Airlink: Connecting RP to the world

For people needing to go somewhere far-off in the shortest time possible, going by plane is usually the first option. Since speed becomes the primary consideration, safety gets relegated to the sidelines.

When was the last time you thought twice and asked yourself whether you will indeed safely get to your destination? For some, maybe the question is always there to the point of wanting the pilot to come out and present his credentials. For most of us, it is something that we normally take for granted; somehow there is that assurance that we are in capable hands that will make sure that we safely get to where we need to go. 

Filipino pilots have enjoyed the reputation of being among the best in their field due perhaps to their basic ingenuity and creativity, knowing how to maximize and make the most out of what is given them. Airlink International Aviation College is at the forefront of developing and harnessing this basic potential that most Filipinos come with.

In the 25 years of its existence with almost 7,000 graduates, Airlink has been providing a steady supply of pilots and manpower for the allied services required by the aviation industry not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well.

When asked about what is the edge of their graduates, Airlink president Capt. Gerry Amurao says it is the discipline and sense of professionalism that is constantly instilled in their students. He says this is already in place from day 1 in Airlink; once classes start at 9 a.m., the school gates are locked until 6 p.m. when classes end so that students’ gallivanting can be minimized. No, it is not out of a sense of authoritarianism but more to inculcate discipline and so the students can focus because classes are conducted straight from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with only morning, lunch and afternoon breaks.

Why such rigid schedules? Amurao is quick to point out that each and every passenger’s safety in a flight is the pilot’s responsibility and it is only through discipline can this be realized by a student. He adds that it is also the school’s responsibility to the parents of the students to make sure that they are getting their money’s worth, that is why they have strict regulations in the school that will give assurance that students get to maximize their schooling.

Of course, discipline is not the only thing that they teach; the students are made to handle top-of-the-line equipment like flight simulators, and basic and advanced airplanes totaling 28. Amurao insists that learning cannot remain theoretical; it is only in handling actual planes will the students learn how to fly one.

Airlink started humbly enough, when it was first established in 1982. It was then called Amurao Aviation School and offered short courses in flying. The school came into being because of the founder’s vision of filling the inadequacies that he himself encountered when he was part of the aviation industry.

Rising from the ranks as licensed aircraft mechanic to flight engineer and finally to check pilot with the Civil Aeronautics Administration, now the Air Traffic Office (ATO), Amurao saw the gaps that needed to be filled and the vision of an aviation school started to form. The school was set up when Amurao was no longer in ATO and was working as a pilot at Philippine Airlines.

Starting with two planes, a friend and fellow aviation enthusiast, Sammy Uy, added another one and soon enough, with three planes to their name, the school was on its way to training the future pilots of the country. They decided to change the name to Airlink Aviation School to make it more accessible and in keeping with the needs of the times.

The school first occupied a hangar beside Ayala’s but when the needs of the school got bigger, it moved to its current location, a one-hectare lot leased from the Manila International Airport. The campus houses a hangar where a few of the planes are, classrooms, a cafeteria, administrative offices and a male and female dormitory that can house up to 70 students, with guards who constantly patrol the premises.

The school also does most of its flight training in the airport on Lubang Island in Mindoro where most of its planes are parked. Weekly, the students are chartered there for flight training.

The Lubang campus is also a resort of sorts that has accommodations and recreational facilities where the students can go and relax after a hard day’s work.

Amurao is a man of vision; he sees Airlink not only as a school to train pilots and personnel for allied services in the aviation industry but also as a place where leaders are bred. He mentions that most of their graduates are now well placed in their careers in the Philippines or elsewhere. Even their mechanics are getting salaries at par or even bigger than what licensed beginning engineers are getting.

Amurao sees aviation as another way to advance the country. Aviation works side by side with tourism and it is through tourism that more revenues can be realized for the country.

Amurao cites small countries like Singapore and Taiwan that have very strong airlines, which have advanced in ways that seemed unimaginable then. He is very optimistic of the prospects of the Philippine aviation industry, citing the likes of Lucio Tan and the Gokongweis who were formerly in other businesses and decided to get into the airline business because they saw how lucrative it could be.

Amurao says that with proper monitoring from the government and hopefully without having to deal with too much red tape, these developments can work for the benefit of the country.

He encourages students who have yet to make up their minds on what careers to go into to explore aviation because it presents so many possibilities. And with the uptrend of speed and globalization, it will remain a strong force to contend with, thus enhancing a brighter future to look forward to.