by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Apr 27, 2018 | Uncategorized
April is the month when most college students graduate from their university in our country. After all the hard work and what seemed like endless nights of plates and projects, the day has finally arrived to start a new chapter of life being independent in the reality of workforce. However, one often wonder what step to do next now that the routine life in school is gone. To help you answer these questions, let us share to you an inspiring speech from AAG’s Regional Director, Cris Magdangal, delivered to a strong number of 143 graduates from Asian College of Aeronautics in their 6th Commencement Exercise last April 12 this year. “At the onset, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Management and Staff of the Asian College of Aeronautics for inviting me to address its 6th Commencement Exercises. Allow me as well to congratulate the 143-strong members of the graduating batch for a job well done. We share the felicitation and this honor to the proud parents, relatives, and loved ones. Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant morning. We are witnessing “a new golden age of aviation” right here, right now. From the Wright Brothers’ 59-second 852 feet-long flight onboard their Flyer at Kitty Hawk in 1903; the 1935 crossing of the Pacific from San Francisco to Manila by Pan Am’s China Clipper; the B707’s ushering in of the jetliners age in 1957; to the maiden flight of the B747 jumbo jet in 1969; We have the privilege, right within our own lifetime, of seeing the rise (and later, fall) of the A380; experiencing the new...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Mar 28, 2018 | Uncategorized
Clark, Pampanga— Alpha Aviation Group (AAG) held its first ever alumni meet last 22nd of March in its training grounds in Clark to promote a day of fellowship and camaraderie among graduates, cadets, and employees. The said event attended by more than 10 alumni is a vehicle for AAG to achieve the starting association’s strategic objectives, mainly—alumni accomplishments; alumni participation; cadet referrals; and “pay it forward” projects. An introductory speech was also delivered by the newly promoted Cebu Pacific airline Captain Marco Bayrante who is an accomplished alumnus from the Airline Pilot Program (APP) Batch 1 to inspire the on-going cadet pilots in their journey of pursuing their dream career. More alumni meetings are to be organized soon including an upcoming Grand Alumni Homecoming this year where alumni achievements are to be recognized as discussed by AAG’s Regional Director, Mr. Cristopher Magdangal, in his inspirational speech. The program ended with a campus tour to highlight the latest facilities enhancement in the training grounds and cadet-alumni meet and greet for the lower batches to get to know more their upper batch mates.— Photos by: Delmar...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Jun 28, 2017 | Featured
Alpha Aviation Group, one of Asia’s leading pilot training providers, has launched its new multi-million dollar Full Flight Airbus A330/A340 simulator at a ceremony at its Clark training facility in the Philippines. The first wide body and state-of-the-art simulator in the Philippines, has complete Airbus A330 and A340 functionality — fully replicating the cockpit experience and functions of both planes. The purchase of the simulator comes at a critical moment for the aviation industry across Asia-Pacific. Falling oil prices coupled with a rising middle-class in the region have led to a surge in demand for air travel, in turn driving demand for more pilots. As a result, Boeing predicts the Asia-Pacific region will need an additional 248,000 pilots by 2035 – 40% of the global total of 617,000 new pilots required. Furthermore, a large portion of this growing demand in Asia-Pacific is for long-haul travel, which requires wide body aircraft such as the A330 and A340. In recent years many airlines have increased their wide body fleets and Southeast Asia’s wide body fleet grew by more than 30% in 2015. The simulator will be financed in agreement with BDO Leasing & Finance, the leasing and finance division of the Philippines largest bank. The launch event was attended by Bhanu Choudhrie, Founder of C&C Alpha Group; Cristopher Magdangal, Alpha Aviation Group Regional Director – Asia Pacific; Roberto E. Lapid, Vice Chairman & President of BDO Leasing, Agerico Verzola, First Vice President of BDO Leasing; Artemio Tuazon Jr, Chief of Staff of the Philippines Department of Transportation; and Cherian Thomas, Non-Executive Director of C&C Alpha Group. Also in attendance were a...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Mar 1, 2017 | Featured
Alpha Aviation Group, a leading pilot training provider in the Asia-Pacific, is pursuing its investment into pilot training by signing a financing agreement with BDO Leasing & Finance. The agreement covers the acquisition of a brand new Airbus A330 Full Flight Simulator, the first wide-body simulator in the Philippines and the latest simulator with Airbus A340 functionality built globally. The covenant between AAG and BDOLF comes at a time of tremendous growth now being seen in Southeast Asia’s airline industry, as demand for commercial pilots surpasses the current supply. Recently, Boeing has forecasted that 617,000 more commercial pilots will be needed globally by 2034, with 248,000 (40%) required across Southeast Asia. “BDO Leasing is truly excited with our partnership with Alpha Aviation Group being one of the leading global pilot training providers. It comes at an opportune time when the Philippines and the ASEAN Region, as a whole, is poised to economically grow faster than other countries in the world. We thank Alpha Aviation Group for establishing Clark Pampanga as its main training hub because this will increase the number and improve the skills of Filipino pilots. Further, the simulator will be available to neighboring countries that are increasing its fleet of Airbus A330 & A340,” said Roberto Lapid, President of BDO Leasing & Finance. For AAG’s part, finance manager Christine Legaspi, said, “The addition of the A330 full flight simulator with A340 option marks not only a significant milestone in the growth of Alpha Aviation Group but also our company’s timely collaboration with BDO, the Philippines’ biggest bank, toward a shared goal that is to support the aviation sector development....
