As many as 200 students have enrolled into different courses at the Riyadh-based Saudi Aviation Flight Academy (SAFA) with 70 percent of them being Saudi nationals, said Saleem Bava, head of marketing and admission at SAFA.
SAFA offers a mix of technically advanced training aircraft and simulators ensuring that students receive the most cost effective, high quality training available.
According to him, the range of programs offered includes private pilot, instrument rating, commercial pilot, jet transition and upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT).
Bava said SAFA will be conducting open-day sessions on Saturday to provide potential students the opportunity to gather information on different aspects of training.
According to him the minimum qualification required to enroll for a pilot training program is a high school certificate or its equivalent. Very good command of English is also required to enroll in the courses.
The official told Arab News that currently they are discussing with various industry partners and human resource development authorities for a program to help Saudi students with scholarship in deserving cases.
He said close to 30 students have completed SAFA programs and many of the graduates are working for different airlines and the private sector, including Saudi Arabian Airlines and NAS.
He added: “Those who qualify for admissions may be eligible for a free introductory flight and/or up to five hours of free flight toward their training.”
SAFA is a Gainesville Alachua County Assoc. of Realtors (GACAR) Part 141 approved, pilot training academy with ultramodern facilities contained on a purpose-built campus at the Thumamah Airfield, located 28km northeast of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Last year Aviation Performance Solutions (APS), an Arizona-based and headquartered global training organization, announced the opening of its fourth worldwide training center in Riyadh.
In a previous statement, SAFA said it already has its new Extra 330LX on-site in Riyadh and their primary APS UPRT instructor, David Radford, has just completed the six-week APS on-airplane upset instructor train-the-trainer program in Arizona.
SAFA professional pilot UPRT services started on Nov. 16, 2014 where SAFA airline cadets, executives and instructor staff were the first to receive APS programs.
Earlier Capt. William Roe, the managing director at SAFA, said that joining APS is in direct alignment with SAFA’s mission to fuel the growth of aviation in Saudi Arabia through their world-class center of excellence for pilot training.
