Aviation 'better option than university'

Young Bahrainis should think about going to pilot school instead of university, the chief executive of an Australian aviation institution said in Manama last night.
An unprecedented global boom in aviation and huge demand for pilots means training to be a pilot now offers a more stable career than many academic disciplines, said Australian Wings Academy’s Phil Sweeney.
He was speaking as he delivered a presentation at the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s Convention Centre designed to showcase the flight school he bought three years ago on Australia’s Gold Coast.
He said the industry had weathered the post 9/11 storm and was now making huge advances – meaning it is a better time to be a pilot.
“India and China need 5,000 additional pilots every year in for the next three to five years – we have never seen growth like this in aviation. It is a highly regarded profession all around the world and it is a good career move. Once you have got your licence, you can work pretty much anywhere in the world,” he said.
He compared attending a pilot school with that of enrolling at university, pointing out that students only had to study for one year to hold a commercial pilots licence and a first job with an average monthly salary of $4000 compared to spending four years at university and then picking up an average of $1800 per month.
However, he did admit tuition costs were likely to be higher.
Highlighting the huge orders by many regional airlines at a recent airshow, he said with hundreds of new aircraft destined for the Gulf, newly qualified pilots would not have any problems finding employment in or next to their home country.
“Each aircraft needs six to eight sets of crew – so one plane requires 12-16 pilots to keep it constantly in the air. Multiply each of these big orders in the region by 12 or 16 and you will see there is certainly are a lot of pilots needed in the Middle East,” he said.
111/07/07 Mark Summers/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain