Taiwan Unveils First Civil Pilot Training SchoolTraining school important for Taiwan's civil aviationTaiwan has unveiled first flying school to train civil aircraft pilots on the island, reports reaching in Hong Kong from Taipei said Sunday.A former local aviation official was quoted as saying that Taiwan has no alternatives but to train civil aircraft pilots on the island. Taiwan's first flying school, opened on March 14, holds the key to the future of civil aviation, the official said. Named the Taiwan Aviation Training Center, the new flying school plans to enroll 100 students a year, who will be trained for 18 months. All trainees receive intensive English training classes and do other studies at the China Airlines building in Taipei. Flight training will take place at Taitung in eastern Taiwan. Most pilots are foreignersAccording to the official, an unproportionately large number of foreign pilots fly Taiwan's passenger aircraft. One fourth of an estimated 2,000 pilots working for Taiwan's airlines are foreigners. They come from more than 30 countries with a varying quality of performance.One third of Taiwan-born pilots are retired air force flyers. They do not feel comfortable working for commercial airlines. China Airlines and EVA Airways, two largest airline companies in Taiwan, have pilots trained abroad. The cost of training overseas is exorbitantly high, the official said. |
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