The wrong pilot’s licence could mean a pie in the sky

YOUTHS aspiring to take up flying as a career should check with the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) in Putrajaya on whether the course offered by the respective flying schools in foreign countries are recognised by the government agency and airlines operating in the country.

Recently, a cousin’s son who is interested in taking flying as a career attended a seminar conducted by an agent for three flying schools, two foreign and one based in Malaysia.

The Malaysia-based flying academy offers a flying course including twin-engine instrument rating to acquire a Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) which is recognised by airlines worldwide. The two foreign ones train cadets for only a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) which is not recognised by Malaysia Airlines Berhad, AirAsia, Malindo Air, AirAsia X, MASWings and FireFly.

As one who works closely with the aviation industry in the Asia Pacific, I would like to say that those who obtain A CPL at a flying school abroad need to convert their licence on returning with further training at a flying school in Malaysia to acquire ATPL should they harbour hopes of securing a job with a local carrier.

On an assignment in a foreign country recently I met by chance five Malaysian cadet pilots who were attending a CPL course at a flying school on the outskirts of the capital city.

They claimed that an agent recommended the school and they paid the full cost of the course to him.

It was only on the first day of the course did they realise that the CPL course offered by the school was not recognised by DCA.

On another note, with the increasing number of jobless youths with ATPL, local flying schools should seriously consider raising the entry requirement of five Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia credits which include English, Mathematics and Physics for admission to the course.

I am not wrong to say that many of the cadets with ATPL have been unable to secure jobs with the airlines as they had failed the aptitude tests conducted by the respective airlines.

Currently, there are an estimated 620 jobless candidates who have passed out from local flying schools. My nephew is one of them. He sent applications to four local airlines and a carrier in a neighbouring country only to receive negative replies.

The ATPL is valid only for five years. It is during these five years that one must get a job as a commercial pilot and activate the licence by logging 1,500 hours to be promoted to senior first officer before one can harbour hopes of being promoted to captain with the required number of hours flown when due to be upgraded.

Students doing their flying course in local flying schools must also note that there is no guarantee of securing a job with any airline as one not only has to meet the basic academic qualifications with the ATPL but also pass the pre-entry written papers set by the airline concerned.

That is not the end of it as there is the interview followed by the stringent medical check-up by a doctor authorised by DCA.

Parents must realise that having the money to finance the course does not ensure their child will get a job after obtaining an ATPL.

My brother spent a total of RM320,000 on his son’s course which dragged on for three years and seven months when he should have finished in 18 months, what the flying school stated when my nephew, an SPM holder, enrolled. The school has since closed down. The reason for the delay was because the school did not have an airworthy twin-engine aircraft. Towards the tail-end of my nephew’s course, the school had one leased twin-engine aircraft repossessed while another was grounded for technical reasons.

Students with higher academic qualifications and recruited by an airline and then sent for training are the ones who are assured of a job when they finish their course with an ATPL.

WILLIAM DENNIS

Subang Jaya