Progress Flight Academy : Airline Pilot Programme

Progress Flight Academy : Airline Pilot Programme

Progress Flight Academy and Comair Training Centre have formed an alliance for an Airline Pilot Programme; the training of ab-initio Airline Pilot candidates to First Officer of a Boeing 737 medium jet airliner in eighteen months.
This Airline Pilot Programme is intended as a turnkey package for corporate clients who operate the Boeing 737, or for international students who will be eligible for direct entry to an airline in their home state on completion of the Airline Pilot training.
The graduate of the Airline Pilot Programme will be ready for appointment as First Officer on completion of route training at the employer airline.
The Airline Pilot Programme has two parts:
1.    Integrated Professional Pilot Course leading to ‘frozen’ ATPL at Progress Flight Academy; and
2.    Jet Transition Course leading to Boeing 737 type rating at the Comair Training Centre.
This route has a very successful history of training Airline Pilots for Kenya Airways.
Progress Flight Academy
Progress Flight Academy is located in South Africa; the main base is Progress Aerodrome on the south coast near Port Elizabeth International Airport, which is used for instrument training, and an ab-initio base located inland at Somerset East for fair weather training.
The fleet is late model Piper Warrior single-engine aeroplanes plus Vulcanair P68R multi-engine aeroplanes and Vulcanair P68R type specific FNPT II simulators.
The Academy has specialised in full-time residential flight training courses since 1981 and has successfully trained Professional Pilot Course students for immediate transition to medium jet airliner as First Officer since 1995. Our Integrated Professional Pilot Course is based on best international practice, the European Aviation Safety Agency – Flight Crew Licencing (EASA FCL).
The quality of an integrated course is enhanced by the significant use of Student Pilot-in-Command (SPIC) time; this is a particularly valuable feature as it allows the student to act as and log the time as pilot-in-command during IFR operations and in IMC with a flight instructor on board, provided no intervention is required.
Instrument training hours in the integrated course are substantially increased above the minimum:

• ICAO minimum for instrument rating    40 hours
• EASA FCL minimum for ME instrument rating    55 hours
• PFA Integrated Professional Pilot Course    70 hours

On the International Professional Pilot Course the student will fly a total of 85 hours of multi-engine time; 42 hours in Vulcanair P68R aeroplanes and 43 hours in Vulcanair P68R FNPT II devices which precisely replicate the aeroplane.
The 70 hours instrument flight training includes 60 hours multi-engine instrument flight training time; 40 hours Vulcanair P68R FNPT II and 20 hours Vulcanair P68R aeroplane.
A genuine operational capability as the single pilot of a multi-engine piston aeroplane is achieved.
Our major corporate client since 2005 is Kenya Airways. Their Airline Pilot Programme includes our International integrated course of 235 hours total time.
The course includes 190 hours aeroplane time and 100 hours pilot-in-command time required for licence conversion in ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) states and also exceeds the KCAA (Kenya Civil Aviation Authority) requirement of 15 hours multi-engine aeroplane instrument training time.
Our graduates continue with the Jet training at Comair and have achieved 100% pass rate.
The Head of Kenya Airways Flight Operations Training, Capt. Joseph Opere, commented on Progress Flight Academy training:
“The training was completed to a high standard and on budget. All candidates completed their Embraer and Boeing 737 conversion First Officer training thereafter. We have been impressed by the quality of training received …”.
The Commercial Operations Manager of Comair Training Centre, Capt. Glen Warden, reports:
“Students who have been trained by Progress have had a perfect score in terms of successful completion of the type rating on Boeing 737 Classic and NG”
Comair Training Centre
Comair operates the British Airways franchise on South African routes and also the budget airline `kulula.com’. The Comair Training Centre is in South Africa, close to the Johannesburg International Airport.
The courses utilise two Boeing B737 level “D” full flight simulators for the Jet Orientation training as well as the type rating.
The option of Boeing 737-3/4/500 Classic or Boeing 737-800 NG is offered.
Commitment to quality and use of Full Flight Simulators ensures that First Officer graduates have a high standard which prepares them for immediate employment in the airline.
The course structure is:

*15 hours of this time is in a Fixed Base Simulator.
For further information on Boeing 737 training contact:
Capt. Glen Warden
Commercial Operations Manager
Comair Training Centre
email now T: +27 11 393 7809