New pilots earn their wings in teaching courses
New pilots earn their wings in teaching courses
Text and photos by K. Basrie
JAKARTA (JP): "Working as a flying instructor earns me less
money than piloting a commercial airliner," says assistant flight
instructor Yasir Ariansyah.
"But teaching gives me greater satisfaction. That's why I
chose this profession."
He is one of seven new assistant flight instructors graduated
from the privately run Deraya Flying School.
With 500 flying hours as pilot-in-command behind him, Yasir
says his chief job is to spot common mistakes and errors by
others, a big responsibility in training pilots.
"This is really an exciting profession," he told The Jakarta
Post inside the cabin of a Cessna 152, flying about 1,300 feet
above sea level over the capital last week.
Yasir and his colleagues were the first batch of flight
instructors graduated from the 25-year-old flying school.
"There were eight of them originally," says Siti Rahayu
Sumadi, president of PT Deraya, which manages the school. "The
other one is applying for a job in Garuda Indonesia. But the door
is still open for him if he fails to join the national flag
carrier."
The young flight instructors, all in their 20s, are the first
graduated locally, Siti Rahayu says.
"They're very rare talents with noble hearts," she adds.
Each spent about Rp 70 million (US$19,180) to achieve their
present job status, which pays a monthly salary of less than Rp 2
million.
"Salary is not a priority," says Erwin Purnama, one of Yasir's
colleagues.
Siti Rahayu says her new staff will work for Deraya under a
five-year contract. "After that, they can do what they want,
whether they want to stay with us or not."
Most of the young instructors say they want to spend their
entire careers teaching.
"This is a noble job. And I've vowed to dedicate my life to
this profession," Erwin says.
The school's superintendent, Frenchman Eric Bataille, says
the new instructors have completed the full 45-hour ground course
for flight instructors at state-run Curug Flying School in
Jakarta.
"In addition, we no longer rely on instructors from other
parties, such as from the Indonesian Air Force and Curug School,"
says Bataille, holder of an Federal Aviation Authority
certificate.
"We're now more independent, which is important for the future
of this school."
Located at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in East Jakarta, the
Deraya Flying School has graduated more than 30 students as
pilots since it was established in 1972, according to Sumadi.
The school is also the first to get approval from the Ministry
of Transportation to run the assistant flight instructor classes.
Applicants intending to enroll in the classes must hold a
valid commercial pilot's license (CPL) and a certified logbook
with at least flying 150 hours as pilot-in-command.
Bataille says the training course for students enrolled in the
assistant flight instructor program includes a three-week ground
school at Curug, 45 hours of lectures -- covering pre- and post-
flight briefing exercises -- and 20 hours flight training in the
Cessna 172.
The entire training course costs $2,675 per person.
The Deraya school runs several classes, including an aptitude
test, and courses for private pilot's license (PPL), CPL, CPL
Multi-Engine and Instrument Rating.
The school also caters to those wishing to certify licenses
earned abroad. On weekends, there are special short flight
courses for hobbyists and executives.
Prices differ for each class.
The aptitude test, for instance, which aims at evaluating
airmanship and aptitude for a higher certification course, costs
$1,095 per student. The PPL course is $6,540, and the CPL costs
$14,800.
"Fees could be paid in installments," says Sumadi.
Other enrollment requirements are Indonesian citizenship,
possession of a diploma from a senior high school or technical
high school, a clean bill of health from a medical checkup and
passing grades on the English test held by the Directorate
General of Air Transportation.
With the new instructors, the Deraya school now plans to go
ahead with its long-term plan to move to a more suitable site
outside Jakarta, says Sulikin, an Air Force colonel and one of
the senior flight instructors at Deraya.
"It might be in Cirebon (West Java) or Semarang (Central
Java)."
The current training ground at Halim is not suitable for
students because of the hectic air traffic in the area, he says.
Avindo, another privately run flying school, also uses the
airport for training.
Sumadi says Deraya has 23 single and multi-engine planes,
eight of which are used for training purposes. The other planes
are used for the company's core business of air chartered
services.
"I hope our new assistant flight instructors would help
produce more talented local pilots here in the near future to
meet the growing local demand," she says.
Indonesia's flying schools currently graduate only 100 pilots
each year. The country needs 1,100 pilots for the five-year
period from 1996 to 2001, according to Angkasa aviation magazine.