Airport activity keeps CAL pilots certified

(CNS): Although the Owen Roberts International Airport remains closed to regular air traffic, there was a series of take-offs and landings on Friday morning conducted by the Flight Training Department for Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) in order for some of its pilots to maintain their ‘Pilot Recency of Experience’ certification, which is a regulatory requirement in the Cayman Islands.

A release from CAL explained that the activity at the airport was to ensure that its pilots maintain their proficiency with flying CAL’s Boeing 737-300 aircraft. 

Captain Steven Coe, CAL Manager Of Flight Training, explained that because the borders were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, “the pilots have been unable to attend their regularly scheduled simulator recurrent training at Boeing’s Miami campus”.

“This is not taken lightly, and through our partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI), regulatory extensions were granted to the Cayman Airways crews to conduct these training flights to help meet our training requirements,” he added.

Captain Coe said airlines around the globe are carrying out similar strategies to ensure that crews remain proficient with their core skills while borders are closed. 

“There were 15 take-offs and landings over a relatively short period of time, which was necessary for all of the participating pilots to each achieve the required number of take-offs and landings to maintain their currency and competency, and over the next few weeks we will be accomplishing more such flights in order to keep all of our pilots current,” said CAL President and CEO Fabian Whorms. 

“We thank the CAACI and the Cayman Islands Airport Authority (CIAA) for working with us during these unprecedented times, to ensure that our pilots are able to meet their regulatory requirement for completing at least three take-offs and landings every 90 days to maintain their ‘Recency of Experience’ certification,” Whorms added.

Participating in the training flights were the following Cayman Airways pilots: Captain Perry Panton (CAL Chief Pilot), Captain Steven Coe, Captain Olson Anderson; First Officer Leroy McLaughlin; First Officer William McTaggart; and First Officer Garrett Conolly.