European Pilot Academy

Summer 2009 AirCadet courses a huge success

The last week of August brought an end to the Cadets Courses, Basic and Advanced. A total number of 39 Cadets in all attended EPA's summer school which was a very promising turnout considering the latest economical downturn. Those who attented the Advanced Air Cadet Course are very excited for next year as they now become eligible to start the PPL course whilst those who attended the Basic Air Cadet course will now be ready to attend the Advanced Air Cadet Course. Daniel Tabone Training Manager at EPA said "We have already had secured bookings for next year at both levels and are hoping to have an equally if not not a bigger group than this year." Cadets applications are open all the year round and are based on a first come first serve basis. Should anyone be interested a downloadable form is available online.

Summer 2009 AirCadet courses a huge success
29/09/2009

The last week of August brought an end to the Cadets Courses, Basic and Advanced. A total number of 39 Cadets in all attended EPA's summer school which was a very promising turnout considering the latest economical downturn. Those who attented the Advanced Air Cadet Course are very excited for next year as they now become eligible to start the PPL course whilst those who attended the Basic Air Cadet course will now be ready to attend the Advanced Air Cadet Course. Daniel Tabone Training Manager at EPA said "We have already had secured bookings for next year at both levels and are hoping to have an equally if not not a bigger group than this year." Cadets applications are open all the year round and are based on a first come first serve basis. Should anyone be interested a downloadable form is available online.
EPA keeps their +97% pass rate
24/03/2010

EPA has produced another 4 successful candidates who obtained their full theoretical ATPL pass. Their scores were well above the European average a result that not only EPA is proud of but also Malta as a country who forms part as a member of the Joint Avaition Authority (Europe's Aviation Body). With the latest results EPA still boasts of a 97% pass rate with all of its students and will strive to keep these results in the same bracket for many more years to come. Now that these students have successfully completed their theoretical studies they will now embark on building their hours in preparation for their Commercial Course.
The PA-28 Warrior II joins our fleet
24/03/2010

PA28-161 Warrior II Due to its expansion, European Pilot Academy (E.P.A.) has just taken the delivery of another trainer aircraft a Piper PA 28 also known as a Warrior II to compliment its existing fleet of single & multi engine aircraft. The first thing that one will notice is its low wing and sleek lines making it look already a very nippy aircraft. A nice feature of this particular aircraft when one preflights the aircraft on the ground is the cowling (engine covers) opens fully when you check the oil so you can check out the engine compartment a lot better than the usual small flap found on other training aircraft that allows access to the oil dipstick. Once in the cockpit one will notice that in any climate this aircraft may fly in it can be easily adjusted to get large amounts of cool airflow inside the cabin for summer days or a nice toasty atmosphere during the winter days with a series of vents, blowers and heaters. Whilst the pilot adjust his seating position the passengers at the back have ample legroom and a 6 foot 4 in person will have no legroom issue. The 4 seater aircraft is fully equipped to fly at night and under low visibility conditions know as Instrument flight and will be utilized to train students to obtain Private Pilot & Commercial Licenses as well as the individual ratings of night & Instrument. The aircraft has already been sprayed in the company’s new colours which now represents a serious but yet a lively look and is already very popular with both instructors & students due to its excellent performance and very stable flight characteristics. The aircraft produces 161 horse power and flies a comfortable 120 knots and burns an average fuel consumption of 28 litres an hour of clean unleaded fuel. E.P.A. in the last 9 years of operation went green by shifting all its fleet to utilizing standard unleaded fuel (like in the automotive industry) as opposed to the more polluting AVGAS 100LL (aviation fuel for most reciprocating aircraft engines). It now owns a refueling station which is self powered by solar charging to the fuel pump located in Apron 3 at Malta International Airport. In preparation for E.P.A’s big step up to becoming Malta’s first Flight Training Organization in the flying division a decision was taken to standardize our fleet and Piper became the obvious choice. E.P.A. already has in possession a Piper Seneca II a twin engine aircraft and having now a Piper Warrior II will make the transition much easier for the student when training on the larger twin as there are very few differences in the cockpit layout. Due to its popularity and ‘good feel’ Piper has become the most renowned aircraft for flight training and also the most popular with Pilots for pleasure flying.” This aircraft was also the very first aircraft released by Falcon Aviation Engineering (F.A.E.) a recently certified maintenance facility which forms part of the Falcon Alliance Group to which European Pilot Academy also belongs to. Although this aircraft is more complex than most single engine aircraft due to its heavy instrumentation and larger engine it’s still a very easy aircraft to maintain and has an unmatched safety record within its division per flight hour.
Approval for Malta’s first Flight Training Organisation
08/01/2007

