No fewer than 10 students have begun their training to become fully-fledged private pilots through the Malta School of Flying.

The new students form the largest single group the school has ever had, and according to school director Patrick Fenech: “the future looks bright”.

“Our school has now trained 46 student pilots and 23 cadet pilots in less than three years. We have also conducted night training and differences training for more than 15 qualified pilots as well. Demand for flight instruction is such that we have boosted our training aircraft fleet to four Cessna aircraft, and we look forward to expanding further.”

The new students represent a varied cross-section – from professionals to students – and the three young ladies among them goes to prove that flying is not something just for men, the school said.

The students will now undergo intensive ground training, followed by their first attempts to fly an aircraft, under the guidance of the school’s experienced flight instructors. Once the instructors are confident that their students have achieved the required standards of airmanship, they will then propose them as candidates for their flying examinations, after which they will be awarded their Private Pilot’s Licence.