Market Intelligence: -General Aviation

Top US Collegiate Flight Competitors Soar in to Ohio State Airport

The Ohio State University Airport hosted the 2022 National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) national collegiate flight competition May 9-14. Nearly 500 event participants – including the Ohio State Flight Team and teams from 27 other schools – soared in to the university’s Don Scott Field for the pre-eminent competition that tests student pilots in a variety of flight and ground events.

“The Ohio State University Airport would like to thank the judges, volunteers, community and airport staff for helping make this event successful,” said Ohio State Director of Flight Education Brandon Mann. “Flight Education’s first priority is safety, and SAFECON provides one opportunity for our flight students to hone their skills in a national forum.”

Overall SAFECON champion was Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Prescott, followed by University of North Dakota in second place and LeTourneau University – Longview in third place. The full listing of all team and individual awards is located on the NIFA website. Ohio State Flight Team ranked at seventh place in the championship and earned first place in Traditional Navigation (Dominic Parenti and Noah Pattan), along with other awards.

Reflecting on the event, Mann offered his well wishes to all competitors. “Congratulations to all university flight teams, and we wish them a great year ahead.”

Fair weather throughout the week allowed the teams to enjoy friendly competition, visit sponsor booths, take part in recruitment events and network with peers and industry members.

Brynne Barr from the Ohio State Flight Team was enthusiastic about the SAFECON experience.

“Flight Team has presented me with an incredible opportunity to refine my pilot skills, build meaningful relationships with my peers and make connections with many experienced and passionate individuals in the aviation industry,” shared Barr. “As a freshman, I am thrilled to return these next three years as a competitor, and after that as a coach and proud alumnus.”

And, to Ohio State Co-Captain Devyn Thurman, SAFECON success can be far-reaching.

“SAFECON provides an incredible opportunity for collegiate flight students,” he said. It creates the space for students to not only improve their technical skills, but also to “form lasting friendships within the aviation industry before becoming a professional pilot.”

This year marked the 12th time Ohio State has hosted the long-running event. It takes dedication, teamwork and skill to ensure a safe and successful competition. Leading the logistics for airfield support was airport Assistant Director of Operations Dale Gelter, who has been involved in SAFECON in various capacities since the 1980s.

“For Flight Team competitors, SAFECON is the event that challenges you at new airports and tests your piloting skills. It’s also the place where you make lifelong friendships with other people in the aviation industry,” commented Gelter. “It’s a privilege to have been involved as a student during college, a NIFA judge and an administrator at a host airport.”

Check out the below video to learn more about the 2022 NIFA SAFECON experience from the Ohio State Flight Team’s perspective.

Source: Ohio State University Airport Press Release

For more information, kindly contact Ohio State University Airport.

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Indian Aviation Minister Says India’s Drone Pilot Training Fee Will Decrease

India’s Drone Pilot Training fees are set to decrease in 3-4 months as more drone schools have been approved by the regulator, said Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. For the past five months, India DGCA has certified 23 drone schools.

“You said the fees of a drone pilot course is currently quite high. You should not worry at all. As the number of schools keep increasing, the cost of training drone pilots will keep decreasing,” said Scindia.

“So, now, the DGCA will only certify drone schools, and it is the drone school concerned which will grant certificates to pilots. We have completely removed bureaucracy from this process,” the Minister emphasized.

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Indian Aviation Training Organisation and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Join Hands to Offer Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Aviation Management

Trans Aviacons, Hyderabad’s leaders in Aviation Training programs since 2007, collaborates with Singapore based Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU-Asia), one of the world’s top 10 Universities to offer two bachelor’s degree programs in Aviation Management.

Disclosing this addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Mr V Satya Bhushana Rao, Head of the Institution—Aviacons said they are introducing Bachelor of Science – Aeronautics (BSA) and Bachelor of Science – Aviation Business Administration (BSABA) – two graduate programs along with 7 other professional Certificate Programs from July 2022.

