Rhodes based FAS Group has built a solid name in Greek aviation since 1994. The company’s services range from air transport, pilot training, aviation tourism, aircraft maintenance and air ambulance.
Stylianos Fanourakis serves as the company’s director and accountable manager. He has played a key role at FAS Group since the company was founded more than 20 years ago. Prior to FAS Group, Stylianos was part of the Hellenic Air Force where he held various positions as an aircraft mechanic, an aviation training air and ground safety officer and quality control manager. He also has been an aviation engineer for commercial airplanes flying for AirGreece, Aegean Airlines and Helitalia.
Stylianos took a moment out of his busy summer schedule to talk with All About Aviation.gr. He gave us insight on the importance of flight schools in Greece in relation to the Greek economy and what makes a flight school successful.
All About Aviation.gr: What makes Greece an ideal place to have a flight training school?
The weather in Greece is perfect for training. By that I mean for 11 months every year we can offer continuous flight training. This allows us to set up the most efficient schedule for the student’s flight training program.
Rhodes is our base and what a great base it is! Rhodes is a beautiful island and one of the most famous destinations for vacation with wonderful facilities for any visitor. During the time off from the training schedule, a student is able to hit the beach, visit an archaeological site, participate in water spots, enjoy a night out and basically just enjoy all the charms that Rhodes has to offer.
All About Aviation.gr: Which countries do most of your students come from?
We have been training those who wish to acquire an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) or a Private Pilot’s License (PPL) for more than 10 years. We have had more than 500 conversions over the years with students not only from Greece and Europe, but from different countries of the world such as Mongolia, Qatar, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Malaysia.
All About Aviaiton.gr: What are some of the challenges that you face recruiting students from abroad, and is the issuing of student visas one of them?
The main issue that we sometimes have to face is the formalities and the procedure that a non-European student has to follow in order to be accepted in a European country for training. Through the years we have developed our own regulation system in order to filter the genuine requests for training from the fraud ones. We have a strong and composed collaboration with the embassies around the world.
All About Aviation.gr: In your opinion what makes an ideal flight school?
Our academy is based on the same values we expect every aviator to have. This is why, beyond the excellent theoretical and flight training provided by our pilot school, we strive to provide our students with a way of thinking that will make him meet the demands of the industry in the future.
Some of our principle values:
- Devotion
- Continuous improvement and research
- Safety
- Innovations
- Team work
- Decision making
All About Aviation.gr: What are some of the goals the FAS Rhodes Pilots Academy has in mind to reach within the next five years?
Our vision is for FAS Rhodos Pilots Academy to become one of the greatest and most remarkable pilot academies in the world. We also try to highlight the history and beauty of our location. Rhodes deserves to be the “Miami” of Europe.
All About Aviation.gr: Do you believe flight training can contribute to the Greek economy and in what way? Is there a potential that Greece is missing out on?
I have always believed so, that is why flight training is a part of our mission. We aim to provide aviation training to the highest standards of quality and at reasonable prices while adapting to the changes in the industry. We offer long-term value added solutions to our customers. Finally, we contribute to the development and the safety of global aviation.
