Hi All!
Take a short read at the article that appeared in The Straits Times today (January 14 2010) :
AIRLINES have welcomed a new programme at Temasek Polytechnic that gives students the chance to learn to fly.
Carriers like Singapore Airlines (SIA), Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia, which say there is a demand for pilots given the growing aviation industry, feel that the course will give more students the option to consider flying as a career.
Starting from this intake, students in Temasek Polytechnic's Diploma in Aviation Management and Services (AMS) course - which was launched in 2007 - can learn to fly a plane.
About 30 students - who must pass medical checks, interviews and psychometric tests - accepted into the three-year AMS course can be part of a year-long flying programme in their final year and earn a private pilot licence.
Mr Paul Yap, the course's director, said: 'They will study theories and learn how to fly a plane. They will also take advanced modules in air navigation, flight planning and meteorological science.'
More than 100 students are expected in this year's intake for the AMS course, which currently has 270 students.
The flying programme will be heavily subsidised by the polytechnic and its partners, so students will pay no more than 5 per cent of the estimated total cost of $30,000 for each student.
Mr Yap said the course aims to meet the projected local and global shortfall of pilots over the next 20 years.
He added that globally, 18,000 more pilots are needed yearly, while in Singapore, the number of pilots coming into the industry in the last decade has been 10 per cent to 20 per cent less than what is required for most years.
The aviation instructor of the AMS course, Mr Darren Chua, added that the flying programme may reduce the number of pilot cadets who drop out of training when they join the airlines or the air force - since most would already know what to expect.
But although the course will better prepare would-be cadets, airlines such as SIA, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Asia and SilkAir said new candidates will still have to go through their structured training.
Said an SIA spokesman: 'While the course will undoubtedly give its students some grounding in aviation, those who subsequently apply and are accepted as Singapore Airlines cadet pilots will still be required to undergo the full training programme.'
The polytechnic said it was in talks with two major organisations in the industry here to look into establishing an accelerated programme for its students who succeed in obtaining a private pilot licence, and who are subsequently hired by these organisations.
The head of training at the ST Aerospace Training Academy, Captain Chira Fernando, said pilot trainees with a private pilot licence can have their training period reduced by up to a month - which can translate into savings of $6,000 to $8,000.
Third-year AMS student Harresh Krishnan, 19, thinks future coursemates are in for a more enriching experience.
He said: 'I think I have made a good choice coming to a polytechnic because the experience has been great.
'Future polytechnic students will have an even more exciting time. My juniors, for example, will get to fly a plane. I am so jealous!'
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JAE 2010 DAY 4
Students may further their studies and pursue a degree in aviation management in renowned aviation universities in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and USA.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 2008 to offer degree programmes in the aviation field with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) , the world's largest and most established university specialising in aviation and aerospace training.
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