The courses are offered in asynchronous mode(online) and these full-time programs can be completed in three years. Though there is no restriction on numbers of students, the intake will be restricted to 20 each for the course. There will be two intakes, one in July and the other one will be in January. The fee and course modules are flexible.

The Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics (BSA) degree is designed specifically for students who desire to work in aviation-related careers. The program provides aviation-specific knowledge through aviation-related coursework. The program is accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).

The Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) was created at the initiative of 100 colleges and universities with aviation programs that recognized the need to establish standards and submit themselves to the review of their peers and the industry.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Bachelor of Science in Aviation Business Administration is designed for students to excel in this high-powered, fast-paced industry.

The program explores all facets of business administration and management, including Economics, Management of Aeronautical Science, Business Statistics & Accounting, Business Marketing & Management, Human Resources and Finance.

Though there are 400 to 500 ground training schools in India, Aviacons is unique as it is recognized by Serbian civil aviation authority. Aviacons has another unique distinction of being the only Indian institute for getting recognition for Aviation English Language Proficiency Testing by UKCAA (UK Civial Aviation Authority) as well as EASA(European Aviation Safety Authority), which is regarded as the best aviation authority across the world.

Aviacons is also planning to set up a flight school in Nanded Airport, which is likely to commence anywhere between October to December this year. Subsequently, it will be scaled up into Integrated Training Hub, a one-stop-shop for Aviation related trainings in next three to 5 years.

Currently, it has three training aircrafts. It has placed expression of interest with NAL(National Aerospace Laboratory) to purchase three Hansa NG Training Aircraft. These are indigenous-built aircrafts for training purpose. The procurement and operating cost of this aircraft will be significantly low, thereby, reducing cost of flight training. Aviacons was one of the first few to place letter of expression of interest.

Speaking further Mr. Satya Bhushan Rao gave an overview of the potential of Hyderabad as an aviation hub. The city can boast of two military airports, two commercial airports, one training airfield with a total of 7 runways. It has a MRO, and has a cluster of aerospace companies.

The current annual demand for pilots is 1500 , but only 1000 pilots are being training There will be a huge demand of 8000 to 10,000 pilots in next 5 to 7 years. India can boast of about 39 pilots training institutions. All these put together have about 250 training aircrafts. Based on the aircrafts capacity we can train 2500 pilots per annum, but the industry is able to produce only 1000 to 1200 pilots.

India is currently ranked the ninth-largest civil aviation market in the world, and it is set to become largest global market by 2030. It is currently considered the fastest growing industry with a plethora of employment opportunities in the next 10 years.

Currently the country has 113 airports with 900 aircrafts flying. Currently 10,000 pilots are operating these aircraft.

The future of the industry is very promising. The number of airports are likely to go upto 250 in next 10 years. The regional connectivity to increase to 948 routes under the UDAAN program. The number of aircrafts are expected to go upto 1500 and that will need 18000 pilots to operate. And it will employ nearly 5 lakh professional.

The growth and development of aviation industry is highly dependent on availability of skilled professionals and the training industry is bracing up to meet the surge in demand. The Graduate Programs and certificate courses are career-oriented, in line with the best industry norms and standards from across the globe, and at the same time cost-effective and will help to bridge the demand-supply gap of qualified and skilled aviation professionals.

Though aviation has always been a field of fancy and curiosity to many youngsters, due to lack of awareness and proper guidance, and the cost involved in quality education, it is not fully explored by many. The aviation management programs being offered by Aviacons in collaboration with one of the world’s best universities, is an effort to make world class education available to Indian students at the most affordable price, so that this becomes a preferred career option for youngsters in India – says V, Satya Bhushana Rao. He further added that currently, we do not have any universities offering exclusive aviation studies and there is an urgent need to offer such specialized aviation management courses to meet the industry expectations.

