Takes Dedication And A Lot Of Hard Work To Be A Pilot: Captain Hinton

Choosing a career is a huge challenge for school leavers as well as those seeking a change to their current career path.

Deciding what job interests them, finding out what training is available and selecting the right training institute is a big responsibility.

One career choice that offers excellent job prospects is aviation and many students from Fiji and overseas have chosen to do their pilot training with Advance Aviation Training (Fiji) Pte Ltd.

Advance Aviation Training (Fiji) Pte Ltd is based at Nadi International Airport.

It operates:

• single engine and twin engine aircraft used exclusively for flight training,
• Seven aircraft in all. A fleet consisting of Cessna 150s, 172’s and a Partenavia PB68.
• The new DCX Pro-Motion Flight Simulator for Instrument Training.

The first of its kind in Fiji, this motion flight simulator provides a new level to the flight training experience.

The simulator is open to both pilots and the public to use. A quick call to the friendly team at AAT will secure a booking.

“Since the school started in 2002 it has trained students from around the Pacific region and beyond with students coming from:

• Fiji,
• Vanuatu,
• Solomon Islands,
• Kiribati,
• Tuvalu,
• New Caledonia,
• Papua New Guinea,
• Australia,
• France,
• United Kingdom
• and Mongolia.

Captain Wayne Hinton, Chief Flying Instructor for Advance Aviation Training, said: “Our courses include Private Pilot Licences, Commercial Pilot Licences, Airline Transport Pilot Licence (theory) as well as twin endorsements, instrument ratings and instructor ratings.”

Captain Hinton added that it takes dedication and a lot of hard work to be a pilot.

Roselyn Brown Katia is a Senior Flight Instructor at Advance Aviation Training, says: “Anyone wishing to be a pilot would need to be self-motivated and have good time management skills.

“They need to be committed to their studies and put the maximum effort into both their theoretical and practical work.”

Advance Aviation has fully air-conditioned classrooms and lectures are conducted by our dedicated professional Theory Instructors who offer personalised tuition for small class groups. Computer based training is also used for many of the subjects taught.

Sekonaia Naqasima is the AAT Student Co-ordinator. “Pilot training is a major investment for most families and financing a student pilots ongoing training is a serious commitment.

“In recent years the government has provided the opportunity to source additional forms of financing pilot training through the Tertiary Scholarship and Loans Board (TSLB), as well as partial access through the Fiji National Provident Fund.”

Advance Aviation Training (Fiji) can provide interested students with an information pack including approximate costs.

Advance Aviation Training (Fiji) Pte Ltd aims to ensure students achieve their goal to be a professional pilot.

Feedback:  maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj