Flying school welcomes probe on license irregularities

MANILA, Philippines - A flying school in Clark Field, Pampanga has welcomed the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to investigate alleged irregularities in the issuance of flying course certificates.                    

Capt. Ben Hur Gomez of Omni Aviation Corp. said the investigation would eliminate unscrupulous flying schools in the country.                                

CAAP Director General Alfonso Cusi said they have discovered that some flying schools issue certificates for a pilot license course for $30,000 to $50,000. Some flying schools, he said, pad their log of flying hours.                    

Gomez said their flying school strictly complies with CAAP requirements before issuing a certificate of completion of a pilot license course, a requirement for a license issued by the CAAP.            

“We have a policy of no cheating. Flight time padding is strictly prohibited and solo flight time means the student is alone in the aircraft,” said Gomez.      

Omni Aviation recently established a new branch in Subic to accommodate more students and to decongest its main branch at Clark Field.                          

The flying school has five Cessna 152s, a Cessna 172 and a Piper Seneca twin-engine planes deployed to its Subic branch.