11 young pilots compose 1st batch of PAAT grads

MANILA, Philippines - For 11 young gentleman, finishing the much coveted type-rating course for the Airbus A320 aircraft is a fulfillment of their youthful dream to fly a big commercial aircraft. After all, Airbus is one of two commercial planes most used the world over.

The 11 ended their A320 type rating at the Philippine Academy for Aviation Training (PAAT) with the commencement exercises held at the PAAT in Clark last Sept. 21. After all of them successfully passed their check rides, they now form part of Cebu Pacific’s stable pool of pilots for its fleet and route expansion programs.

The graduates were: John Gulla, Khedehl Tan, Dino Tabingo and Barry Goesaert from the first batch; Michael Dos Santos, Erik Odegard, Joao Dias, Felipe Alves and Nuno Alves, from the second batch and Peter Binamira and Farzad Ghasemzadeh from the third batch. Together, these three batches received their certificates of completion during the formal graduation ceremony.

At the “send-off” graduation last Saturday, Barry Goesaert, who was in the first set to apply for the A320 type-rating course, expressed excitement, a sentiment shared by his peers, about finally being able to sit in the cockpit and be in command of a plane that carries hundreds of passengers and tons of cargo. Before, he only flew single engine cargo planes during his basic pilot training course.

The half Filipino, half Belgian Goesaert, who spoke on behalf of the graduates, said a recent study on Pilot-Technician Outlook showed that Asia Pacific region would need 192,000 pilots, the most in the world from 2013-2032. “And this is where we are!” he exclaimed.

Considering the heavy demand for pilots today, it is a very opportune time for aspiring pilots here and around the region to have “the best Airbus Type Rating Training Organization, i.e, the Philippine Academy for Aviation Training, giving us the best preparation for the real world,” Goesaert said.

PAAT head of training (ret) Capt. Ronaldo Mendoza challenged the graduates to “go the extra degree” to make it big as pilots as he stressed that Cebu Pacific’s approach is to “hire for attitude and train for skills.”