Private aviation offers unique challenges for pilots. While a commercial airline will fly a limited number of routes, a company like NetJets will fly hundreds or thousands of different routes. While this is one of the features that attracts the best pilots to NetJets, it also puts a premium on the skill of our flight crews.
We invest heavily in training to help our pilots prepare for the wide variety of airports and weather they encounter, and we recently unveiled the latest addition to our programme – a state-of-the-art private training centre.
Located at our operations headquarters in Portugal, the €5 million facility is fully equipped with the latest training equipment. There’s a static flight simulator uniquely programmed to train pilots for take-offs and landings in mountainous areas. There are smoke trainers, life rafts and emergency exit doors. The facility even includes two classrooms for lecture-based training and full medical instruction.
Every NetJets crew member spends part of their rostered time in the centre, training on new equipment, becoming more familiar with new airports and ensuring they’re up to date with changes in regulatory requirements.