Learning to Fly

The lyrics of British rock band, Pink Floyd’s song “Learning to Fly”, epitomises how flight has aptured the imagination of tens of thousands of people around the world. Although human flight first originated with the Wright brothers in America more than a century ago, it has spread across the globe like wild fire since then. In Asia, the astounding growth of the aviation industry in recent times has created a demand for airline pilots. Every year, numerous aspiring airline pilots commence training in schools across Asia. An increasing standard of living has also made it possible for a small but growing niche of private pilots to take root in various parts of Asia. So where do people in Asia learn to fly? From cosmopolitan cities like Singapore and Hong Kong to developing countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, people are taking to the blue skies above daily in the pursuit of their wings. Fighting for an Expensive Patch of Sky to Fly in … Flight training is both fraught with challenges and almost prohibitively expensive to the average working class citizens in the tiny island state of Singapore as well as the densely populated Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The only organisation in Hong Kong which offers flight training is the Hong Kong Aviation Club (HKAC). Due to severely constrained airspace, most of the club’s flying activities have been relegated to the Shek Kong Airfield in the remote New Territories area although some helicopter activities still take place in the old Kai Tak Airport. Similarly, Singapore has only two flying clubs where residents can pursue their flying dreams. The Seletar Flying Club (SFC) and Republic of Singapore Flying Club (RSFC) are both based at Seletar Airport, the only general aviation airport in Singapore. Due to the lack of airspace in Singapore, it is not possible to complete the Pilot Navigation Training phase of the Private Pilot License (PPL) syllabus. Upon successful completion of the training and General Flight Test, a student will be issued with a Singapore restricted PPL. This enables a pilot to fly as pilot-incommand (PIC) of an aircraft only within the Seletar airport control zone and the local training areas. To obtain a full PPL and fly as PIC cross-country, one must complete the Pilot Navigation Training with an affiliated flying club in neighbouring Malaysia. The costs of membership and flight training are often perceived as beyond the reach of the man in the street in both countries. Entrance fees at HKAC are about US$4,500 while Singapore’s SFC and RSFC have entrance fees of up to US$1,000. Aircraft rental rates range from US$220 to 300 per hour for typical training aircraft such as a Cessna 172. In addition, there are monthly subscription fees, landing fees, ground school fees, examination fees, and textbooks, maps and so on to be purchased. The cost of attaining a PPL adds up to anything from US$12,000 to US$20,000 depending on an individual’s ability and flying hours required to achieve proficiency. Fly, Robin, Fly… Up, up to the Sky! In contrast, in the sprawling archipelago that is Malaysia, flying clubs and schools can be found in almost every one of her 13 states. In particular, small flying clubs dot the landscape. Many of theseclubs operate out of major regional airports alongside commercial airlines. There are also flying clubs and private airfields offering flight training all over Thailand. With small fleets usually consisting of Cessnas and Pipers, flight training is widely available for locals and expatriates alike in both countries at relatively affordable rates of US$100 to US$150 per hour. The training process for securing a PPL is no less stringent than in other developed countries. A student must log a minimum of 40 to 50 hours of flying time as well as pass ground examinations on aviation topics as stipulated by the respective national aviation authorities. Realistically, a PPL is achievable with three months of full-time training at a cost of between US$6,000 and US$10,000, less than half the cost in Singapore or Hong Kong. With land areas of 320,000 km2 and 514,000 km2 respectively, both Malaysia and Thailand offer a myriad of flying opportunities for newly minted PPLs. With dozens of airports and serviceable airstrips around the country and landing fees as cheap as US$1, pilots here are indeed spoilt for choice. Once outside of the main cities, there is a wealth of natural scenery waiting to be discovered by private pilots, including thick jungles, meandering rivers, picturesque paddy fields and little temples sitting atop lush green hillsides. If the pilot should so desire, popular tourist destinations such as Redang Island in Malaysia and Phuket Island in Thailand are also easily accessible by light aircraft. Beyond the PPL – Flying above the Clouds For those with loftier ambitions and dreams of flying above the clouds at 40,000 feet in jumbo jets, Asia has a multitude of professional flight training centres. However the cost of training someone with no prior flying experience to the exacting standards required for entry into airlines is generally very exorbitant. Many of the national airlines rely on these training centres to train their new pilots. After surviving a comprehensive selection process involving interviews, aptitude tests, psychological profiling and English tests,the lucky ones will be sponsored for training courses leading to the award of an Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) and a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) with instrument rating (IR). These courses are full-time residential programmes and typically last around 60 weeks. Most training centres also accept private self-sponsored candidates. Singapore’s national flagship carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) has a wholly owned subsidiary, Singapore Flying College (SFC), which trains cadet pilots in Seletar Airport in Singapore and Jandakot Airport near Perth, Western Australia. Malaysia is also home to many professional flight training centres. One of the Malaysian pioneers in this industry is the Malaysian Flying Academy (MFA) which was established in 1982 in Malacca. Along with other flight schools such as Asia Pacific Flight Training in Kota Bahru, IntegratedAviation Academy in Ipoh and HM Aerospace in Langkawi, MFA trains cadet pilots for major airlines such as Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia and other airlines from countries in the region. A typical CPL/ IR with ATPL course in Singapore or Malaysia, including 900 hours ground school and 200 hours flight training, would cost between US$50,000 and US$70,000. Further up north, flight schools in Thailand offer similar professional training at US$65,000 to 75,000 for cadet pilots destined for the airlines. One of the oldest schools is the Civil Aviation Training Centre (CATC) in Hua Hin which was established in 1961. Together with newer schools such as the Bangkok Aviation Centre (BAC) at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok and the International Aviation College (IAC) at Nakhon Phanom, they offer PPL, CPL/IR and multi-engine rating (MR) courses. Flying Fever Sweeps Across Asia Despite the high costs of pursuing flying, the little pair of wings remains a much coveted dream for many. In fact, even in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong with countless constraints on general aviation, many persevere in their flying training by driving long distances to remote airfields just for those precious hours in the skies. Across Asia, increasingly, people are not just signing up at local clubs and schools, but also heading overseas to fulfil their flying dreams. The choice of estination could range from the US to UK to Australia but the motivation is always the same – a search for a wider expanse of blue skies to fly in.