ST Aerospace’s commercial pilot training arm, ST Aerospace Academy (STAA) has entered into a partnership with Hainan Aviation Academy (HNAA) to train commercial pilots. Under the
agreement, HNAA will send 50 of its cadet pilots to STAA to undergo STAA’s High Performance Aircraft Training (HPAT) course. STAA will conduct four weeks of ground school at HNAA’s facility at Yichang in Hubei province, China, followed by two weeks
of flying training at STAA’s Singapore headquarters. The first batch of 12 cadet pilots commenced their HPAT course in March 2012.

HPAT serves to help cadet pilots to transit smoothly from handling low power single engine and multi engine aircraft that are used in basic training to multi turbo engine aircraft as an intermediary transition to airliners that are operated by commercial airlines. STAA’s HPAT programme is the only one in the region where all
flights are conducted on international air routes. This has the value add of allowing cadet pilots to gain valuable real life experience communicating with air traffic controllers from different countries, as well as flying in varied weather conditions and terrains, STAA
said.

Established since 2007, STAA operates out of Seletar Airport in Singapore and Ballarat Airport in Victoria, Australia. It offers Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and Multi-crew Pilot Licence  (MPL) programmes, as well as advanced pilot training courses. Customers include both private individuals, as well as airlines such as China Cargo Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines,
JuneYao Airlines, Mihin Lanka Airways, SF Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Tianjin Airlines and Tiger Airways.