Around a hundred airline career aspirants and parents attended AAG’s first Airline Pilot Career Orientation (APCO) for this year on 11 March 2023 at the Novotel Manila Araneta City. The APCO is one of AAG’s flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate affairs and thought leadership activity designed to provide aspiring commercial airline pilots with relevant information and advice that can help them build their career plans.

Capt. Anthony Tan (AAG Philippines Head of Training) opened the event with an inspiring story about his journey in the aviation industry, encouraging participants to take the first step in achieving their dreams. Capt. Tan worked as a flight attendant for 10 years before embarking on a fruitful pilot career from 1988 to 2012.

Capt. Rizalindo Gigante (AAGP Synthetic Flight Instructor) also shared his two-decade airline career journey and experience working for numerous airlines around the world. “We Filipino aviators are well-known for our dependability, resilience and strong sense of teamwork,” Capt. Gigante said.

Cadet Pilot Adrian Tillada and Cadet Pilot Abraham Santos, also shared their stories of how they pursued their career aspirations. Tillada discussed how the journey with AAG helped him grow as an individual and develop his self-confidence, social skills and aviation knowledge. Meanwhile, Santos highlighted that it is never too late to reach one’s dreams, and encouraged the attendees to pursue a profession that is their true passion.

A survey was conducted during the event, wherein 69 out of the 79 aspirants expressed their intention to undertake AAG’s Airline Pilot Program (APP), a comprehensive full-time cadetship course.

In another poll, the following emerged as the top 5 considerations in choosing a pilotschool:

1.Safety record (history of incidents/accidents)
2.Price/cost of training
3.Technology (e.g standard/quality of aircraft, simulators, classrooms, instructional equipment,other amenities)
4.Influence in the industry (e.g partnership and network with airlines and other industry players)
5.Reputation in the industry (both of the company and its management and training teams)

Other highlights of the APCO included discussions on pilot aptitude by Ms. Shiela May Castor (AAG Student Affairs Technical Officer), Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s (ERAU) Graduate Certificate in Aviation (Asia Focus) by Capt. Mitchel Theodore Pias (AICAT Ground Instructor), the AAG-BDO Study-Now-Pay-Later (SNPL) Program, one-on-one career coaching with the AAG Management and Training Teams, and exciting quiz games.