TAKE-OFF TROUBLE

By V L Srinivasan
VL.Srinivasan@apexstuff.com
MUSCAT, July 7

WITH NOT A SINGLE AVIATION ACADEMY IN THE SULTANATE, IT IS NOT EASY FOR THE ASPIRING PILOTS TO GIVE WINGS TO THEIR FLYING CAREERS.

When Mahmood al Zidjali was a little boy, he looked at the aeroplanes in the sky fascinated at the prospect of flying one some day. Now 22, he is all set to leave for Australia in a couple of weeks to join the Australian Wings Academy in Queensland. "It was my dream to become a pilot. I will return home as a trained pilot next year," he said with a smile.
Like Mahmood, scores of other Omani youngsters and children of expats go abroad, mostly to Australia, Jordan and the UK, for pilot training courses because there is no aviation academy in the sultanate.
But unlike him, hundreds of aspiring pilots in Oman are disheartened as the cost of pursuing the course abroad is prohibitive. "It is unfortunate that we don't have an aviation academy. I had to pay RO25,000 for the course and it may cost more by the time my training is completed," Mahmood said.
The course cost would come down significantly and many more youths would have a chance to become pilots if a flying school is set up in this country, he added.
Though the sultanate's national carrier, Oman Air, had announced a plan to establish an international pilot complex with a simulator in Muscat by the end of 2008, it did not materialise for various reasons.
Oman Air planned to start the complex, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and Eurocopter, to train 144 pilots every year. It was also looking at acquiring 37 single-engine planes for the purpose.
The national carrier currently has about half a dozen approved flying schools in Australia where its trainee pilots undergo courses on various aircraft, including Cessna, Beechcraft and Diamond. On completion of the courses, they join the organisation.
However, it is not all rosy for those who successfully complete their flying courses in other countries. They have to clear the exams conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Meteorology of Oman for conversion of their licence and be eligible to join Oman Air.
"Students who are serious can complete the course in eight to 12 months. Even otherwise, it should not take more than 18 months," said Asha Thomas, chief academic advisor of GlobalEdu, a consulting agency which sent nearly 30 students, both Omanis and expatriates, abroad for the course last year.
According to Asha, some flying schools abroad conduct only theoretical courses leaving their students to learn the practical aspects in another country. "An aviation academy in the sultanate will bring down the cost and help those aspiring to become pilots," she said.
A stumbling block in starting flying schools in Muscat and Salalah is the fact that both these cities have international airports. A flying school at an international airport would only hamper normal operations. For this reason, any aviation academy planned in Oman would have to be at one of the new proposed airports at Sohar, Duqm, Ras al Hadd, Haima, Shaleem and Adam.
Capt (retired) Abdullah al Kharusi, a pilot with Gulf Air for 27 years and six-and-a-half years with Oman Air, believes that a flying academy in the sultanate would be immensely beneficial. With Oman Air planning to expand its operations, the airline requires many new pilots who need training from abroad, which costs the company a fortune. "Oman Air needs more than 100 pilots to replace retirees and fill new positions and it is obvious that the national carrier would benefit by opening a training school in Oman. Besides, the physical features of the country with mountains, long coastal beaches and deserts are ideal to train pilots," Abdullah said.

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