Lifting of Aviatour flight school suspension sought

CEBU, Philippines - Students of the Aviatour Fly’N Inc. are appealing to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to lift the suspension on their flying school so pilot training can resume.

Michelle Ferrol, human resources manager of Aviatour, said 180 students signed the petition last Thursday, requesting CAAP to lift the suspension, which was implemented last Aug. 22, four days after the plane crash in Masbate that killed DILG secretary Jesse Robredo, Aviatour owner Jessup Bahinting and student pilot Kshitiz Chand.

Ferrol said the petition will be hand-carried by Capt. Antonio Jureidini, Aviatour’s director of flight school and training. He will personally submit the petition to CAAP on Monday.

CAAP, Ferrol said, sent them a letter asking them to send representatives who will serve as observers during the teardown inspection of the Piper Seneca plane piloted by Bahinting in Manila on Monday.

Jureidini will be accompanied by Nelson Napata, the company’s director of maintenance, and Orson Bahinting, maintenance consultant and brother of Jessup.

Earlier, Ferrol said that the management appealed before CAAP to exclude Aviatour’s flying school from the suspension.

CAAP ordered the suspension of the whole Aviatour services, including its air taxi, aircraft sales and maintenance services as well as the flying school.

Ferrol said some students were scheduled to take their pilot training as they were done with the ground lessons.

But even with the suspension, Ferrol said yesterday that their students and employees keep on reporting to school and work.

“Everyday naa’y manunga in support sa company,” she said.

Ferrol further said that the students understand the situation of the school and will wait until CAAP lifts the suspension.

The Piper Seneca plane that crashed off Masbate in Aug. 18 is not used by Aviatour for training pilots, Ferrol said.

Just last Tuesday, the Philippine Coast Guard has recovered the plane’s right engine and terminated the search operation.

The divers reportedly found the engine in waters 186 feet deep past noon last Tuesday.

CAAP will examine the engine to possibly determine the cause of the crash. — /BRP - THE FREEMAN