best flying school to enroll in the philippines
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Current trends in training and hiring for wannabees out there
Hello guys, i would like to shed some insights to everyone concerned about the current trends i have observed with respect to flight training and hiring. Do note that this is just my own observation, you are free to verify or believe otherwise. I may very well be WRONG on some of these.
It is well known that PAL still gets their pilot needs from PalAv. Last time I checked it will cost you around 3.3M pesos. This was a few years ago. There was a bit of a small hiring boom more than a year ago because of the new orders. The minimum requirement for General Aviation pilots(those who did not go to PAL Av) to apply for PAL as first officer is ~1000 hours (hours in small planes<500hp are halved so you need a 2000 hours of cessna flying, a few years ago this was just 500). Although jobs are not assured in PAL Av, its very likely youll get absorbed into PAL or PAL express. If you came from PAL Av, youll probably find an easy time applying at other airlines since they know you were already assessed and selected.
The training organization with a strong record of getting graduates in to the airlines is Alpha Aviation Group. They have an ab-initio (they call it Airline Pilot Program) course like PAL but it would also include the type rating for an A320 (PAL Av's 3.3M doesnt include type rating). It costs about $85000 (~3.7M pesos). MOST of new first officer hires currently come from this school, and these new hires dont have experience other than training. Applicants are also assessed before the training to ensure they have aptitude. Formerly known as Clark Aviation, they were rocked by a lot of issues before, like high unemployment rate of MPL graduates and mismanagement. However, they seem to have ironed out the management issues the past year or two. They dont offer MPL anymore and went to the traditional PPL-CPL-IR curriculum plus Type Rating, MCC, JOC. Personally, i will still be a little hesitant to apply here, but their track record of placing gradutes in the airline is quite impressive. I am also just assuming that majority of AirAsia, TigerAir, and PAL Express new hires come from this one. Mind you, these carriers are quite small compared to PAL and Cebu Pacific, their demands of new hires are also less. They have partnered with banks for loans but you need collateral (land, ,house, property etc..)
The Airlines are experiencing troubles because of over capacity (too many flights/planes) and they are operating at losses for quite some time now. Only Cebu Pacific is doing okay, but overcapacity is starting to affect it too due to competition from its newly launched long haul routes. These troubles will probably persist in the near future, a few years or so. What this means is there might be some freeze hirings in the near future, or layoffs(highly unlikely). And if the economy doesn't catch up to the fleet growth, worse times are ahead. Lets hope that any major financial crisis is not looming and that our growing economy benefits most if not all of the population.
With regards to the other General Aviation sector route -(the "traditional" way of climbing up the ladder, PPL-CPL-IR), the current trend seems grim. Since the opening of PAAT - philippine academy for aviation training, a market for A320 type rating opened up and grew. WCC also acquired a sim and offers type rating. People desperate enough to get hired instantly are willing to shell out another ~1.6M pesos for a type rating. A lot of people from flight schools like Omni, FlyFast, Leading Edge etc.. are increasingly opting to enroll there. And i think with this trend, sooner or later, Cebu Pacific AND other airlines will ONLY be hiring type rated applicants. PAAT also conducts assessments for CPL-IR holders and if youre good enough, you will be recommended to cebu pacific, but not assured. I find the cost of type rating absurd, the cost here is 2x-3x higher than in other countries. Maybe they priced it that way to "market" to those who are desperately climbing up, I am not blaming them though, they are just pursuing their dreams and costly initial investments might be factor to that high price. This cost may or may not go down in the future.
The previous cost of pursuing to be an Airline Pilot was around under 2M pesos max(Airlines sponsored type ratings before). Now with these trends, it has gone up to 3.3M - 3.7M. It is a sad fact. This is very disheartening for me as i am also a wannabee. Discouraging as it may seem, there are some exciting opportunities in aviation other than the Airlines, though they're quite limited. And we couldn't predict Hiring Booms so non type-rated pilots might still have chances provided they acquire experience.
