Aviation Academy Austria is testing a foreign location for the winter months for the first time. Six ATPL students recently travelled with their flight instructor to Spain, where they will first complete their first solo cross-country flights at LEOC airfield in Ocaña. Ocaña is located approximately 65 km south of Madrid and offers favourable meteorological and geographical conditions for regular flight training, even during the winter months. The area around Madrid is ideal for avoiding the challenging weather conditions in Austria. AAA transferred two of its Diamond DV20E aircraft (OE-AEC and OE-AED) from Wiener Neustadt to Spain for this purpose. The first flights went to Perpignan and Avignon in France, Requena in Spain and Reggio Emilia in Italy.
‘With the location in Spain, we are testing a foreign base for the first time this year. In the future, we will evaluate other locations in Europe that are particularly suitable as a supplement to our home base in Wiener Neustadt during the winter months. For the students, this is a good opportunity to gain international flight experience and the required flight hours,’ says Oliver Karall, Managing Director of the Pilot Academy.
The high demand for training places and the poor weather at the same time led to a backlog in the training process. "The need for practical training remains very high. The foggy and wet weather in recent months has caused a backlog for the students because they have rarely been able to fly. We therefore need a plan to ensure that our students can still complete their required flying hours in a timely manner," adds Oliver Karall.
The stay abroad is voluntary for the flight students and is scheduled to last approximately one month.
