Australia's Regional Express (Rex) and two partners have agreed to set up a joint-venture pilot training school near Melbourne. The Civil Aviation Training Academy (CATA) will be at Mangalore airport and an initial group of 20 students will begin their training on 10 December.
CATA has purchased an initial batch of five new Piper Warrior IIIs with state-of-the-art "glass" cockpits for the first training course, as well as a new twin-engined Piper Seminole for multi-engine and instrument training.
The academy intends to accept up to 80 pilots in the first year, but has plans to grow the intake to 350 annually by the third or fourth year of operations. CATA's initial few intakes of students will be reserved for Rex's own cadet pilots, after which it will accept private students and those from other airlines.
"Under our intensive live-in training programme, we expect the students to graduate with a commercial pilot licence, a multi-engine rating and a command instrument rating within 32 weeks," says Rex chief of staff Jim Davis. The total cost of training, including full board and lodging, is expected to be priced at around A$80,000 ($73,000) for each student, he adds.
Rex, Mangalore airport and pilot training company Moorabbin Flying Services will all be equity partners. Moorabbin will own 15%, and Rex and Mangalore airport will split the remainder. CATA will have an initial working capital of A$2 million, but this is expected to increase to A$6 million within 18 months, says Rex.
Saab 340 operator Rex is Australia's largest independently owned regional carrier. It recently warned of a "looming catastrophic shortage" of pilots in Australia, where there has been rapid growth in the domestic air transport market.
Source: Flight International
