Integrated Training

Our integrated ATPL(A) flight training is an intense full-time, 21-month program in which the students complete the Integrated Airline Transport Pilot License Training (PPL/CPL/ME/IR & ATPL theory).

This is the usual training path for airline cadets (airline sponsored) and it is also the recommended training path for those who plan to self-finance their training and which to fly for an airline one day.

All of the ground school (theory) and most of the flying will be conducted at our main base in Vientiane, Laos.

Our integrated program is designed to give you 185 h flight time in the airplane total (single-engine 164, plus multi-engine 21) with an additional 36 h in the simulator.

Total time spent in ground school from ab-initio to ATPL is 480 hours plus an estimated 1,600 hours of structured self-study time.

The 6 steps of our Integrated Training

Find out what the airline selection requirements are. See this blog post here.

Then examine yourself and ask your family and friends. How good is your English? Do you like to learn new things? Do you like working with machines? Are you intrigued by new technology? Can you work under pressure?

You can expect many tests and examinations, not only when you are a student, but throughout your pilot career.

Can you stay calm in an emergency? Can you work well in a team with other people?

Step 1: Selection

Before we enlist you into our intense full-time, integrated program, we want to make sure that you are able to keep up with the studies. The entry tests are a critical first step to help make sure that the flight hours and cost estimates will remain close to the target.

During our tests we will look at your physical and mental aptitude as well as your character and help you decide if the airline career, during which you will be responsible for many lives, is the right choice for you.

Our aptitude testing consist of several stages. You must pass each stage to advance to the next stage.

In the first stage we start by assessing your English (speaking, understanding, reading and writing), Math & Science abilities, your character, and various other mental abilities as well as your physical fitness.

In the second stage you will complete training sessions in the simulator and in the airplane.

If you pass this stage we will accept you into our Integrated Flight Training.

Step 2: PPL

You will begin your Integrated Training with the PPL ground school, Aviation English classes and a few other classes such as the "Best Study Practices" class and "Cessna 172" class.

Parallel to the PPL GS you will begin flight training and learn to operate the airplane according to Visual Meteorological Rules (VFR). The first three months of this stage are a probational period. During this period of time we will look closely how you cope with the training.

At the end of Stage 2 you will have around 65h of total flight time and completed 265h of in-class ground school, 700 h of structured self-study time plus uncounted hours of extra homework and flight briefings.

You can expect to pass the PPL skill test close to 9 months into your training.

The PPL is a major step towards becoming an airline transport licensed pilot.

Step 3: Night endorsement & Time-building

In this phase you will complete a 15h ground school for the night endorsement.

You will also be enrolled into the ATPL(A) ground school which we offer in partnership with BGS and which you will complete through a hybrid approach, part online and part in class here at the CAFTC. This ground school will prepare you for 13 individual ATPL(A) theory tests with the DCAL.

In this stage of training you will learn to fly the airplane at night, over longer distances to new destinations and you will be introduced to new flight maneuvers like the "Chandelle" or "Eights-On-Pilons".

You will also build your Pilot-In-Command (PIC) time and conduct cross-country flights to several new destinations.

Step 4: SEIR

In this phase of your training, you will learn to fly and navigate the airplane in "instrument meteorological conditions" (IMC), or in other words, in very low visibility or cloud.

You will learn to fly according to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), how to fly standard Instrument departure procedures, navigate, fly instrument arrivals and approaches down to minima, conduct missed approach procedures and enter instrument holding patterns.

You will learn to depart, navigate and approach using the NDB, VOR and GNSS. You will also practice ILS CAT I approaches.

Step 5: CPL

At the end of this Step you will be at 170h of total flight time.

You can expect to pass the CPL flight test close to 18-months into your training.

As a commercial pilot you would be ready to join an airline, be captain of any airplane requiring single-crew or ready to begin type rating training for any airplane requiring two crew.

Usually, airlines fly larger and more complex airplanes with more than one engine and so our Integrated Flight Training continues.

Step 6: MECR, MEIR

You will conduct the ground school required for these ratings here in Laos and then you will either be sent to Canada for the practical portion of the training or enrolled into our own multi-engine program here in Laos. This will depend on how fast we will get our multi-engine program approved here in Laos.

The flight syllabus includes 11h on the small twin for the multi-engine rating and an additional 10 hours for the multi-engine instrument rating.