My Advice is to assess yourself and MAKE SURE PILOTING IS REALLY FOR YOU. The cost of training is really high and nothing is free in a very capitalist world anymore. I have heard from another thread of an applicant excelling at academics but struggles to maintain heading and altitude. Before pursuing, make sure you are confident enough with your skills and competencies. You will surely encounter assessments when you go for the airlines. To give you a picture of how competitive it is, there can be as much as 200 or more applicants in pilot recruitment events. Citing a specific example, about 300 applicants went to AirAsia's first recruitment event. Type rated applicants got the priority in interviews.
Additional Info: many flight schools are surviving because of foreign demand, mainly from india and indonesia and not necessarily because of quality training and service. Make sure that you assess the school really well before choosing. My personal recommendation on "traditional" flight schools, ones that i will consider if i were to go to flight school tomorrow are:
-Omni - proven reputaion. big fleet, own airstrip. As with many flight schools, it is more of a study "on your own pace" but i find the organization of "career flight schools" more appealing.
-All Asia Aviation - managed by Japanese, they market mainly to Indonesians
-WCC? -ive heard of fake licenses before but they seem more professional now, i like their sims too
-Leading Edge International -managed/(owned?) by former military men, certified cessna training center-whatever that means
>i would have recommended Aviatour but after the death of Capt. Bahinting, the schools in some trouble lately
>I would avoid those schools operating in NAIA because of congestion. Also training in the provinces has some benefit of an environment conducive for learning- only an opinion. be careful on "bara-bara" flight schools and choose wisely,
A rough estimate of how much new hires are needed here in the philippines a year derived from the orders of the Airlines, i think its about more or less 80 to 100. About 25 to 35 will come from PAL Av. This is JUST AN ASSUMPTION. average pilots per aircraft is 10-14, plus retirments and leaving for abroad. A hiring boom experienced a few years ago plus exodus of pilots bumped this up to 200+
My personal insight:
Flight training is expensive simply because it has increasingly become a business. Profits can be made by exploiting those who dream. Also, equipment used for training is also expensive. Before, pilots came from the air force or were trained by the legacy carriers themselves. Money is a great unequalizer in our society. To those that dont make it, dont be discouraged. You can do a lot more great things with your life. And to those that do make it, please stay humble. You are blessed with the skill, or money in this life and i hope you make the most good out of it.
PS
for MIlitary route.
Before, applicants for Philippine Air Force Flying School only needed to be college grads. Now, they require you to go through offcer school (2 years of military training) in order to apply. Mandatory service has been changed to 10 years i believe.
Off topic:
A lot can change in this industry. For example, single pilot airliners are being reasearched, and unmanned commercial flights are possible. This will significantly lessen pilot demand-and pay. Tomorrows pilot task might be so menial like that of a driver, reducing the glamor and prestige many of us associate with the profession (I am not against drivers but im against the glamor and prestige, all labor is equal in dignity). Who cares though, id still love to be up there
-matagal pa naman to, baka mga 2040s-2050s pa naman haha
It is well known that PAL still gets their pilot needs from PalAv. Last time I checked it will cost you around 3.3M pesos. This was a few years ago. There was a bit of a small hiring boom more than a year ago because of the new orders. The minimum requirement for General Aviation pilots(those who did not go to PAL Av) to apply for PAL as first officer is ~1000 hours (hours in small planes<500hp are halved so you need a 2000 hours of cessna flying, a few years ago this was just 500). Although jobs are not assured in PAL Av, its very likely youll get absorbed into PAL or PAL express. If you came from PAL Av, youll probably find an easy time applying at other airlines since they know you were already assessed and selected.
