Jakarta – Bandung Pilot Academy (BPA) General Manager Gijanto Sumartono claims that the curriculum standard set by the Transportation Ministry does not align with the standards set by airliners.
“The problem is that the requirements from airliners are too high, the students are not up to par with the level that airliners demand,” said Gijanto on Thursday, January 26.
Furthermore, Gijanto said that the flight school’s curriculum standard abides by the curriculum standard set by the Transportation Ministry. The school’s graduates are actually competent enough as beginner pilots.
Gijanto recalled when beginner pilots that graduated in 2012-2013 were 100 percent accepted into airline companies. At the time, airliners were willing to provide beginner pilots with training programs that would help them obtain Flight Ratings. Flight school graduates who had gone through a 12-year education would have the skills to fly a single-engine propeller plane.
“The students had just graduated. They mastered the single propeller plane. When airliners accepted them, they were trained to be qualified with multi-engine airplanes and to move on from propellers. Some have even been trained with specific airplanes that they would fly such as the Boeing 737 or Airbus,” Gijanto recalled.
He feels that airlines have increased their standards in around 2016 when the industry was stagnant. Companies would look for pilots that can be directly hired to fly the airliner’s airplane.
“That is the reason why the beginner pilots don’t end up 100 percent accepted. However, there are still some airlines that hire beginner pilots,” said Gijanto.
He revealed that a meeting has taken place between airliners, flight schools, and the transportation ministry to discuss a solution to the problem.
