIA Academy years ago. Was that closed? Why incur the extra cost of shifting everything to Nawabshah?

If the old Academy was indeed closed, how did PIA recruit pilots and did the recruits have to incur their own training costs? That is rather unfair since none of the others did. The training costs were deducted from their salaries in easy monthly installments.

[Abbas Ali]

Many of my friends trained at a PIA Academy years ago. Was that closed?

Yes it was closed in early 1980s I guess.

Why incur the extra cost of shifting everything to Nawabshah?

Most probably Nawabshah is chosen as the future home of this newly established PIA flight academy because Nawabshah is lesser busy airport than Karachi meaning it will be more easy to get time slots for training flights at Nawabashah.

Btw, the two Cessna 172N Skyhawk aircraft (registrations AP-BAJ & AP-BBN) seen in photo posted in this topic were operated by PIA most likely for its flight academy in the past also. Apparently the two Cessnas have returned to PIA after serving Pakistani military or PAF in late 1980s and 1990s.

If the old Academy was indeed closed, how did PIA recruit pilots

There are flights schools in Pakistani cities of Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Rawalpindi that train people for obtaining Pakistan CAA Commercial Pilot License (CPL). Pilots holding valid CPL with Instrument Rating (IR) were invited by PIA through newspaper advertisments to apply for the position of Cadet Pilots in the airline. The applicants went through selection process that included written test, flight test, medical test and interview and successful candidates were selected as Cadet Pilot.

For example, following is an advertisement for hiring Cadet Pilots given by PIA in January 22, 2006 newspaper.



It's not clear whether student pilots trained by this newly established PIA Flight Academy are guaranteed job in PIA after successful completion of their Commercial Pilot License (CPL) with Instrument Rating (IR) training course or would they have to compete with those candidates who obtained their CPL with IR from other flight schools of Pakistan for joining PIA as Cadet Pilot under a newspaper advertisement to be given by the airline.

Btw, following advertisement was given by PIA Flight Academy in July 11, 2009. The advertisment invitied applications from candidates wanting to join academy to undergo training to obtain Commercial Pilot License.

Fee charged from students include 'training cost plus boarding & lodging', according to this advertisement.



In 2011 PIA desk calendar, there's some more info about PIA Flight Academy being established at Nawabshah. According to the given information, the academy will offer following training courses to student pilots:

* Private Pilot Licence (PPL) course.

* Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) course.

* Instrument Rating (IR) course.

Probably the image shows planned PIA Flight Academy facility at Nawabshah Airport.



Abbas

[meekal ahmed]

Abbas,

As usual, your command of the facts is impressive.

My recollection is that in the case of the old academy, no costs were incurred for the training and a job was guaranteed. Since it was ab initio training, I don't think many had even flown a plane before (I recall the late Capt. Khalid Wyne was actually working in a private commercial company) but some did have a few hundred hours.

All training costs were deducted from the pay-check in easy installments.

Training at the flying clubs is prohibitively expensive. I know some who sold the shirts off their backs to train.