Malta School of Flying was formed in May 2004, when Mr Patrick Fenech, then a young private pilot, teamed up with Mr Kenneth Caruana, an entrepreneur and private pilot, to purchase a Cessna 206. Aware of the limitations in flight training in Malta at the time, when only a basic PPL was available, the school initially provided instruction for pilots who wanted to fly more complex, powerful aircraft. The differences training course was a huge success, and the quality and dedication of the organisation created such a demand that a Cessna 152 basic trainer was introduced in March 2005.
This new aircraft allowed the school to develop its course portfolio to include a full PPL Course and the Night Rating. Mr Roderick Bugeja was the first student to gain his wings from Malta School of Flying. With new students arriving in three courses annually, demand for flight instruction was such that a third aircraft, the school’s first Cessna 172, 9H-ACL was added to the fleet in September 2005. The introduction of the 172 offered greater flexibility in operations, especially in cross-country navigational exercises, where the aircraft’s additional payload, range, endurance and seating capacity made it possible for rental pilots and students to share costs and comfortably venture further afield from the Maltese islands.
As the number of students and training flights increased, a second Cessna 172 (9H-AEX) was acquired in July 2006, giving the Malta School of Flying the largest training fleet in the Maltese Islands. Further fleet expansion was required, and a second Cessna 152, 9H-AFV, was added to the fleet.
The company then invested in new, professionally equipped facilities which were inaugurated in 2010. These included an operations area, library, two lecture rooms and numerous briefing rooms in addition to comfortable rest facilities. The premises were later supplemented by a large maintenance hangar accommodating up to 8 aircraft, which now houses our growing maintenance team of engineers and technicians. The investment in highly equipped maintenance facilities was a significant step in the development of a professional training organization which can provide a strong commitment to its esteemed students.
In 2012, the company was awarded Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) certification by Transport Malta Civil Aviation Directorate. This authorized Malta School of Flying to conduct theory training for the Airline Transport Pilot Licence. The first twin-engine aircraft, a state-of-the-art Tecnam P2006T was delivered brand new in July 2012. Following this investment and a rigorous approval process, our company attained the authorization to conduct training for Multi-Engine Piston Rating, Commercial Pilot Licence and Multi-Engine Instrument rating courses! These courses immediately became very popular with local students and foreigners alike, thanks to the high standard of training delivered in the ideal setting that our islands and airport have to offer.
To accommodate the growing number of advanced training courses, the Professional Aviation Training Academy – Malta was established as a division of Malta School of Flying.
September 2013 saw the arrival of our first brand-new Tecnam P92JS. This new generation single engine trainer has since become a very popular choice for PPL students and hour builders, especially thanks to its excellent flight characteristics, comfort, range and payload.
In April 2014, our company was awarded a new Approved Training Organization certification which confirmed compliance with the latest European Aviation Safety Agency regulations. The Single-Engine Instrument Rating and Basic Instrument Flight module were also added to our list of approved courses during this process. This was immediately followed by the approval to become the first and only Maltese training organization to offer flight instructor courses and training for current instructors to become night instructors, instrument instructors and multi-engine class rating instructors! This was indeed a significant milestone for Malta School of Flying. The first three instructor graduates were awarded a first-time pass by one of the senior Flight Instructor Examiners of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, and have been employed by training organizations in Malta and Norway.
In December 2015, we were very proud to welcome the latest addition to our training fleet, a brand new Alsim ALX Simulator! This state of the art device represents the latest technology of Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainers and is capable of simulating various aircraft, from a non-complex single engine piston aircraft to a medium jet.
The end of 2015 marked a record number of 85 students graduating from Malta School of Flying / Professional Training Academy – Malta, from successful induction courses to newly qualified flight instructors.
To date our Academy boasts an exceptional safety record. Our highly experienced professional flight instructors have flown for over 70,000 hours combined! Our team also includes examiners qualified to conduct tests for all our courses. Our students consistently achieve excellent results in both theoretical and all practical examinations and several former students are readily employed as pilots with various aviation companies. Our continuous efforts are directed towards the constant improvement to provide our students with the highest quality of training at the best possible prices.
We look forward to welcoming you on board!
