Lift-off for new class of proud Aer Lingus pilot cadets
A NEW generation of Aer Lingus pilots has been unveiled by the company.
The airline welcomed 20 new cadets who have been chosen from thousands of applicants.
The group -- 17 men and three women -- are from the Republic, the North, and Great Britain.
Aer Lingus received an "overwhelming response", with over 2,000 applications for its cadet pilot training programme.
Delighted
It is over a decade since airline last launched a similar programme.
The cadets will now undergo a 14-month training programme with FTEJerez, the flight training provider of cadet pilots, based in Jerez, Spain.
It includes five months of ground school followed by basic flying on single and then multi-engine aircraft.
The trainees will return to Aer Lingus in the summer of 2013 to complete further training, including an airline transition course, simulator and safety training.
Following the successful completion of the programme, the cadets will receive their wings and begin flying the airline's fleet of Airbus 320 planes.
comurphy@herald.ie
- Cormac Murphy