The training organization with a strong record of getting graduates in to the airlines is Alpha Aviation Group. They have an ab-initio (they call it Airline Pilot Program) course like PAL but it would also include the type rating for an A320 (PAL Av's 3.3M doesnt include type rating). It costs about $85000 (~3.7M pesos). MOST of new first officer hires currently come from this school, and these new hires dont have experience other than training. Applicants are also assessed before the training to ensure they have aptitude. Formerly known as Clark Aviation, they were rocked by a lot of issues before, like high unemployment rate of MPL graduates and mismanagement. However, they seem to have ironed out the management issues the past year or two. They dont offer MPL anymore and went to the traditional PPL-CPL-IR curriculum plus Type Rating, MCC, JOC. Personally, i will still be a little hesitant to apply here, but their track record of placing gradutes in the airline is quite impressive. I am also just assuming that majority of AirAsia, TigerAir, and PAL Express new hires come from this one. Mind you, these carriers are quite small compared to PAL and Cebu Pacific, their demands of new hires are also less. They have partnered with banks for loans but you need collateral (land, ,house, property etc..)
The Airlines are experiencing troubles because of over capacity (too many flights/planes) and they are operating at losses for quite some time now. Only Cebu Pacific is doing okay, but overcapacity is starting to affect it too due to competition from its newly launched long haul routes. These troubles will probably persist in the near future, a few years or so. What this means is there might be some freeze hirings in the near future, or layoffs(highly unlikely). And if the economy doesn't catch up to the fleet growth, worse times are ahead. Lets hope that any major financial crisis is not looming and that our growing economy benefits most if not all of the population.
With regards to the other General Aviation sector route -(the "traditional" way of climbing up the ladder, PPL-CPL-IR), the current trend seems grim. Since the opening of PAAT - philippine academy for aviation training, a market for A320 type rating opened up and grew. WCC also acquired a sim and offers type rating. People desperate enough to get hired instantly are willing to shell out another ~1.6M pesos for a type rating. A lot of people from flight schools like Omni, FlyFast, Leading Edge etc.. are increasingly opting to enroll there. And i think with this trend, sooner or later, Cebu Pacific AND other airlines will ONLY be hiring type rated applicants. PAAT also conducts assessments for CPL-IR holders and if youre good enough, you will be recommended to cebu pacific, but not assured. I find the cost of type rating absurd, the cost here is 2x-3x higher than in other countries. Maybe they priced it that way to "market" to those who are desperately climbing up, I am not blaming them though, they are just pursuing their dreams and costly initial investments might be factor to that high price. This cost may or may not go down in the future.
The previous cost of pursuing to be an Airline Pilot was around under 2M pesos max(Airlines sponsored type ratings before). Now with these trends, it has gone up to 3.3M - 3.7M. It is a sad fact. This is very disheartening for me as i am also a wannabee. Discouraging as it may seem, there are some exciting opportunities in aviation other than the Airlines, though they're quite limited. And we couldn't predict Hiring Booms so non type-rated pilots might still have chances provided they acquire experience.
My Advice is to assess yourself and MAKE SURE PILOTING IS REALLY FOR YOU. The cost of training is really high and nothing is free in a very capitalist world anymore. I have heard from another thread of an applicant excelling at academics but struggles to maintain heading and altitude. Before pursuing, make sure you are confident enough with your skills and competencies. You will surely encounter assessments when you go for the airlines. To give you a picture of how competitive it is, there can be as much as 200 or more applicants in pilot recruitment events. Citing a specific example, about 300 applicants went to AirAsia's first recruitment event. Type rated applicants got the priority in interviews.
Additional Info: many flight schools are surviving because of foreign demand, mainly from india and indonesia and not necessarily because of quality training and service. Make sure that you assess the school really well before choosing. My personal recommendation on "traditional" flight schools, ones that i will consider if i were to go to flight school tomorrow are:
-Omni - proven reputaion. big fleet, own airstrip. As with many flight schools, it is more of a study "on your own pace" but i find the organization of "career flight schools" more appealing.
