Indian Airline Pilots Get Their Wings In US

As India witnesses an aviation boom, several rapidly growing airlines are sending young students halfway across the world to Sabena Airline Training Centre (SATC) in the US to become professional pilots.
A batch of 26 Indian students, including three women, sponsored by SpiceJet and Kingfisher, are already training at a brand new SATC facility spread over 24,000 sq feet at Falcon Field, 30 km east of Phoenix. Their number may grow to 140 by year end.
From this facility, giving access to the many uncontrolled airports in the southern part of Arizona – ideal for basic training, SATC plans to fly 48,000 flight hours with 310 international students training in 2007, said managing director Kris Van den Bergh at its formal opening.
For the Indian programme, the airlines concerned pick up 19 to 29-year-old science/engineering graduates or those with physics and mathematics background who can communicate well in English.
The 32-week programme in Arizona involves 100 hours of theory and 225 hours of flying. Once they obtain their pilot’s license for general aviation aircraft, the students are qualified to go on for training in specific Boeing or Airbus aircraft in Brussels or in their own airlines’ training programmes, said business development director Laurence Adam.
Students pay a course fee of $38,000 and another $7,000 towards shared accommodation. However, Kingfisher-sponsored candidates get a refund of $10,000 and an assured job on completion of training, she said.
To meet this demand, SATC plans to expand its fleet of 27 aircraft to 34 aircraft making 170 flights, logging over 250 flight hours and 500 landings every day or a landing every three minutes!
For the expansion, SATC has chosen a new family of airplanes, the Diamond, going from the smaller two-seater DA20, over the four-seater DA40 and the twin, the DA42.
09/04/07 IANS/Playfuls.com, Romania