Good Flying School in South East Asia
 

I'm new to this forum, looks like a great source for help. I am weighing some options for my pilot's license and was hoping some user input here could help point me in the right direction.

I have been eyeing these few schools simply because they meet my price range and look to be fairly good flying schools.
1) Asian Academy of Aeronautics in Maldives
2) Open Skies Aviation in Sri Lanka
3) Rainbow Aviation Academy in India

Have you'll heard of any of these? Any idea what kind of things to look for in a flying school? Appreciate the help.

Hi! If you are considering schools in India, then i would recommend:

1) Chimes Aviation Academy - could be a little pricey though. Otherwise they have a modern glass cockpit fleet and good training standards.
2) IGRUA - very good training but you need to find out if they accept foreign nationals. Modern glass cockpit fleet.
3) Madhya Pradesh Flying Club(Bhopal) - Cheap and quick training.

Cost of living is much lower in India than other countries so even if your training gets delayed due to weather or maintenance issues, you won't loose much. Generally the weather in India is predictable and conducive for flight training except for the monsoon season(June-Aug). So you can plan to have theory classes in these months and conduct flight training during other months.

The Indian aviation regulatory authority is DGCA(Directorate General of Civil Aviation). DGCA licensing exams are known to be a little tough so i would suggest that if you train in India then you start studying before coming or come earlier than when your flight training starts and take ground classes here itself. Cost effective ground classes are available at many places.

Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Government of India

Good Luck buddy!

Billboard, what do you think of FlyTech Aviation in Hyderabad?

contractpilot69, the info i have on flytech is 3-4 years old and from only one or two sources so it would not be much useful to you. I remember a dude telling me that their multi(B-58) is rarely available for training. All i would say is that there are better options than flytech.

More info on AVIAIR Flying School
 

Thanks for all the info.

I have found some pretty disturbing information on schools in Phillipines. Apparently schools there have been famous for issuing CPL's with Instrument Ratings when students have flown less than 100 hours. What happens is that students actually fly 100 hours or less and log more than 180 hours (obviously the flying school is up on the deal too). Here's an article about this:
4 schools in fake pilot scam bared! | Top Stories

I have found with schools in India that their speed is extremely slow and students can take upto 2.5 or 3 years to complete. I am presently searching too, however I was wondering if anyone could suggest some good flying schools around India, where I can obtain good quality of training?

Thanks for your reply billboard.

What about quality of training and facilities?

why don't you enroll yourself to local flying school in malaysia.?
I'm guessing you are Malaysian based on your location.

Malaysia Unreliable for Pilot Training
 

Hi Fareez,

I have checked a few flight schools in Malaysia. As usual the schools, give promises stating the usual 12 month period, etc
However when I speak with past pupils, they all seem to have the same problem, which is that the quality of training and actual time taken to complete the course is a lot longer than specified. This has led to many students conducting their training overseas. Also the facilities of the school in Malaysia do not seem to be of a good standard, e.g. old classrooms, etc
A relatively new school which looks to have really good flight training facilities is Asian Academy of Aeronautics which is based in the Maldives. I sent in an enquiry and they had given me a few past pupils to contact and it seems that their speed and facilities are good. Their website is Asian Academy of Aeronautics - Home

Has anyone heard of them before? Your comments and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Madhya Pradesh Flying Club (Bhopal)
 

Hi contractpilot69

From the research that I have done, it seems that this flying school is not the best in terms of speed of training. They have been known to delay and their training infrastructure does not seem to be too good either.
They have 9 aircraft, but the problem is that with so many students enrolled it is quite difficult to be slotted into fly. Thats why I am considering flight schools other than in India or Malaysia.
Let me know what you think too please.

Thanks for the info synthia331. So far I have not thought much about anything...

From my personal point of view, I think delay is the common problem faced by most school.. But I cant get to understand why you are looking outside of Malaysia since u are a local? Unless u really planning to work overseas, u need to pay a lot more extra to convert your foreign-acquired license into Malaysian license.. Yes the school here may not be the fastest in the world but they do deliver good quality.. All flying school have problem, choose the one least f*** up..

Hi synthia331,

no flying school can promise u that u gonna graduate in 12 month period. Its all based on weather,aircraft slot, ground school progress, atpl exam etc. My advise is if you plan to work here in Malaysia in future, u should better do all your training here in Malaysia. It is because later on if u did your training overseas u need to convert back to Malaysian licence and it will cost you a BOMB!. My suggestion is u can check MFA, APFT or HM Aerospace. And i totally agree with syukri statement "All flying school have problem, choose the one least f*** up".

:\:hmm::8

@synthia331

If you are a Malaysian Citizen / Permanent Resident why dont you apply to the Air Asia Cadet Pilot Program ?

I know of many Malaysians training in the Philippines.. Well, there are good schools and bad schools in Philippines. Most are bad, real bad.. But some are good.

