Business aircraft charter and management firm ASL-JetNetherlands has obtained formal EASA approval to start training at its new Elite Pilot Training Center (EPTC) subsidiary in Antwerp-Deurne, Belgium. The company started EPTC last year “in response to an increasing demand for business-oriented and VIP flight training.” It began training activities in 2012 with its Elite Flying Club, offering FAA private pilot training that could later be converted to EASA licenses. But the company soon realized the value of training for EASA licenses directly.
The company's Approved Training Organisation (ATO) certificate was issued by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authorities. ASL-JetNetherlands will start by offering flight training in a Cirrus SR20 and an SR22, while also using two Redbird simulators, one based on the SR20 and the other on the Cessna Citation Mustang.
Philippe Bodson, CEO of ASL, said that initially EPTC would be used by ASL to train its own pilots, but soon this would be extended, depending on demand, to train “businessmen and -women who want to obtain a private pilot license and later add other qualifications [such as night and instrument ratings].”
He added, “This is a very innovative approach for a business jet operator. The instructors who fly for EPTC are also pilots for ASL. We want our clients to feel the connection between the two activities.”