Ambalal Achieves Dream At Pacific Flying School

Cynthia scooped the Special Recognition Award and also received her Commercial Pilots Licence (CPL).

Friday 25 December 2020 | 22:22

Staff Writer

Joyce Aviation Group chief executive officer /managing director Tim Joyce (left) with Cynthia Ambalal during the Pacific Flying School’s Class of 2020 & 2019 Wing’s Night at the Novotel Hotel Nadi on December 4, 2020. Photo: Maraia Vula

Cynthia Ambalal always wanted to be a pilot.

The 18 year-old’s dream came true when she enrolled at Pacific Flying School in Nadi.

Ms Ambalal was among the more 30 students who graduated during than the Pacific Flying School’s Class of 2020 and 2019 Wing’s Night at the Novotel Hotel Nadi this month.

The Pacific Flying School is also planning to introduce helicopter flight training in 2021 as well. This will mean that students from throughout the Pacific Islands will now have the opportunity to attain a Bachelor of Aviation degree and/or learn to fly helicopters without having to go to Australia or New Zealand.

A major advantage of the Pacific Flying School being part of the Joyce Aviation Fiji Group is that the students have involvement with the charter operations of Sunflower Aviation and Heli-Tours Fiji.

The instructors are encouraged to develop their operational flying experience and pass on these skills to their students.

Graduating pilots have the opportunity to gain additional experience and employment flying both on charter flights and medivacs with Sunflower Aviation as well as on the Skydive Fiji operations.

Background

Since its inception, the Pacific Flying School highlighted that they have:

graduated more than 350 Commercial Pilots who now occupy significant posts in all local airlines along with major regional and international carriers such as Air Vanuatu, Air Niugini, Air NZ, Emirates, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, British Airways and other high- profile airlines.
Over the last five years, PFS has broadened its range of courses and capabilities and invested over FJ$300,000 in the development of local Flight Instructors.
The school currently employs five local instructors who have completed their Ratings via our own Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji approved inhouse training.
The primary objective of the Pacific Flying School is to train pilots for Fiji and the Pacific to meet international standards.
Fiji is an ideal training ground for student pilots as it includes both widely dispersed islands as well as mountainous areas which give students the opportunity to develop their navigational and decision-making skills to enable them to operate safely in these environments.
As navigation exercises involve flying over water to the outer islands including Vanua Levu, Yasawas and Kadavu, the company introduced dedicated Emergency Procedures and Survival training to ensure that in the extremely unlikely event of an incident, the students are taught how to land safely on water including the use of lifejackets, life-rafts and survival equipment until they are picked up.

Joyce Aviation Group chief executive officer /managing director Tim Joyce (left) with the Pacific Flying School management team and students during the Pacific Flying School’s Class of 2020 & 2019 Wing’s Night at the Novotel Hotel Nadi on December 4, 2020.

GRADUATING STUDENTS OF 2020/19

Multi-Engine Command Instrument Rating (MECIR):