THE First Aviation Academy (FAA), a flying school that is touted to take the lead in developing world-class Filipino aviation professionals, was inaugurated on Thursday, March 21.

MacroAsia Corp., the PHP150 million aviation school located at the Subic Bay International Airport complex was formally inaugurated by U.S. Ambassador Sung Yong Kim, Philippine Airlines president Jaime Bautista, PTC chairman emeritus Carlos Salinas, MacroAsia chairman Joseph Chua, Transportation Assistant Secretary Juvy Manwong, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman and administrator Wilma T. Eisma.

Eisma welcomed the FAA project, saying it provides another anchor activity at the Subic airport, which the SBMA has been developing into an MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) hub for the Asian market.

According to FAA officials, the aviation school would make use of a comprehensive curriculum, experienced instructors, and state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to produce “airline-ready aviation professionals primed for flight operations.

FAA general manager Raoul Perez, student-pilots at FAA will be trained with state-of-the-art equipment like the Redbird MCX and TD2 G-1000 simulators, which are two of the most modern full-motion flight simulation systems in use today.

Perez said the school will also field a fleet of brand-new Tecnam P2010 planes with Garmin G-1000 full-glass cockpit electronic instrumentation for actual flight training.

He said two units of the Tecnam P2010 were unveiled here by the company during the inauguration.

Perez said the firm also showed off its flight simulators to VIP guests after the blessing of offices and classrooms.

FAA sales manager Butch Reyes said that the combination of advanced equipment and experienced staff “will enable students to develop the skills set necessary to excel in international aviation.”

The academy’s intensive 12-month training program will integrate academic requirements for private pilot license (PPL), instrument rating (IR), multi-engine rating (MER), commercial pilot license (CPL), and airline transport pilot license (ATPL), Reyes said.

Meanwhile, top graduates of the flying school will also have the chance to become a flight instructor, thus gaining flying hours while honing instructor skills, he said.

The first batch of student-pilots will start the course this April, company officials said.

Over the course of their training, students will also be provided with board and lodging, which are covered by P4-million tuition fees.

The academy will also offer “easy financing options” for enrollees. (Ric Sapnu)