AVIATION COLLEGE TO BEGIN HELICOPTER TRAINING
THE Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, has disclosed that it would commence flight training on helicopter for students in 2011 even as it has informed that it had acquired radar simulator and three dimensional (3-D) visual towers for the training of Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) on aerodrome approach.
The Rector of the college, Captain Adebayo Araba made this known in Zaria during the graduation ceremony of Akwa Ibom State indigenes sponsored by the State Government.
Araba who was represented at the ceremony by the college's Deputy Rector, Mr. Henry Toluhi, said that the trainings would further enhance helicopter piloting and improve the knowledge of ATC in the country, while it would also increase the school's profile in the continent. Besides, Toluhi lauded the efforts of the state government in sponsoring its indigenes to the intensive studies in the school, which he stated was working assiduously to improve and expand its facilities and training capacity.
However, Akwa Ibom State Government has expressed satisfaction with the current collaboration between the state International Airport and NCAT.
A member of the Airport Implementation Committee (AIC), Dr. Chris Akpan who led a delegation of the AIC to the graduation ceremony of the school, explained that the team was impressed with the calibre of personnel and facilities at the aviation college, saying it would add value to aviation manpower development in the industry.
Akpan who represented the Chairman of AIC, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd) at the event where eight Akwa Ibom State indigenes graduated from a 57- week course on Aeronautical Telecommunications Engineering (ATE) observed, 'the standard of training at NCAT has been very high, a situation, which enables our graduands from this school to easily blend professionally in the aviation industry on completion.'
According to the Public Affairs Officer of the Ibom Airport Development Company, Mmek Abasi Akpabio, the vision of Mr. Godswill Akpabio, the governor of the state whose government, he said, had adopted aviation as a core area of niche for the state had informed the training of its youth in various manpower areas in the industry.
Highlights of the event, which witnessed graduating students also from Sokoto State and Ghana was the presentation of certificates to the graduate as well as a session on course critique and the presentation of diploma and other prizes to deserving graduates.