ST AEROSPACE ACADEMY EXPANDS OPERATIONS WITH NEW FACILITY, FLIGHT SIMULATOR AND AIRCRAFT FLEET BUYS

Singapore, 27 September 2011 – ST Aerospace’s commercial pilot training arm, ST Aerospace Academy (STAA), today announced that it has invested $15m over six months to expand its operations to better meet the increasing demand for its programmes.

As part of capacity expansion, STAA recently added a new facility at the perimeter of Ballarat Airport. It comprises 1,300sqm of administrative space and 7,700sqm of classroom facilities. It is also developing a new Flight Operations Centre (FOC) at Ballarat Airport, which is expected to be ready by end 2011. The FOC will feature an aircraft apron that can accommodate a fleet of up to 40 aircraft. STAA’s current facility is about 200m from the new location and can accommodate up to 20 aircraft.

In line with its plan to establish a simulator centre in Singapore, STAA has acquired an Airbus A320 flight simulator, which will be delivered in July 2012. Upon delivery, it will be housed in the centre currently being developed at Seletar Aerospace Park, with other facilities for classrooms, briefing rooms, instructor rooms and corporate offices.

In addition, to enhance training delivery, STAA acquired an all-glass cockpit fleet comprising 12 single-engine Cessna 172S and four new multi engine Piper PA44 Seminole aircraft. The new aircraft fleet features an all-glass cockpit, which is similar to that found in the airliners operated by commercial airlines. This enables cadet pilots to get fully accustomed to an all-glass environment and better prepares them for their future roles in the cockpits of modern commercial aircraft.

Meanwhile, STAA has recently been selected by Hainan Airlines to provide a pilot training programme, comprising both ab initio flying training and High Performance Aircraft Training (HPAT) for 100 cadet pilots. The first batch of 31 students has commenced their training in August 2011 and is expected to graduate with a Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s Commercial Pilot Licence and Multi Engine Command Instrument Rating by December 2012.

HPAT serves to help cadet pilots to transit smoothly from handling low power single engine and multi engine aircraft that are used in basic training to multi turbo engine aircraft as an intermediary transition to airliners that are operated by commercial airlines. STAA’s HPAT programme is the only one in the region where all flights are conducted on international air routes. This has the value add of allowing cadet pilots to gain valuable real life experience communicating with air traffic controllers from different countries, as well as flying in varied weather conditions and terrains.

STAA, in partnership with Tiger Airways and with support from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, has also developed and completed Singapore’s first Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) programme. The MPL programme utilises the latest teaching methodologies and simulation technologies and trains the student in a multi-crew cooperation environment from much earlier in the training than in traditional pilot training programmes.

Boeing has projected that the world’s airlines will need an additional 460,000 pilots over the next 20 years. The biggest demand is expected in the Asia Pacific region, with a requirement for 183,200 pilots.

Established since 2007, STAA operates out of Seletar Airport in Singapore and Ballarat Airport in Victoria, Australia. It offers MPL and Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) programmes, as well as advanced pilot training courses. Customers include both private individuals, as well as airlines such as Hainan Airlines, JuneYao Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines and Tiger Airways.