-All Asia Aviation - managed by Japanese, they market mainly to Indonesians
-WCC? -ive heard of fake licenses before but they seem more professional now, i like their sims too
-Leading Edge International -managed/(owned?) by former military men, certified cessna training center-whatever that means
>i would have recommended Aviatour but after the death of Capt. Bahinting, the schools in some trouble lately
>I would avoid those schools operating in NAIA because of congestion. Also training in the provinces has some benefit of an environment conducive for learning- only an opinion. be careful on "bara-bara" flight schools and choose wisely,
A rough estimate of how much new hires are needed here in the philippines a year derived from the orders of the Airlines, i think its about more or less 80 to 100. About 25 to 35 will come from PAL Av. This is JUST AN ASSUMPTION. average pilots per aircraft is 10-14, plus retirments and leaving for abroad. A hiring boom experienced a few years ago plus exodus of pilots bumped this up to 200+
My personal insight:
Flight training is expensive simply because it has increasingly become a business. Profits can be made by exploiting those who dream. Also, equipment used for training is also expensive. Before, pilots came from the air force or were trained by the legacy carriers themselves. Money is a great unequalizer in our society. To those that dont make it, dont be discouraged. You can do a lot more great things with your life. And to those that do make it, please stay humble. You are blessed with the skill, or money in this life and i hope you make the most good out of it.
PS
for MIlitary route.
Before, applicants for Philippine Air Force Flying School only needed to be college grads. Now, they require you to go through offcer school (2 years of military training) in order to apply. Mandatory service has been changed to 10 years i believe.
Off topic:
A lot can change in this industry. For example, single pilot airliners are being reasearched, and unmanned commercial flights are possible. This will significantly lessen pilot demand-and pay. Tomorrows pilot task might be so menial like that of a driver, reducing the glamor and prestige many of us associate with the profession (I am not against drivers but im against the glamor and prestige, all labor is equal in dignity). Who cares though, id still love to be up there
-matagal pa naman to, baka mga 2040s-2050s pa naman haha
Last edited by arcfordo; 29th Jul 2014 at 16:43. Reason: typos, additional info
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arcfordo
Thank you for that really relevant,insightful post.Which can be true for any location not only Philippines.
I hope many aspiring wannabees view it and absorb the good and sensible advice.
Thank you for that really relevant,insightful post.Which can be true for any location not only Philippines.
I hope many aspiring wannabees view it and absorb the good and sensible advice.
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Thank for the sharing "arcfordo". I am currently planning to get into one to the Aviation Academy in Philippine which might be "AAA" (All Asia Aviation Academy) but I have some uncertainty that is after I am finished my training and got my CPL then what should I do next? How can I pursue my career as CPL? Any advices are welcome. Thank.
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Top 3 AV schools
Hi,
I am planning to enroll in an aviation school here in Philippines. I have searched on the internet several flying schools but I am not sure which school to pursue that is worth my investment. What are the chances for me (as you can see I am from Taiwan) to finish AV school and get a career after getting a license here in Philippines? I hope you can enlighten me on these concerns: (1) what school to pick; and (2) can I get an employment here.
I have read from previous posts that PAL AV is a good one but when I checked the website for admission requirements, they only accept Filipino citizens. Does that mean too that PAL do not hire foreign employees? Does the restriction apply to all domestic airline companies in Philippines?
Thanks!
Ted
I am planning to enroll in an aviation school here in Philippines. I have searched on the internet several flying schools but I am not sure which school to pursue that is worth my investment. What are the chances for me (as you can see I am from Taiwan) to finish AV school and get a career after getting a license here in Philippines? I hope you can enlighten me on these concerns: (1) what school to pick; and (2) can I get an employment here.
I have read from previous posts that PAL AV is a good one but when I checked the website for admission requirements, they only accept Filipino citizens. Does that mean too that PAL do not hire foreign employees? Does the restriction apply to all domestic airline companies in Philippines?
Thanks!
Ted
