Cebu Pacific helps cadet pilots reach for the stars

The first of Cebu Pacific’s cadet pilots are off to Australia for further training.

Cebu Pacific wants to scale new heights with a larger fleet that can bring its low cost carrier brand to more destinations. That goal can only be reached with the participation of aspiring pilots like Martha May De Leon.

Even as a child, De Leon said her place was always meant to be in the sky.

“For me, it is the ultimate goal, to become a pilot,” she told the Inquirer in an interview.

De Leon, who earned her degree in aeronautical engineering from the PATTS College of Aeronautics, was among 16 individuals that hurdled steep requirements to be selected by Cebu Pacific in its Cadet Pilot Program.

Launched last year, the initiative aims to select a total of 240 candidates over a five-year period, or about 48 candidates per year.

Cebu Pacific is investing about $25 million in the program, or about $100,000 per cadet.

This means the budget airline will shoulder the cost of training, which was typically closed off to all but the most well-off families given the high tuition rates.

The payoff can be significant.

Pilots, navigators and flight engineers topped the list of best paying jobs in 2017, with the monthly salary pegged by the Department of Labor at over P156,000.

Cebu Pacific said the successful cadets would be guaranteed employment with the airline. In return, they will reimburse the cost of the program through salary deductions over a maximum of 10 years at zero interest.

Cebu Pacific held a press event a day before the first batch of 16 candidates were scheduled to fly to Adelaide, Australia.

There, they will spend 52 weeks of intensive training in the Flight Training Adelaide campus. After this, they will return to the Philippines to complete their training and licensing requirements to become commercial pilots.

Among the first batch, selected out of over 12,500 applicants, were a former cheerleader, a father-to-be, a law student and twin brothers. Coming from different backgrounds and disciplines, the common thread was a knack for achievement— honor students littered the pack—and an intense passion to become a pilot.

The cadets were also young, with the eldest among the group aged 27 years old.

Apart from De Leon, who hails from Santa Rosa, Laguna, the other 15 cadets were Dexie Jay Aljas (Banga, South Cotabato); Janine Alyssa Marie Bautista (Cainta, Rizal); Aaron Jhun Bernabe (Santiago City, Isabela); James Kevin Chua (Sta. Cruz, Manila); Paulo Martin Concepcion (Sta. Rosa, Laguna); Darryl Dave Ditucalan (Iligan City); Geronimo Miguel Mantes (Fairview, Quezon City); Lorenzo Miguel Montinola (Malate, Manila); Rydale Pintor (Cebu City); Ardeen Bernabe Reguyal (San Jose, Occidental Mindoro); Kayrwin Kirch Remolona (Mabalacat, Pampanga); Jose Angelo Santos (Cainta, Rizal); twin brothers Ian John and Ivan Kevin Satentes (Noveleta, Cavite); and Juan Carlo Wage (Bamban, Tarlac).

Like the rest of the cadets, De Leon said she was excited to study in Australia, the farthest destination she would reach.

“Even when I was little, I wanted to travel the world and at the same time, I wanted to be more on the technical side [of aviation]. The ‘man stuff’,” she quipped.

She explained that she was fortunate to have supportive parents in her chosen field. Her mother is a caregiver in the United States while her father passed away in 2013.

“I also want to encourage other women to do the same,” she said, recounting her own challenges when people told her to become a flight attendant because of her gender.

De Leon had applied to work for Cebu Pacific twice in the past. First, for its technical records division and then as a safety officer. Both attempts were unsuccessful but she was happy to land a job in the local office of Australia’s Jetstar.

She recalled that she was in the office when she learned, via e-mail, of her acceptance in Cebu Pacific’s cadet program.

“For me, it’s more fulfilling to become a pilot because I want to be in control,” she said.

Another candidate, Juan Carlo Wage, said becoming a pilot would help him realize his dreams while giving his parents a better life.

Wage worked different jobs to help pay for his college eduction since his parents’ earnings as home caretakers were not enough. He finished with a degree in business economics at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

“I joined the program because I knew that it would change my life. Aside from being able to travel, and learn and experience new things, I want to pay my mom and dad back for their hard work, and give them a good life as well,” Wage said.

As noted, awaiting the candidates in Adelaide is an intensive course that will span around one year. They will be required to complete 173 hours of flying, 60 hours in the simulator and 802 hours of ground theory.

After completing the program, the cadet-pilots become first officers at Cebu Pacific. As such, they will join the corps of aviators at Cebu Pacific, flying domestic and international routes.

The second batch of cadets is currently being screened while the application for the third batch is set to open by mid-May this year, Cebu Pacific said.

The program is open only to Filipino citizens who are college graduates, proficient in English and hold passports valid for at least two years prior to the start of the program. A fee of 425 Australian dollars or about P17,000 will be charged to cover the testing fees.

Cebu Pacific ended 2017 with 61 planes. The fleet is comprised of Airbus A330s, A320s, A319s, ATR 72-500s and ATR 72-600s. It needs more pilots given a plan to expand its fleet by 32 aircraft over the next three years.

“240 cadets over the next five years is just the tip of it,” Capt. Samuel Avila II, vice president for Flight Operations of Cebu Pacific, said during the event.

“We are looking to attract more young, motivated and deserving individuals to be part of our company and to further serve the country,” he said.

Cebu Pacific flies to 37 destinations in the Philippines and 25 international locations spanning Asia, Australia and the Middle East.