The Askari Flying Academy (AFA) was established at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in 2010, and has since then trained aspiring pilots using its fleet of Cessna 162s and 172s.

The AFA provides private pilot licence (PPL) and commercial pilot licence (CPL) training on its single engine piston aircraft, as well as operating a flight instructors’ course and a flight operation officer course.

Located on the old Airport Road, the academy includes a flying wing, a ground school wing, an aircraft maintenance wing and engineering staff.

Its flying wing comprises experienced aviators, such as Capt Athar Ansari and ground instructor Mohammad Qaiser Ansari. Experienced aviators are also part of the ground school staff, where the majority of staffers served in army aviation.

The academy consists of well-equipped classrooms, a flight operations room, a library, a pilots’ lounge, a simulation room, an aircraft parking tarmac, an aircraft maintenance setup, a control room and an administrative complex.

It has a fleet of two Cessma I62s and two Cessman 172s. The 162 is an American side-by-side two seat, high wing, strut braced, tricycle gear light sport aircraft that was designed and produced between 2009 and 2013.

The 172, meanwhile, is the world’s most popular lightweight aircraft, ideal for navigation training. It accommodates up to four people and has a maximum speed of 228 kilometres per hour at sea level.

A total of 25 students, including five young men pursuing the flight instructor course and five women pursuing CPL and PPL courses, currently study at AFA. In order to undergo flight training, students must be at least 17 years old and have 12 years of education.

The academy is also one of the first to offer a simulator training centre, with a Red Bird MCX Advanced Aviation Training Device, in Pakistan.

AFA general manager retired Col Wasim Akhtar Malik said the simulator is a Cessna 172 R single engine aircraft, with an enclosed cockpit physically modelled to represent the real aircraft. He said it has dual control and a full instrument flight panel on the pilot and co-pilot site for crew coordination training.

“The flying simulator is the best aid to teach students on instrument,” Mr Malik said.

He added that some students from the academy chose to become flying instructors, while others join commercial airlines.

Retired Lt Col Mumtaz Ali, the chief flying instructor, said: “Without [the instrument rating course], no pilot can fly in bad weather. Instrument training enables the pilot to fly in poor visibility, or when enters cloud inadvertently. This course is offered to all student pilots who wanted to undergo their training after attaining PPL and CPL.”

Adeeba Abbas, a student from Multan who is pursuing a commercial pilot training course, told Dawn she was denied admission into a flying academy in Multan because she was a woman. Instead, she joined the AFA in Rawalpindi.

She explained that she was inspired by female pilots who had served in Pakistan International Airlines and the air force.

Meanwhile Khyzir, a student from Gilgit, said no one in his family had ever dreamt of flying, which was why he decided to pursue it.

“No one motivated me. It was my own choice to become a pilot and join the flying academy,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2018