If you are planning to do training in India.Then you can consider AAA.Their training quality is Ok....

Hi,


I recently did my PPL from Chimes Aviation Academy, It took me nearly 7 years of research on flying school ranging from USA, Canada, Australia to India.

And finally came down on Chimes Aviation Academy. Advantage over other flying Academy in India and other countries are ;

1) Independent Airfield ( So the advantage is you dont have to go through ATC red tape system every time you want to make a sortie)

2) 11 New C172R NAV III G1000 aircraft ( I can tell you each and every aircraft is well maintained)

3) Good Infrastructure including nice Class rooms for Ground study and a good Library

4) Fixed based Simulator for C172 with huge projector screen

5) Good Instructor team

6) They will send you on Solo flights, not like some of other academy which sends Dolo's

On the part of price, I think if you consider the time in which they will complete your flying you will actually save lot of money on your other expenses.

Also work culture there is very good, they are very much oriented and aggressive towards flying. So you will not face scenarios where you have to beg your CFI and FI to put you on for flying. They recently also got into Limca Book of Records on Max number of flying done in a Single day.

The Maintenance staff there are awesome, I believe that would stand good with other academy too.

Do good research and select academy which have really good fleet of Aircrafts with them, dont even think of any academy which has just 2 or 3 aircrafts, as your flying will get effected very badly.

Good Luck on your Flying carrier


Regards
Abhay

@syukri & @fareez36
 

In Malaysia the quality of the training maybe good however the speed is much slower. I have judged the speed by speaking to past cadets who have completed their flying training in Malaysia and Maldives. Most students in the Maldives finish their training within a 11 to 12 month period. The students who completed their CPL licenses took 19-20 months on average to complete their training. For this reason I feel that it would be a better idea to complete your CPL training in a country such as Maldives and then come back to Malaysia for the conversion process. This entire process of learning to fly overseas and then come back to Malaysia will not only be quicker but also cost near the same amount as obtaining my entire CPL course in Malaysia. Therefore from a cost analysis as well, going overseas or staying in Malaysia would be roughly the same.

@cyrilroy21
 

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in applying to the air asia cadet program and from our pool of candidates, I was not chosen.

@ ankit kotecha
 

most of the schools in the Philippines have been blacklisted by the Indian DGCA. I think it is too risky for Indians to undergo their flying training in Philippines. If a school which is not blacklisted presently, is blacklisted within the next year then the entire training that the student has undergone will go to waste. It would be better for students to consider countries such as Maldives where quality and speed of training is quick. Also conversion to Indian DGCA after completion of training is quick and simple too because they are a Commonwealth state and can issue the Radio Telephony License for Indian CPL holders as well.

@indian flyer
 

this school does have good reviews but once again speed is very slow. it would be much faster for me to complete my training overseas and then come back to Malaysia for the conversion process only. I am an Indian citizen too and can look for job opportunities in India as well.

Leading Edge International Academy
 

Have you tried checking-out Leading Edge International Academy? They have a hangar and use the runway in San Fernando, La Union, Philippines although Ground School is conducted in Manila. What I liked in LEIA is that their pre-solo Flight Instructors are retired Philippine Air Force Generals who were former Blue Diamonds Aerobatic Team members and seasoned Combat Pilots. More so, they strictly adhere to CAAP regulations. Message me if you want more details.

synthia331,

first thing first,

what is your nationality? where do you intend to work?

If you are a Malaysian, and wants to work in Malaysia, The best is, just do your training in Malaysia.

I know some guys who did CPL in Australia, and then returned to Malaysia to complete their Multi-Engine Rating and IR in order for them to get a Malaysian License. The multi-engine rating and IR took them almost a year to complete.

If you are not a Malaysian, but holds a Malaysian License, and wants to work in Malaysia, It's possible, but it's not that easy to get a job over here.

Hi cynthia,

Few of my friends in flying school actually done their CPL overseas (Aussies,NZ's) and they want to get Malaysian license. I cant confirm you about this but they told me that the IR for your CPL must be done here in Malaysia, with multi-engine aircraft.. Hence they only clocked single-engine hours overseas and need to convert the license to Malaysian license AND done their IR here. Same goes to AirAsia cadet who train oversea. Pls consult DCAM for confirmation about this matter :ok:

I am an Indian Citizen
 

Since I am an Indian Citizen it seems that the under the Indian DGCA law that I am able to do all of my training overseas. I have a few friends who have gone to the school I was talking about in Maldives. They seem happy, chilled out life by the beach and no problems. The airspace is restriction free too. Please give me your thoughts on the school. Their syllabus follows the Indian DGCA curriculum and I would get my 200 hours as needed. The website with their details is Asian Academy of Aeronautics - Home
They operate 7 aircraft, one of which is a Seneca and the others are C172 and C150. With around 20 full time students, I would be able to easily clock around 25 to 30 hours a month. Please let me know what you guys think?