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Dec 6, 2016 | Featured
Alpha Aviation Group is pursuing its investment into pilot training, with the purchase of the latest multimillion dollar Airbus A330 Full Flight Simulator with Airbus A340 functionality from CAE Commercial Flight Training. The Airbus A330/340 Full Flight Simulator will be placed at Alpha Aviation Group Philippines based in Clark, Philippines, approximately an hour’s drive away from the country’s capital, Manila. The newest investment was made to support the wide body segment, lower the cost of training of domestic and regional airlines, and support Philippines’ economic growth. This type of simulator will be the first wide body simulator in the Philippines and the latest simulator with Airbus A340 functionality built globally. It will simulate all the functions of a real Airbus A330 aircraft and has the flexibility to change to Airbus A340 layout when required by an airline. The acquisition of the simulator is in line with the fast-paced growth within the Southeast Asian airline industry, with demand for commercial pilots far outstripping supply. Boeing has recently forecast that 617,000 more commercial pilots will be needed globally by 2034, with 248,000 (40%) required across Southeast Asia. The Southeast Asia’s wide body fleet grew by more than 30% in 2015 and Alpha Aviation Group is committed to supporting this airline growth with training and training infrastructure. The Airbus A330/340 Full Flight simulator will serve as an invaluable training tool for Alpha Aviation Group Philippines’ domestic and foreign cadets and airline partners. Alpha Aviation Group is well positioned to assist the regional airlines in their aggressive expansion plans. The latest investment is a commitment from AAG to continue supporting the regional airline industry. The announcement was...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Oct 10, 2016 | Featured
A peek inside the A320 Simulator Alpha Aviation Group (“AAG”), a leading provider of aviation training solutions for the global airline industry, continues its investments into one of its platforms AAG Philippines by investing in its advanced training infrastructure. AAG Philippines has taken delivery and will commence training on a state of the art Airbus A320 Fixed Base Simulator acquired from simulator manufacturer Multi Pilot Simulation. The multi-million dollar MPS advanced A320 Fixed Base Simulator, the first to be operated in the southeast Asian region, simulates all the functions found onboard a real A320 aircraft and will offer leading regional airlines an alternative solution to existing training infrastructure. In recent years the A320 has become aircraft of choice for many regional carriers, including AirAsia, Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines. The A320 simulator, which will be fully operational and in use from November onwards, will serve as an invaluable training tool for Alpha Aviation Group Philippines 240 cadets and airline partners. The acquisition of the simulator comes at a time of tremendous growth within the southeast Asian airline industry, with demand for commercial pilots far outstripping supply. Boeing has recently forecast that 617,000 more commercial pilots will be needed globally by 2034, with 248,000 (40%) required across the South-East Asia region. Industry players have been investing into the region for the past couple of years with the most recent opening being the Airbus Training Center in Singapore. The trend is the airline industry has been to choose established and experienced players and Alpha Aviation Group is well positioned to assist the regional airlines in their aggressive expansion plans. The latest...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Jun 13, 2016 | Featured
Instructors play a vital role in shaping the future of aviation. Through their teaching, through the wisdom they instill, and through their sharing of insights gathered from years in the industry, they are responsible for producing the next generation of pilots and aviation leaders. We take a look at some of Alpha Aviation Group’s flight instructors to discover their personal insights about flight training, the aeronautics industry and what it takes to be a successful commercial airline pilot. Mr. Matutina is the Chief Ground School Instruction at the Alpha Aviation Group Philippines campus. He is also in charge of the Air Law, Meteorology and Radio Communications courses included in the various programs. Professional Experience Can you give us a short background of your professional career in the aviation industry? I am a Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Technology graduate from Philippine Air Transport and Training Services (PATTS). I am an Air Force enlisted personnel. I was a weather observer for 3 years and a weather forecaster for 9 years. In 2005, I joined the rank of Air Traffic Control (ATC) when the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) needed qualified ATC personnel coming from the military. In 2008, I was transferred to the Clark Tower in Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, where I received a civilian aerodrome rating. In 2011, we received guidance from the military, recalling us from ATC duties back to the Air Force. I then opted for early retirement and joined AAG as a radio communications instructor. Can you tell us more about your experience in the Air Traffic Control tower? In Clark, which is...