IDC Aviation welcomes two new Captains and a First Officer

​In a ceremony at the IDC Aviation departure lounge at Pointe Larue, Pedro Junca and Francis Serpes were presented with their four bar shoulder boards as Captains on the Y12, while Joseph Pillay received his three bar epaulets as First Officer on the Beechcraft.
They were presented with their epaulets by the General Manager of IDC Aviation, Captain Marcus Labrosse and Captain Christiaan Sheffer, IDC’s Flight Operations Manager, who were their mentors throughout their journeys.
“This is a dream come true and a massive personal achievement since my childhood dream was to become a pilot” remarked Joseph Pillay, IDC’s new First Officer.

​Joseph joined IDC as a ground staff in the Compliance and Safety Department two years after completing his training as a pilot and which time he was unable to secure employment. For the year and a half that he was on ground duty, Joseph was involved in audits and safety investigation until mid-2021 when IDC managed to send him and another colleague to South Africa for their Beechcraft rating.
“After the type rating comes a process called Line Training, whereby young pilots increase their flying hours and gain experience in the actual aircraft. They learn their roles and responsibilities as First Officers and are presented with different possible flight scenarios. At the end of this period a line check is done and if they pass, they qualify as First Officers” explained Captain Labrosse, who is also IDC’s flight crew trainer and examiner.
Captain Junca and Captain Serpes both started as First Officers on the Y12 and eventually did their Beechcraft type rating. After a period of assessment, they demonstrated that they were ready to take command of the Y12 and undertook their training which included the line check, technical assessment, assessment of procedures and responsibilities as a captain. The next step in the career of Captains Serpes and Junca are to be promoted to the ranks of captain on the Beechcraft.
IDC Aviation’s General Manager, Captain Marcus Labrosse noted that the progression of the three pilots “represents continuous growth of the IDC Aviation wing. It also demonstrates the devotion of our young pilots to their continued career progression. Having this level of trained personnel brings more flexibility in our planning which translates to a better service to our customers. And as staff progress in their careers, this creates room for other young Seychellois to join the ranks below, taking into account, of course, the company’s ability to absorb new recruits.”
During the ceremony, three out of the five engineers who have completed their Piston Engine Module 16 for Aircraft Maintenance, Neil Valmont, Jude Naidoo and Caleb Ramkalawan were presented with their certificates of recognition (Andy Agricole and Darren Dufresne were absent).
The Module 16 has become a mandatory part of their license now that IDC will be acquiring two Islander planes, which are piston engine aircraft. This training was previously not a requirement as IDC did not possess piston aeroplanes.
Four of the engineers, Neil, Jude, Caleb and Andy are from the AMO (Maintenance Department), while Darren, who is also an engineer, works in the Compliance and Safety Department.