Dublin-based CityJet's cadet pilots now undergo training at a base in New Zealand, writes Martin Ryan

CORPORATE TRAINING that is conducted away from a company's premises and put into the hands of experts is a well-established practice in business. However, Dublin-based airline CityJet has taken this idea more than a step further in the training of cadet pilots - they now learn the ropes at a training base in New Zealand.

The importance of pilot training as an investment for such a company can hardly be overstated, as the quality of its pilots is of fundamental concern. Decisions in this area are not taken lightly and when the airline decided in 2006 to begin a cadet training scheme, it was after considerable research and deliberation that it initiated its association with pilot training provider CTC Aviation.

CTC's headquarters are located in the south of England, and the company has training bases in Southampton and Bournemouth, where training for all types of aviation staff, from pilots to cabin crew, is provided. Four years ago, CTC established another training base in Hamilton, a small city on the west coast of New Zealand's north island. It is from this location that the company provides cadet training under the CTC Wings banner.

CityJet's aspiring pilots are trained in the CTC programme, which takes pilots from the beginner stage to a point where they can confidently operate in the cockpit of a commercial aircraft. The Antipodean location makes this seem like an unusual and expensive arrangement, but it is actually a much more attractive and cost-efficient option for CityJet than it might appear.

David Finn, CityJet's manager of flight operation resources, says it is quite common for airlines based in this part of the world to do pilot training in the southern hemisphere or in Florida.

He cites the availability of more flying time as one of the main reasons for considering such locations. "That alone creates an obvious saving for us because the more flying time the trainee pilots get the faster their progress through the syllabus," he says.

For the aspiring pilot, the prospect of a training stint in New Zealand may seem attractive, but it represents a considerable investment for the cadets, who have to fund the training themselves.

Finn says cadets are preselected by CityJet and, on completion of their training, get more aircraft-specific training from the airline, before taking up employment. However, he says the airline has no involvement in funding the pilot training.

"Generally in this part of the world the self-sponsor model is used by airlines for its trainees, and for the programme in New Zealand a cadet needs to raise €80,000-€90,000 to complete the necessary training," he says. "It is a big personal investment but they are assured of employment at the end of the training, assuming, of course, that they have achieved their licence."

CTC Aviation conducts training for pilots from more than 50 airlines, and trained 1,400 pilots in 2007.

For the firm, New Zealand was not an accidental choice of location. From CTC's perspective as trainers, the flying time available, as well as the space to develop its training base at Hamilton, made the Land of the Long White Cloud an ideal option.

Karen Bath, head of corporate communications at CTC Aviation, says the company set up its training base in New Zealand in 2004. "We wanted at that stage to look overseas for somewhere more suitable and looked at South Africa and Australia but when all factors were considered we came down in favour of New Zealand."

The sheer physical scope of New Zealand, allied with its sparse population, means there is a lot of airspace, which she says is far from the case in England. "You can fly around happily in New Zealand, whereas at home you are competing for very limited airspace, which also means high landing fees."

Bath also identifies the weather in New Zealand as ideal, as it is broadly similar to the weather at home, so cadets get to experience flying in the same varied conditions as those of Britain and Ireland.

"The big problem with the likes of South Africa, Australia, or even somewhere like Florida is that, while you will get very good flying conditions, you will not have the necessary mix of weather you will inevitably encounter back home," she notes.

As with most companies choosing to base themselves in far-flung places, economic incentives in New Zealand played no small part in the decision.

According to Bath, "it was attractive to set up there and to extend our presence there later, but it was a big thing for the local economy too, so much so that the prime minister himself came to open the training base, which shows how significant it was to them".

Bath also says it adds to the cadets' experience that the 10 months' training is in New Zealand.

"When the practical side of the training is completed, the cadets are brought back to the CTC base in southern England for the balance of the training, which is mainly theoretical at that stage of the programme," she adds.