A falling dollar and faltering economy may not be all bad for some U.S. businesses … especially one pilot training facility that caters to foreign countries with blooming aviation markets. Chinese nationals will be trained in Denton, Texas, at the US Aviation Group for careers as commercial pilots, arriving by November and returning to China about one year later with multi-engine, IFR and commercial ratings. They’ll also have passed the ATP written exam. Following Chinese approval, USAG announced Thursday that a first group of students comprising about 25 “college graduates” ranging in age from 19-22 will begin training with a one-month course in the English language as it relates to aviation. Eleven months later, they’ll have “spent 10 hours at the controls of a King Air” plus ten more in the simulator (along with other training in Cessna 152 and 172 aircraft) and 300 more Chinese pilot trainees will have been entered into the program. USAG may acquire more aircraft to keep up, and with light aircraft sales in decline, it may be a good time to buy.
Following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, U.S. training of foreign students was complicated. USAG has been training students from India “for the past couple years” and offers training for American student pilots, as well.