Adds Mrs Teena Marina Oommen, Director of Aviacons, that Aviacons has trained over 1000 students in the past decade. Many of its alumni are flying various Airlines now. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU – Asia Campus) is nearly 100 years old and is one of the top 10 Universities in the world and ranked No. 3 in Asia offering exclusive aviation study programs. The ERAU degree courses are recognized and valued across the globe and more than 92% of ERAU students get placed within 6 months of completion of their course. It has produced more than 140,000 alumni who keep the aerospace and related industries running safely and productively.

The two academic programs in aviation management shall be jointly offered by Aviacons and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU – Asia). These courses help to bridge the gap between industry requirements and skilled professionals. These courses are specifically designed keeping in mind, the evolving industry developments, global best practices, and emerging technological trends in aviation learning – informed Mr Kirit Manek, Director of Finance & Business Operations.

Source – Aviacons Press Release

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Leading Indian Pilot Training Organization Announces Partnership with University

Indian Simulator Training Center Group FSTC launched its own Flight School in 2022 and has now announced that its Flight School has signed a joint MOU with Indian UPES University for two courses;

  • MBA In Aviation Management
  • BBA In Aviation Operations

About FSTC Flying School
“FSTC – Flying School is our latest venture which has been started under the flagship pilot training brand ‘FSTC’, initiated with a vision of providing a comprehensive pilot training services to the budding Flyers. In this regard, we have already secured the DGCA approval and have activated the Flight Training at the Bhiwani Airport. It is envisioned to be the largest Flight Training School in the region which will boast of state-of the art infrastructure such as brand-new Trainer Aircraft, Unrestricted Airspace ensuring Continuous Flying, Proximity to DEL/NCR region, Quality Flying Instructors and International Training Curriculum.”

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FlightSafety Partners with Dronamics for Drone Pilot Training

FlightSafety International, the premier professional aviation training company, and Dronamics, developers of unmanned aerial systems for shipping commercial and special cargo applications, signed an agreement at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), May 23-25 in Geneva.

With this agreement, FlightSafety will develop and deliver a state-of-the art training for Dronamics pilots. Future training development opportunities also exists for Dronamics maintenance and dispatch personnel.

“We’re well known in the market for our long-standing OEM relationships,” said Nate Speiser, FlightSafety’s EVP of Sales & Marketing. “Being on the ground floor of the unmanned flight industry with Dronamics is proof of our focus on the future as well. Our mission is to ensure the most prepared pilots in the industry – no matter the type of aircraft.”

Dronamics is an unmanned cargo airline started by two brothers, Svilen and Konstantin Rangelov, in 2014. DHL and Hellmann have previously announced partnerships with Dronamics on same-day cargo delivery middle mile service throughout Europe and Australia. Dronamics’ near future plans involve growing their operation to become the first long-range cargo drone airline.

“For us at Dronamics, safety is the foundation of successful operations. This is why we are partnering with FlightSafety International to offer ongoing support in state-of-the-art training for our pilots and engineers,” said Sergio Oliveira e Silva, COO, Dronamics. “As we accelerate toward our first commercial flights later this year, FlightSafety will ensure our remote pilots are always trained to maintain the highest standards in operational excellence and safety. Our joint future plans include the co-development of an academy that will ensure we are well placed to meet the resourcing requirements of running the first UAV long-range cargo airline.”

About FlightSafety International
FlightSafety International is the world’s premier professional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual systems and displays to commercial, government and military organizations. The company provides training for pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 167 countries and independent territories. FlightSafety operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom.

About Dronamics
Dronamics is a fast-growing manufacturer and operator of long-range UAVs, on a mission to transform the mobility of goods worldwide. Its proprietary Black Swan aircraft is built for cargo, carrying 350 kg at a distance of up to 2,500 km, while powered by clean and energy efficient technologies. It can land anywhere, including unpaved strips, opening new trade routes and opportunities for remote communities. Operating at up to 80% lower cost than any aircraft in existence, the Black Swan enables same-day shipping over very long distances for a variety of industries, from pharma to food, from fashion to spare parts. DRONAMICS is IATA’s first Strategic Partner for drones worldwide and has been named by the European Commission as a Top 10 EU-Africa startup.

Source: FlightSafety Press Release

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