Maldives is a new pilot training destination in the SE asia. I have heard about the school, and what i have heard was all good. They claim to follow jaa training standards. I even came across their training package. It looked really expensive though. So what i can suggest you here is if you are willing to spend that much, then why not think about the us or australia.

@synthia331

Prior to undergoing flight training abroad , there are a couple of things you need to do first .

1. Class 1 Medical from the Indian DGCA . Different countries have different medical standards . While you might be capable of obtaining a class 1 medical abroad the Indian standards are quite strict .
You would not want to find yourself in a situation where you do your CPL abroad and then wont be able to convert it when you come back because you are unable to pass the medical .

You will need to get an DGCA class 2 medical first . Once that is received you can obtain a Class 1 medical . On the DGCA class 2 medical a file number will be given .
This number will be used by the DGCA whenever you deal with them for medicals , apply for a CPL , FRTOL etc .

2. Get a Computer Number . This number is used to write the DGCA exams . Its permanent number issued once by the DGCA .
You will need to be 10+2 Pass with Maths and Physics as subjects in order to apply for the computer number and get an Indian DGCA CPL as well .

3) Once that is done give all your DGCA exams as well as radio license exams .
Once you get the radio license apply for the FRTOL . This will save you a lot of trouble once you back with the foreign CPL

4) After you obtain your foreign CPL you will have to come back to India and give a skill test at one of the flight schools in India . Only then can you apply for the Indian DGCA license .

A few tips when selecting a flight school abroad .

1) A good rule of thumb is to go to a DEVELOPED country ( eg US , Canada , Australia , New Zealand etc ) especially ones that have a large amount of General Aviation involved .
Developed countries are also easier to deal with when you have to submit things like Verification of License to the DGCA

Developing countries have a lot of bureaucracy and corruption involved just like the Indian DGCA when having to deal with problems , verification , lost licenses etc .

2) See whether the license has an expiry date . Certain countries have an expiry date on the license including the Indian DGC . The DGCA requires a valid license at the time of conversion and in some countries can be very expensive to renew .
The US and Canada are examples of licenses that dont have an expiry date .

The US , Canada and Australia also have their appointed doctors in India and other countries where you Class 1 medical can be renewed .
That way you wont have to go back to the foreign country every year when your medical expires .


3) Make sure the flight school has the same aircraft that is available with the flight schools in India . The DGCA has a rule thats says the aircraft you want endorsed on your DGCA license has to be registered in India and should have a valid Certificate of airworthiness .
The C172 , C152 are popular options for single engine . Piper Seneca , DA 42 and P68 C are the popular options for multi engine
This of course also helps seeing that you will have to come back to India and give as skill test on the same aircraft .

4) Some schools ( infact most of them ) require that you pay all the fees upfront . In the US you can negotiate with flight schools and tell them you will be PAY AS YOU GO i.e you will pay for the flight after its flown , instead of them having your money in an account and then subtracting after each flight .
This helps a lot if the school is facing financial difficulties . I know way too many students ( 100+ ) who have lost a lot money at flight schools around the world . They paid the entire fees upfront and the flight school shuts down after some time .
In one particular case the flight school took 30,000$ from a student and shuts down the next day .
They might tell that you we will offer big discounts if you pay the money upfront , but once they have your money they will act very arrogant as you will be in a binding contract that prevents any refunds

5) Some schools advertise that you will finish in 40 hours for private training , 35 hours for IR and 200 for CPL . This is usually the bare minimum required and very few candidates are capable of passing the skill tests at the minimums . Hence depending on your skill you should expect to budget a lot more than the advertised minimums .

I cant comment on the flight school in Maldives , But for the price they offer you can get a better Deal in countries like the US and Canada .
Moreover its a brand new school and probably the only one in the Maldives . I would wait and see for a few of their students to successfully convert to an Indian DGCA license before you start your flight training there.
Its better to go to a school that has been around a few years in the business

You show your location as Malaysia . If you have permanent residency right or a work permit in Malaysia then you should consider the option of converting and obtaining a Malaysian license as well .

Last but not the least , I hope you are aware that there are close to 7000 unemployed DGCA CPL holders in India with another 2000-3000 in various stages of training and conversion .
You should ask yourself what happens after i get my DGCA CPL ?
Is anyone hiring at present ?
Getting called for an airline written exam ( whenever it happens ) seems to be the luck of the draw ( or what connections you have ) as they dont have the place to accommodate or interview everyone .
Lot of airlines also demand a type rating ( ever since a lot of unemployed CPL holders decided to get one :ugh: ) on the aircraft they fly before applying for the job . This costs an additional 20,000-40,000$ depending on the aircraft .
Then again getting called for the assessment depends on your luck......

