Flight training available in PNG

With a ‘One Training Centre – Two Campuses‘ approach, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) will again offer flight training for Papua New Guineans in PNG.
The two training campuses are Mt Hagen and Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.
MAF is planning two intakes each year, with the opportunity for up to four PNG students to begin training at each intake.
Within two years the MAF Training Centre aims to produce professional and competent pilots with relevant licences, ratings and approximately 240 hours flying experience.
With over 65 years of experience in providing essential flight services to many of the most isolated communities in PNG, MAF’s training curriculum will provide a focus on safety and remote area operations as modelled by MAF.
With the two campuses’ integrated approach, students will get exposure to both the Australian and Papua New Guinean flying environments.
Each campus will work to a common curriculum, built on a competency-based training philosophy and compliant with the curriculum required by Casa (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) PNG and Casa Australia.
Training will be delivered by experienced instructors with significant industry expertise and cross-cultural experience.
The Mareeba campus will deliver the foundational training to student pilots – covering private pilot’s licence, night flying rating and instrument flight rating.
Students will attend the Mt Hagen campus to apply newly developed flight skills and knowledge in the PNG context, developing planning and navigation expertise, and the right attitude for safe remote operations.
This part of the course will cover cross-country navigation, operations on non-paved airstrips, and competencies required for commercial pilot licence training. Flight costs are subject to change and could increase if student progress is slower than average.
Typically, the total two-year training costs for students enrolling during 2017 comes to A$107,500 (about K272,000) with students gaining 240 flight hours.
Additional expenses will include flights to/from Cairns, Australian student visa costs, Casa fees for medical fees, licences and ratings, Casa exam fees, and living expenses such as food and accommodation at either campus.
Prerequisites for entry include a grade 12 (or higher) certificate with “high pass” marks in English, maths and physics, good physical and mental health. In addition, prior to enrolling students, MAF will assess aptitude and suitability at a three-
day pre-flight training assessment event to be held at the Mt Hagen campus.
The assessment looks at a candidate’s general knowledge, numeracy and literacy skills plus aptitude and attitude.