CTC Aviation seeking aspiring flight instructors
CTC Aviation has wished 14 flight instructors ‘clear skies’ in the last six months as they take up new airline jobs, so the Hamilton flight training organisation is launching a national recruitment drive.
“In the past six months 14 of our experienced flight instructors have secured jobs with airlines,” said Peter Stockwell, Chief Operating Officer for CTC Aviation in New Zealand. Such departures are part of the normal flight instructor career path and something CTC Aviation is proud of. “They have been successful in securing jobs with well-known airlines including Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific and Jetstar, which is great because it shows the calibre of our instructors, the development we have provided, and the value that the airlines place on them. We encourage and support this career path.”
CTC Aviation is hosting an Open Day on Saturday 5 March at its Crew Training Centre at Boyd Road, near Hamilton Airport, which it is hoped will attract aspiring new trainee pilots who will go on to become flight instructors. The Open Day provides an opportunity for attendees to discover more about the CTC WINGS NZ Diploma in Aviation Flight Instructor programme, launched in 2014, which sees the company providing around a $40,000 sponsorship contribution towards the overall cost of the programme for successful candidates.
The Diploma programme has seen the first graduates joining the CTC Aviation flight instructor team within the last year. However, with the recent transition of current instructors into the airlines and CTC Aviation’s increase in training activity in order to meet their Airline Partner demand for newly qualified pilots, the company is looking for a constant intake of new instructors to join them.
One of the keynote speakers at the 5 March Open Day is First Officer Phil McColl, a pilot with Jetstar Airways, who trained at CTC Aviation in 2009 and 2010.
“It was great having been so well trained and then putting everything into practise,” McColl said.
“There is so much job satisfaction in being a pilot; whether it is a good approach and landing, or the successful handling of an inflight abnormal situation.”
McColl’s time at CTC Aviation put him in good stead for his current job as an Auckland-based pilot for Jetstar.
“Right from day one, CTC Aviation teaches you to fly with the intention of flying a jet. Their instrument training is top of the line and practical. I found myself using a lot of the techniques they taught in my day-to-day airline role.”
“I’ve been on the A320 for just over five years, flying into lots of interesting and challenging airports, but the highlight would have to be getting my Queenstown approval and flying into there.
“Queenstown is such a dynamic environment and each day is different from the last. It still boggles the mind flying a passenger jet through the mountains and valleys.”
CTC Aviation currently employs 48 flight instructors and seven ground instructors.
Pilots who complete the 20-month CTC WINGS NZ Flight Instructor programme receive a conditional offer of employment at the beginning of the training and a nationally recognised Diploma in Aviation on completion of training. They will be fully qualified pilots with a Commercial Pilot Licence, Multi-Engine Instrument Rating (CPLME/IR), and a ‘C’ Category Instructor Rating, in addition to the New Zealand Diploma in Aviation (Aeroplane) (Flight Instructor Level 6) qualifications.
For the Open Day on Saturday 5 March, the centre will be open from 10am to 12.30pm and then again from 1 to 3.30pmn.
Guided tours of the training facilities will be offered, including the opportunity to get a close look at the training aircraft and fixed-base simulators.
Discover more and register to attend the Open Day at: ctcaviation.com/events??
ENDS
