CAL pilots conduct training flight

Cayman Airways Limited (CAL) is advising the public that its Flight Training Department has scheduled a training flight for this morning May 22, 2020 for local pilots to maintain "Pilot Recency of Experience", which is a regulatory requirement.

The operational training flight is a part of the mitigation strategy by the airline to ensure that pilots maintain their proficiency with flying CAL's Boeing 737-300 aircraft. The training flight will depart Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) at 9:30am and be under the guidance of Captain Stephen Coe as the Manager Of Flight Training, and Captain Perry Panton, Cayman Airways' Chief Pilot.

"Due to the situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Cayman's borders being closed, the pilots have been unable to attend their regularly scheduled simulator recurrent training at Boeing's Miami campus," explained Captain Coe. "This is not taken lightly, and through efforts 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."

Mr. 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. 

"This morning's training flight will create the illusion of a busy day at ORIA, as 15 take-offs and landings will occur in a relatively short period of time," said Cayman Airways President and CEO, Fabian Whorms. "This is in part due to four pilots requiring three take-offs and landings each - it is a regulatory requirement that each pilot completes three landings in 90 days for "Recency of Experience" requirements." 

Onboard today's training flight are the following pilots: Captain Olson Anderson; First Officer Leroy McLaughlin; First Officer William McTaggart; and First Officer Garrett Conolly.