Emirati cadet pilots complete first solo flight

The seven cadets who are more than half way through their 18 month training at the Horizon Flight Academy in Al Ain made the successful flights during the last month in a Cessna 172SP single-engine, high-wing aircraft.

To honour the achievement the cadet pilots were presented with a set of Etihad flying wings by Etihad Airways' chief executive James Hogan and Captain Richard Hill, Etihad Airways' executive vice president operations at a special ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

James Hogan said: "The Emirati cadet pilot programme has been immensely popular since it was launched in March 2007 and we are very proud that each member of the first class has now made their first solo flight which is so significant in a pilot's career.

"Everyone at Etihad wishes each cadet pilot the best of luck as they take their exams and continue their course to qualify as a commercial pilot and eventually joining the ranks as a pilot on the UAE's national airline".

To complete the Etihad pilot programme, and become a first officer co-pilot on the airline's Airbus A320 fleet of jets, each cadet has to undertake 905 hours in the classroom and 205 hours flying experience in single and multi-engine aircraft as well as Etihad' state-of-the-art flight simulators.

Ebrahim Hasan Ebrahim Haidar, one of the Etihad cadet pilots, said: "We are all thrilled to have been given the set of wings to recognise the achievement of completing our first solo flight and all of us are determined to push ahead with our desire to become commercial pilots at our country's national airline".

Meanwhile Etihad's first class of Emirati technical engineer trainees recently flew to the Australian city of Brisbane where they will spend the majority of the two-year programme at the Aviation Australia maintenance training centre.

A total of 16 trainees joined the technical engineering development programme in February 2008 and a further intake of 16 trainees is scheduled for November.