YOUTHFUL participants at the recent University of Guyana (UG) Career/Open Day have been encouraged to become aircraft pilots.
“Becoming a pilot as a career offers excitement, freedom and adventure. What more can you ask for in a career?” asked a female student pilot, attached to Air Services Limited Flight Training School (ASLFTS), Ms. Rebecca Clarke.ASLFTS participated in the UG programme which was staged under the theme ‘Honouring the Past, Moulding the Present, Transforming the Future.’
The school disclosed that it offers three programmes which consist of both ground and flight training to satisfy the requirements of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The company’s involvement in the Career Day for the second year allowed young persons from all walks of life to be exposed to the ASL booth, which consisted of a slideshow presentation on all aspects of the school including aircraft cockpit instruments, a model of the Cessna, which is one of the planes used for flight training, and the various study materials, among others.
THEIR SURPRISE
Viewers were told, much to their surprise, that they could become pilots at just sixteen and a half years of age.
They can be private pilots within four to six months, after which they could gain an instrument rating within six to eight months; then qualify for a commercial licence between six and eight months, once they pass the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) written and practical examinations.
Showcasing the school were the Chief Flight Instructor, Capt. Andrew Ebanks, Instructor Capt. Antonio Kinch, two current female student pilots, Ms. Rebecca Clarke and Ms. Leshaun Berkley and the School’s Administrator, Ms. Olivia Rodrigues.
ASLFTS has been in existence since 2003 and is growing rapidly in its thrust to produce quality trained pilots locally and there are presently 18 students enrolled in the Private and Commercial Programmes.
ASL’s General Manager, Ms. Annette Arjoon- Martins disclosed that the next Private Pilot Programme is scheduled for September 2014, catering for those who will complete the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) just before.
Written By Clifford Stanley