If you dont have a college degree I strongly suggest you get one first prior to any flight training so that you can have an alternate career/backup plan incase during or after your training or somewhere down your career you fail the Class 1 medical test and made permanently unfit .

Why not NZ?
 

@synthia331
Reading by all your posts why not consider New Zealand?

NZ has got some great flying schools and the level of knowledge you get by doing the ASL exams is far greater than FAA plus u don't have to convert radio telephony in INDIA.Good mix of GA and controlled airspace, if you choose the right school you can be done with your 200hrs easiny within a year(great weather here).

PM me if you need any info :)

@Three_Blader

Why do you keep using Mainland Air's name?:confused:

I have seen several posts from you about Mainland Air, In what way are you affiliated to them?Were you a previous student or are you a present instructor?

AU, NZ, MY?
 

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I would like to take up a course on CPL but I'm not sure which is the best.

Should I go for those in AU, NZ or MY? Frankly, I would like to do it in HK, however there is none offered here.

In addition, with the current mid 30s, is it too late to do the course? Would there be no opportunity to be hired after graduate?

Shannon,

Do not even consider doing your flight training in Malaysia unless you are Malaysian. A friend of mine did it and now he is unable to unfreeze his ATPL from the Malaysian DCA because (1) he is a foreigner, (2) as a foreigner, he is unable to get a flying job as a FO there, and as a result, his hours abroad is not recognised.

Hi Shannon,

I'll be frank with you. You are too old, you are from the wrong part of the globe, and you are in the wrong place to ask this kind of thing, just stick to your current job.

Firstly first, before you take license, you must know about licensing conversion first.

First, let me tell you about licensing conversion (for low timers only).

In Malaysia, there are 2 types of licenses directly accept by DCA Malaysia. HKCAD and CAAS licenses are '1-to-1' interchangeable. Meaning, there is no practical flight tests or ATPL theory exams required by DCA M'sia and it's all paper work.

For low timers Malaysians (holding HKCAD and CAAS) to convert to DCA license is easy. If not, they (not holding HKCAD and CAAS) will have to go through pain-staking ATPL theory exams and expensive twin-engine flying before they can convery their license.

I am not going to answer directly to your question now. Your location tells members you are in Hong Kong, but you never reveal what is your actual nationality (or which passport)!

When coming to low-timer looking for job, nationality is very important.

I have many job opportunities in China for low-timers but must have Chinese blood (eg. Hong Kees, Macauese, Singaporean Chinese, Malaysian Chinese, Thai Chinese) and Mandarin speaking! Fake "鬼佬" and other skin colours not really welcome.

Hi All,

I truely appreciate the info and advice over here. I'm currently working in HK under working visa. Originally from Malaysia, a Malaysian Chinese. If at this point, I'm eligible to apply CX DEC, 8 would definitely go for it. Too bad that I still hv 27 months go before I could apply for HK PR.

Hence, in such situation, I really feel a little lost and not sure should I still hold on my dreams or give up and do what I'm doing now which is something not motivated at all!

Bull$****, there are Indonesian pilots working for Air HK with Indonesian DGCA ATPL. Get some facts right. :=

I doubt you passed your English. It is not right to make assumption.

I did not say, DGCA ATPL can't get airlines jobs abroad. I have seen Indonesian DGCA ATPL Captain working with SilkAir.

I am answering to shannon.lau queries based on her current situation. Different people with entry level.

Listen singboy, you are the one who said "HKCAD will 101% reject Indo license." without stating your statement is only confined to shannon.lau.

Obviously your Singlish must have gotten into you. := Did you even pass A-Level? :}

I think Shannon is a dude, not a chick.

About low timer jobs in China
 

Hey @Droste!

i am new to this forum and i will soon be acquiring a CAAS CPL ME/IR and i am also chinese. With regards to the China aviation jobs, could you please pm and tell me more about it? I have lived in China for awhile and i find that i adapt well to their culture. I am really interested in the idea of working there.. Please advise. Thanks!:D

Chris

Hello Chris,

Please do not give up on the aviation piloting opportunities in Singapore. All airlines in Singapore are hungry for pilots, and priority is awlays for Singaporeans with CAAS license (irregardless of flying hours).

According to the CAAS SP&L office, there is a surplus of low-timer CAAS license holders (including those from RSAF). It is just matter of time for the local airlines to suck them in.

The airline culture (especially pilot recruitment/application) in China is totally different from Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and etc.

It is true they (the Chinese airlines) want Captains. There is too much advertisement (from those sickening pilot recruitment agencies looking for Captains). However, these airlines in China have direct recruitment for low timers and lots of people (referring to the Chinese blood) don't know how to jump the loops of application.

Mandarin speaking is not good enough but must be Chinese (regardless of nationality). And these are the applicants rank above "鬼佬".