Petaling Jaya, October 5 – The Asia Pilot Training Career Expo & Seminar Tour 2026 opened its Malaysian leg yesterday at Hilton Petaling Jaya, as part of a seven-city tour running from 3 to 11 October 2026. Organized by Aviation Connect, the free-entry expo is designed with a clear pitch: no fee, no commitment, talk directly to the schools. The Kuala Lumpur stop, held from 14:00 to 17:00 local time, brought together partner schools from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Spain, and the United States under one roof to meet Malaysian students exploring an airline career abroad.
Six key exhibitors led the Petaling Jaya showcase. New Zealand was represented by Ardmore Flying School, a CAA NZ Part 141 school at Ardmore Airport near Auckland, established in 1961, offering the NZ Diploma in Aviation Lvl 5 and Lvl 6, CPL MEIR and instructor ratings. Indonesia’s Perkasa Flight School, headquartered in Jakarta with training bases in Cilacap, Pangandaran and Semarang, presented itself as an Indonesian DGCA Part 141 flight school founded in 2013, additionally approved by the aviation authorities of Vietnam and Laos. It is recognized as one of the largest international pilot schools in Indonesia, holding Certificate PSC-141-017 and having trained more than 500 cadets from Vietnam, Libya, Tanzania, India and Malaysia. Australia’s Sydney Flight College, known as SFC, joined from Sydney (Bankstown) and Tamworth, a CASA Part 142 organisation founded in 1969 when a small group of enthusiasts started a flying club.
The long-haul options drew strong interest. Hillsboro Aero Academy from Hillsboro, Oregon, highlighted its status as an FAA Part 141 airplane and helicopter school since 1980, with three campuses and students from 75+ countries and the distinction of being the only US school offering joint FAA and EASA training on a single F-1 visa. The academy operates three Oregon-based campuses and provides FAA-approved training under Part 141 and Part 61. FlyBy Aviation Academy, confirmed for this tour as Spain’s representative, clarified the business card query: it is based in Burgos, Spain, and trains students for the EASA Airline Transport Pilot Licence with an integrated ATPL that can take ab-initio to commercial pilot in 14 months. On the Aviation Connect platform, it is listed as an EASA training organisation at Burgos Airport, the largest ATO in Spain, with one all-inclusive fee covering the 14-month integrated ATPL, campus accommodation and three meals a day. Completing the lineup was Malaysia-based GES Aviation, led by Raffael H. Stangl, acting as the local industry link for pathways and support.
The expo format was deliberately personal. Heads of school and admissions were in the room to answer, not just brochures. Speakers included Irene King, CEO of Ardmore Flying School and AIPA, Dimas Sudiro, Head of School of Perkasa Flight School, Angela Toutounji, Head of Sales at SFC Aero, Alexandre Alves, CCO of FlyBy Aviation Academy, and Axel Schmitz, Director of International at Hillsboro Aero Academy. For Malaysian students, the event offered a rare chance to compare licensing systems, visa and housing support, aircraft-to-cadet ratios, and direct airline pathways in one afternoon. With Asia Pacific demand rebounding, Aviation Connect positions itself as the smart way to choose a flight school abroad and build the next generation of commercial pilots.