Third phase of civil aviation training project takes flight

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport and a Swiss-based company, Partners in Aviation and Communication Technologies (PACTEC), are continuing to work together to train the next generation of commercial pilots in Laos.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Phase III of the Civil Aviation Flight Training Project was signed recently in Vientiane.
Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to the project and acknowledged the success of phases I and II of the Civil Aviation Flight Training Centre Professional Pilot Programme.

Based on this success, the ministry’s Public Works and Transport Training Institute, together with PACTEC, officially signed the MOU that will initiate Phase III of the Civil Aviation Flight Training Project.
The MOU was signed by the Director General of the Public Works and Transport Training Institute, Mr Siriphone Inthirath, and PACTEC’s Programme Manager, Mr Elijah Renicker.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Renicker said that 11 fully qualified commercial pilots have graduated from the PACTEC operated Civil Aviation Flight Training Centre and are now working for airlines, marking the first commercial pilots trained ab initio in Laos.
The third phase opens the Civil Aviation Flight Training Centre to applicants from the general public as well as airlines for both commercial pilot training as well as the training of Lao flight instructors to help the flight training centre become independent and sustainable in the future.
The trainees will attend courses known as “ground school” that cover all the subjects required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Lao Civil Aviation Regulations.
Flight training will include dual, solo, cross-country, instrument and simulator training in accordance with ICAO and Lao Civil Aviation Regulations requirements.
In addition to pilot training, the Civil Aviation Flight Training Centre provides a number of additional aviation-related education programmes including Aviation English, Crew Resource Management, and Human Factors, designed to strengthen the capacity of the Lao aviation industry.
Mr Renicker said PACTEC is committed to the highest standard of safety and excellence in flight training and is pleased to be working with the Civil Aviation Training Centre to serve the Lao aviation industry.

By Viengdavanh Banphahaksa
(Latest Update January 10, 2020)