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Mar 21, 2016 | Featured
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts that there will be 7.3 billion airline passengers by 2034, representing a 4.1% average annual growth over the next two decades. Interestingly, a bulk of that traffic will come from developing markets such as Africa, South America, and especially Asia, with China on track to dethrone the U.S. as the largest passenger market by 2030. As IATA Director General Tony Taylor boldly predicted: “The first century of air travel has seen about 65 billion passengers take to the sky. The next 65 billion will fly in just the next 20 years” Growth in Pilot Demand in Southeast Asia and Beyond Airlines are increasing their crew to meet the growing demand for air travel. As air travel becomes more mainstream, airlines will continue expanding their fleets to accommodate the passenger influx. This in turn provides golden opportunities to those who want to enter the aviation industry. In the Asia Pacific region alone, Boeing predicts that 226,000 new pilots will be needed, while another 332,000 will be required by airlines in the rest of the world. Fast, Sustainable Aircrafts More and more airlines are turning to environment-friendly jet aircrafts. The drastic increase in flight frequency and aircraft numbers will also have a corresponding environmental impact. To address this, carriers are investing in modified aircraft designs like the Airbus A350-900 that utilizes lighter, innovative materials to decrease weight and fuel consumption. The increased fuel efficiency also means fewer connecting flights as fuel pit stops will be kept to a minimum. Return of Supersonic Flights? Supersonic flights might just be making a comeback. When Concorde closed...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Dec 7, 2015 | Featured
Women pilots on the rise in the Philippines CNN’s Andrew Stevens follows a fully certified pilot as she prepares for a flight and joins a cadet at a training academy where more and more women are enrolling to seize this new opportunity in the aviation...
by Keziah Cyrene Garcia | Nov 18, 2015 | Featured
The glass cockpit is an industry standard technology utilized in modern aircrafts. Originating in military aircraft in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the glass cockpit is a state-of-the-art electronic system of control and digital avionics. Since its inception, it has changed the aeronautic landscape and has enabled aviators to operate an aircraft in a more convenient, efficient, and safe manner. Equipped in aircrafts used by most commercial airlines, an operational and systematic understanding of the glass cockpit facilitates immediate employment among pilots, as well as a lasting career in the aviation industry. Understanding the Glass Cockpit The glass cockpit provides improved aircraft operations and navigation through its Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS), a flight deck display setup that replaced the traditional dials found in what the industry called as “steam cockpit” that used to rely on mechanical gauges. Through individual primary flight screens, the Captain and the First Officer obtain access to aircraft status and various vital and pertinent information, such as attitude, heading, altitude, airspeed, lateral/vertical path, engine power, selected course, and navigation. Additionally, the glass cockpit includes a Multifunction Display LCD that relays supplementary data such as radio management, aircraft systems, engine instruments, checklists, flight plan, terrain, traffic information, charts, traffic and weather, and wind direction and speed. To provide supplementary information and function to the aircraft’s glass cockpit, Boeing developed the Engine-Indicating and Crew-Alerting System (EICAS), an integrated system that includes all engine instrumentation with crew advisory, caution, warning, and alert messages. In addition, Airbus developed the Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) system as support to EICAS. Designed to decrease pilot stress during emergency and...
