Basic helicopter pilot training for police revived

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has revived the basic helicopter pilot training for its members who will be assigned to fly the institution’s air assets.

In a statement on Saturday, PNP chief Gen. Archie Gamboa said 11 individuals, consisting of three females and eight males, successfully graduated from the Basic Helicopter Pilot Training (BHPT) for Special Action Force (SAF), which is a 228-hour course that was divided into four modules.

The training of the 11 personnel started in December 2019, Gamboa added.

The personnel graduated on Friday at the PNP-SAF Air Unit Hangar, General Aviation Area, Domestic Airport in Pasay City.

“Our graduates will be issued Private Pilot License (Helicopter) and will be qualified to become co-pilots and soon pilots-in-command to operate the PNP air assets and eight of them will also be trained for their transition to the Airbus H125,” SAF director Maj. Gen Amando Clifton Empiso said.

Meanwhile, 14 more personnel signed up to be student-pilots and will undergo the training program.

Gamboa said the goal of reviving the program is “to boost air proficiencies of our qualified personnel, and most of them are from the SAF.”