Sabena Flight Academy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
CAE Oxford Aviation Academy Brussels - Sabena Flight Academy

Motto	One step ahead
Motto in English	One step ahead
Type	Airline pilot school
Established	1953 (1953)
Director-General	Francis Clavette
Location	Steenokkerzeel, Mesa, Évora , Belgium, United States, Portugal
Campus	Brussels Airport, Falcon Field Airport, Évora Airport
Colours	Blue and Grey
Nickname	CAE SFA
Affiliations	CAE, IAAPS

CAE Oxford Aviation Academy Brussels - Sabena Flight Academy is a special school. It teaches people how to become airline pilots. This school started in 1953 in Steenokkerzeel, Belgium. It is now part of the CAE Global Academy. Students learn in Brussels, Belgium, and in Mesa, USA. Sabena Flight Academy is one of the oldest pilot schools in Europe.

History of the Pilot School

How the School Started

The idea for a pilot training school began in 1953. The Belgian government owned the training planes. They asked Sabena, an airline, to run the school. It was called École d’aviation civile (EAC). Early training happened at the Grimbergen airfield. Students first learned on de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth planes. Later, they used Siai Marchetti SF260s. For advanced training, they flew Saab Safir 91B and then Cessna 310B planes. In 1981, they started using the Embraer Xingu.

Becoming Sabena's Own School

In 1991, the Belgian government gave the École d’aviation civile to Sabena. The school changed its name to Belgian Aviation School. Then it became Sabena Air Training Center. The school moved to a new building at Brussels National Airport. They decided to do flight training in Phoenix, USA. This was because the weather in Arizona is sunny almost every day. This allows for flying lessons all year round. Even when Sabena airline went bankrupt in 2001, the flight school kept going. In 2004, two former Sabena managers bought the school. It was then named Sabena Flight Academy.

Joining the CAE Group

In 2008, a big Canadian company called CAE bought the school. This purchase was part of CAE's plan. They wanted to create a worldwide network of training schools. This network is called the CAE Global Academy.

Other School Locations

The school has two other training locations:

• Sabena Flight Academy Africa is in Douala, Cameroun.
• Sabena Airline Training Center (SATC) is in Mesa, Arizona, USA.

How to Become an Airline Pilot

The "Airline Transport Pilot Integrated" (ATP Integrated) course is a full-time program. It helps students get a special license. This license is called a 'frozen' Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). It becomes fully active after a pilot flies 1500 hours. This course follows rules from Joint Aviation Authorities/European Aviation Safety Agency (JAA/EASA).

Getting Started: The Assessment

To join the course, you must pass an assessment. This test checks several things:

• Your knowledge of physics.
• Your English language skills.
• Your personality and how motivated you are.
• Your psychological profile.

If you pass, you can join the course. New courses usually start about three times a year.

Learning in the Classroom

The first nine months of the course are in Brussels. This part is called "Ground School." Students study for 14 important exams. These are the JAA/EASA ATPL theoretical exams. They also spend twenty hours in a flight simulator. Passing these exams and the simulator check is very important. It allows students to travel to Mesa for actual flying lessons.

The 14 ATPL exams cover these topics:

• Air Law: Rules for flying.
• Airframes/Systems/Powerplant: How planes are built and work.
• Instrumentation: Using the plane's dials and screens.
• Mass & Balance: Making sure the plane is balanced.
• Aircraft Performance: How well the plane flies.
• Flight Planning: Planning a safe flight path.
• Human Performance: How pilots think and react.
• Meteorology: Understanding weather for flying.
• General Navigation: Finding your way around the world.
• Radio Navigation: Using radio signals to navigate.
• Operational Procedures: How to fly safely.
• Principles of Flight: Why planes fly.
• VFR Communications: Talking to air traffic control when you can see outside.
• IFR Communications: Talking to air traffic control when you fly using instruments.

By the end of nine months, students complete 750 hours of classroom learning.

First Flying Lessons

The next six months are spent in Mesa, USA. Students fly for 140 hours in single-engine planes. These include the Diamond DA20 or Piper Archer and Diamond DA40. Then, they fly for 28 hours in a multi-engine plane. This could be a Diamond DA42 or Piper Seminole. This multi-engine plane is used for the CPL Skills Test. When they pass, students return from Mesa. They have a Multi Engine IR Commercial Pilot Licence.

Advanced Flying Skills

Advanced flight training happens back in Antwerp, Belgium. Students fly for 8 hours in the Diamond DA42 or Piper Seneca V. This training teaches them to use aircraft instruments. It helps them fly safely in Europe's busy air traffic areas.

Preparing for an Airline Career

The last part of training takes about three weeks. It uses a special Boeing 737-CL, Boeing 737-NG, or Airbus A320 simulator at Brussels airport. This simulator moves just like a real plane. Students spend 28 hours on the multi-crew cooperation (MCC) course. This course teaches them how to work well with another pilot. It also prepares them for airline job interviews.

In total, the integrated course has 243 hours of flight training. It also has 750 hours of classroom learning. The whole course takes about 18 months. At the end, pilots get a JAA CPL with an Instrument Rating. They also get Multi-Crew Cooperation credit. After this, a pilot is ready to work as a First Officer for any airline in the JAA region.

Aircraft and Simulators

Diamond DA42 Sabena Flight Academy