The Air Division of the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) further strengthened its unit when six of its members were commissioned as helicopter pilots after completing their training at Helang Flying Academy based at Senai International Airport, Johor.
All the helicopter pilots received their flight wings from the Director General of Public Service Datuk Mohd Khairul Adib bin Abd Rahman at a ceremony held at the Sungai Rengit Fire and Rescue Station in Johor. The ceremony was also attended by JBPM Director General Dato’ Mohammad Hamdan bin Haji Wahid and Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid, Director of Helang Flying Academy.
The six pilots, who went through the Commercial Pilot License or CPL (Helicopter) course for 15 months since May 2019 at Senai International Airport will be assigned to various air bases of JBPM. They are expected to be involved in various rescue missions at their respective locations, including rescue and forest fire fighting operations.
Speaking at the event, Datuk Ahmad Zaki Zahid said, “I would like to congratulate these six new pilots on their success in obtaining their CPL (Helicopter) qualification after undergoing a tough training programme. Our thanks also go to JBPM for the trust given to Helang Flying Academy to train their helicopter pilots. We are proud to assist JBPM in this challenging endeavour, without having to send these pilots to training centres abroad. In fact, these six pilots are graduates from Malaysia’s local academy after a gap of four years without a locally-commissioned helicopter pilot”.
“Through cooperation with our partner, Defense Conseil International (DCI) from France, Helang Flying Academy is able to provide the best expertise comparable to training centres in other developed countries as our international teaching team consists of highly-skilled personnel with military, paramilitary and civilian backgrounds”, he added.
Since 2018, Helang Flying Academy has been offering various helicopter flight and crew courses after receiving its Approved Training Organisation (ATO) certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). It has state-of-the-art EC120B helicopters and advanced simulator for training purposes. Indeed, Helang Flying Academy is a helicopter flight training centre focused on excellence and is set to become a leading provider in helicopter training in Southeast Asia and beyond.
Helang Flying Academy C/O Sapura Technics Sdn. Bhd. is based at Sapura Aero Hangers in Senai International Airport. For more information, contact +607 595 7800 or Fax +607 595 5279.
