6
EDGEDAVAO
GAME CHANGER
Col. Sammy Afdal
VOL. 6 ISSUE 101 • SUNDAY - MONDAY, AUGUST 4-5, 2013
COME FLY WITH ME
By NEILWIN JOSEPH L. BRAVO Photos by Lean Daval Jr.
R
ETIRED Army colonel Sammy Afdal has set dreams that soar. And he wants to share it with others. Afdal, a golfer, motorcycle enthusiast, and a parttime pilot, has set up a Flight school for amateurs in Davao City and what’s unique about it is that you don’t have to be a professional to fly. What’s even more amazing is that it only takes seven days to fly. “It’s a unique idea. You only have to be a member of this exclusive club and you can avail of the training,” Afdal said. The concept Afdal is introducing to Davao City is a membership flight school where club members undergo theoretical instructions, simulation training and actual flying. The instruction
sessions and simulation will be conducted at the Afdal-owned Secdea Beach Resort in Sitio San Isidro in the Island Garden City of Samal. Secdea stands for the family’s initials (Sammy, Evelyn, Christine, Danny Boy, and Eden Afdal). “The training will require a minimum of seven days and then you can start flying an ultra-light plane,” he said. Afdal has established a hangar and flight training facility in Mati City’s airport in Barangay Dahican. “Once you fly an ultra light plane in Mati and go around the area, you will be treated to a wonderful panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean and Mati’s white sand beaches,” said Afdal as he graphically described the
exhilarating experience of flying. Light planes hover at elevations of up to 6,000 feet. He said a batch will consist of around 12 students. At the moment, there are some trainees flying ultra-lights in Mati City and he hopes more people will be interested in flying light planes. “All you need is a proper training. Flying is safe if you are trained to fly,” said Afdal, who logged more than 15,000 kilometers on board his big bike in 2010 alone. Afdal’s son Danny Boy is about to complete his training with two experienced pilots from Manila. Afdal plans to bring in professional flight instructor from Manila to conduct the training.