The European Pilot Academy, based in Luqa, has been approved as Malta’s first Flight Training Organisation (FTO) and as such has been authorised to conduct formal training courses for professional pilots up to Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) level. The certificate as an approved FTO, issued by the Department of Civil Aviation, was presented to the director of the EPA, Captain Ray Zarb, by Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea yesterday morning. Capt. Zarb said this is an important achievement for the academy and for the local aviation sector. He said his dream to set up a flight training school has become a reality. “It has not been an easy task and it has not been a solo effort. With this certification, Malta will stand out among other countries,” Capt. Zarb said. The application was filed in 2006 and the academy had to complete a rigorous compliance and certification process before the approval was granted. The FTO certificate complements the existing training courses offered by the EPA to take career-oriented students to the highest professional qualification and airline pilot standard – the ATPL. Capt. Zarb said the academy currently has an application pending with the Department of Civil Aviation to add the Instrument Rating (IR) and Commercial Pilot’s License (CPL) to the FTO certificate. This will give the EPA a comprehensive portfolio of training courses from ab initio to ATPL. The application is expected to be approved within the coming weeks. The EPA will also be taking delivery of a Zlin Z142 aircraft which will be used for aerobatics training and is also fully equipped up to 2007 European Air Safety Agency (which supersedes the Joint Aviation Administration) and certified for instrument (IR) training. In a brief address, Minister Galea thanked the academy for providing the opportunity to a number of local and foreign students to train as pilots and air cadets. PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory Pro trial version http://www.pdffactory.com “The academy has served as the launch pad for these individuals to develop such a challenging skill as flying. I have visited the academy on several occasions and every time there was always something exciting on the horizon, towards which all the academy staff seemed to be very dedicated,” Minister Galea said. He added that he was pleased to note that the participation of international students in the International Airline Transport Pilot License training programme is expected to increase from 35 per cent to 55 per cent by the end of the year. The EPA was set up 15 years ago and in 1996 it was granted a permit by the DCA to open Malta’s first flying academy offering flight instruction to Private Pilot’s License level, including all the theoretical subjects and flight training required for one to be able to take the PPL examinations. That year the academy acquired its first aircraft, a Cessna 152. In 2004, the DCA established the Maltese JAA Private Pilot License which allowed Maltese students to obtain a Maltese license recognised in JAA member countries. In 2004, the academy moved to its present premises after it converted a building at the airport that previously used to host the offices of the Meteorological Office. To date, the EPA has trained hundreds of students, many of whom are now professional pilots with international carriers. The academy owns and operates a fleet of training aircraft ranging from light singles to twin-engine types. Details about the courses offered can be found at www.falconalliance.com.
EPA ATPL hits the 99% pass rate
08/05/2010

4 successful candidates have passed their full theoretical ATPL exams conducted by the Civil Aviation Directoreate-Malta. Their scores were far above the European average. Capt Ray Zarb stated that not only EPA is proud of but also Malta as a member of the Joint Avaition Authority (Europe's Aviation Body). With the latest results EPA boasts the 99% pass rate. We strive to keep these results for many more years to come, thanks to our professional and dedicated team of ATPL instructors.