New International Flying school planned in Gisborne NZ
see article below in local paper...
Property developer says there is going to be a international shortage of pilots... hmm
Gisborne Hearld
Come fly with me
Saturday, April 30, 2011 • Sophie Rishworth
AN international flight school with the capacity to train and accommodate up to 300 pilots could be completed behind Gisborne Airport by the end of next year.
Property developer David Meban plans to transform land behind the airport into a thriving industry for future pilots from around the world, with on-site accommodation facilities and classrooms built over 6.7 hectares.
The project is still subject to Gisborne District Council consent but with expressions of interest having already been received from international operators in Singapore, United Kingdom and Asia, Mr Meban is positive about the outcome.
The international flight school opportunity is being marketed by Bayleys Real Estate. Its promotional flyer says planning is in its early stages but asks operators to register their interest now, so building and accommodation layouts can be tailored to suit.
Mr Meban said Gisborne was a good airport for a flight school because it did not have much congestion.
“It is not congested like in Hamilton, it’s got good facilities and it is under-utilised. At other airports pilots can be waiting 10 or 15 minutes and time is money,” he said.
Gisborne Airport has around 22,000 aircraft movements — a landing or a take-off — a year, which is well below an airport like Hamilton which has 100,000 movements a year.
The “first city to see the sun” also came up trumps in other areas such as topography, sunshine hours, proximity to the sea and having a 24-hour airport.
Accommodation for the pilots would be linked to the flight school via a walkway and cycleway.
Mr Meban said having the training centre and accommodation separate was intentional.
“I don’t want them living with the training centre. It’s the same design that is in Hamilton but fractionally bigger.
“It’s going to be really good for Gisborne as it is another industry with lots of added value. We did some research on the opportunities we could use this land for and hopefully this will attract other aviation industries.”
Mr Meban said there was a worldwide shortage of pilots.
“We wanted to get some industries that Gisborne could handle. When you talk to people around the district, it was being discussed 10 to 15 years ago and it just never got off the ground.”
Eastland Group leases and operates the airport and chief executive Matt Todd says each student could easily bring over $100,000 a year into the local economy.
“The students coming in obviously need aircraft and an airport to operate from, but just as importantly they will need accommodation, food, entertainment and transport. They will need school facilities and teachers/instructors, these people will need homes and the aircraft will need to be maintained.”
Mr Todd said Eastland Group had believed for a number of years that a flight training school in Gisborne, targeting international students, could provide significant benefits for this region.
“The key to the concept is to bring mostly international students into the district. It is not about meeting the training needs of the local community, as we already have companies like Air Gisborne that are quite capable of doing that,” he said.
“Obviously the airport stands to benefit from such a development but it is the regional benefits which potentially make this such a great idea. International airline pilots use English as the common language, meaning countries that have English as a first language are very attractive, especially to the rapidly developing economies in Asia.”
Mr Todd, a pilot himself, said training would start on small fixed-wing aircraft, which over a 12-to-18 month period would allow the students to gain a commercial pilot’s licence, a multi-engine instrument rating and then sit exams for an Airline Transport Pilots Licence.
They would then apply for a job with an airline and complete the rest of their training there.