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Boeing, SA school to train African pilots

14 December 2011

US aerospace giant Boeing is partnering with South Africa's 43 Air School to offer a comprehensive pilot training programme as part of its efforts to expand its presence and improve aviation safety in Africa.

Participants in the programme will benefit from high-quality training at the basic level, delivered by a world-class, experienced flight school and at the commercial jet level, delivered by Boeing.

Programme graduates will be qualified as a Boeing Next-Generation 737 First Officer, ready to assume the right seat in the flight deck.

"With three branches in South Africa, 43 Air School is Africa's premier flight school, and with Boeing as a strategic partner, we can now compete globally, delivering world-class aviation instruction rooted in international standards of training and safety," 43 Air School CEO Attie Niemann said in a statement this month.

"We have a unique understanding of this region's training needs, giving our customers a competitive advantage that cannot be matched on the continent," Niemann said.

"We're the perfect fit to partner with Boeing in delivering the 'Street to Right Seat' programme."

Opportunity to progress seamlessly

The three-phase programme is designed to provide a candidate with no prior flying experience the opportunity to progress seamlessly through professional training to full competence and accreditation - from basic instruction through jet training.

Phase One of the programme will take cadets through basic flight instruction at 43 Air School. Phases Two and Three continue with Boeing Flight Services Jet Bridge and Type Rating programmes completed at any Boeing training campus around the world.

Upon completion of training, graduates will have earned a private pilot licence, with multi-engine and instrument ratings and commercial/multi-engine qualification and a type rating in a Next-Generation 737 or other models, as the market requires.

Boeing Flight Services chief customer officer Roei Ganzarski said the company was working to provide expanded access to flight training solutions across the world, enabling airlines to reduce their overall training costs as well as to help meet the increased demand for pilots.

"Over the next 20 years there is a global need for hundreds of thousands of new airline pilots," he said. "Through partnerships like this we're working to expand the pool of pilots from which airlines can select."

South African partnerships

Boeing is one of the largest aerospace companies operating in the region, and already has partnerships with South African companies Aerosud Aviation and Denel Aerospace, who both make certain components for Boeing commercial aircraft.

"The addition of 43 Air School to the Boeing portfolio of partners is a further investment in supporting Africa's leadership in the aviation industry," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes international sales director Miguel Santos.

"Flight crew training is going to be a critical focus in Africa as we seek to provide the necessary human resources to operate airline fleets to meet the region's market demands."

SAinfo reporter