“The ability of Peruvian pilots is recognized worldwide”: Gino Román, the Peruvian who trains more than 200 new pilots in the United States

Every time Claudio Román, aeronautical doctor of the Peruvian Air Forcehe had to go to the Las Palmas air base, little Gino hurried to get ready in the hope that he would take him with him. He wasn’t always lucky, but when he was it was a happy day: at that age, we all want to be a little like dad. The boy was dazed watching those enormous ships landing and taking off incessantly. He made the movement with his hands, which simulated having wings. “I’m going to be a pilot,” he repeated to his father, who for years tried without much success to convince him that it was better to study dentistry, like his older sister, until he understood that His son’s future was in heaven. Today, more than three decades later, Gino Román can not only say that he has more than fulfilled his dream but that he is also one of those in charge of training future generations of pilots in the United States with the help of Airbusone of the most important companies in the field.

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“Becoming a pilot in Peru can be challenging, but not unattainable. When I was a teenager I began to structure my plan a little better.“, explains to The Commerce the now 41-year-old captain.

One of the most important aspects to take into account in pilot training is, without a doubt, economic. “Currently there are several aeronautical training schools in Peru. The price per flight hour fluctuates between 150 to 200 dollars. To obtain your first license, that of a private pilot, you need 40 hours. To obtain the commercial pilot certificate you need 200 hours. Within this there are a number of nuances such as navigation hours, night flight hours, instrument flight hours, among others.“Román details.

In his case, the plan he had drawn up began by enlisting in the Air Force, where he graduated as an ensign with a double degree in Aerospace Sciences Administration and Business Administration.

He remained in the armed forces for a few more years, becoming an officer, and then continued with the second part of the plan: “Make the leap to civil aviation”.

After complementing his training with studies at the Flight Center of Argentina, the most important flight school in Latin America, Román joined a prestigious regional airline in 2007. “I started as a first officer, then promoted to captain and had the opportunity to fly what could be considered the two most important equipment in the industry, the Airbus 320 and the Boeing 767.“, account.

During those years, Román relived again and again the excitement of the little boy who, towards the end of the 80s, saw those enormous planes take off. “Definitely every time I fly I feel a tremendous emotion. The first time you lift an airplane with your own hands is indescribable, something that remains in your memory forever. I also had the opportunity during my training flights to take my father and mother“, remember.

But beyond the excitement, the continuous travels through Peru and the region allowed Román to develop high flying skills that, he highlights, are highly valued abroad. “Due to our own geography there are complex situations, such as the high elevation airports in Cusco, Juliaca or La Paz. For this reason, the capacity of Peruvian pilots is recognized worldwide.”, he highlights.

In addition to those mentioned, the captain considers that the airports of Cusco, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Arequipa and Bogotá are some of the most challenging that a pilot can face, whether due to terrain, climate or infrastructure.

Perhaps for this reason, when he was called in 2018 by the largest airline in Malaysia, he did not doubt for a second that he had what it took to accept the challenge. “It was a wonderful experience. Beyond the operational side, I expanded my cultural knowledge because we flew all over Asia, I had first officers from India, China, Malaysia. It was enriching, without a doubt.“, remember.

Currently, Captain Gino Román’s record indicates that he has flown for 9,469 hours. That is equivalent to 394 days in the air or, to put it another way, one year, three months and four days flying through the skies of Peru, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, the United States. United States and countless Asian countries.

Despite this, it has never recorded any accident. “Thank God, but there have been adverse situations. Once, for example, while operating in Peru, the weather conditions changed from one moment to the next at an airport at the time of landing. The visibility was reduced a lot, the wind there, there the only thing left is to rely on training”he explains.

According to Román, in such moments of high tension, there are only two things going through his head: the trained procedures and the next maneuver to perform. “The largest plane I have ever flown carried 200 people. It is an immense responsibility that you carry on your shoulders. That is why focus and concentration are so important. Over time you manage situations better but there are still peaks of stress. The good thing is that the training now covers every possible situation.“, says.

Even the ones where everything goes wrong? “Yeah, it’s funny because at the meetings I go to they always ask me when the passengers are told that things are bad. The truth is that if the emergency is very critical, the commander may not even have time to make an announcement. The protocols contemplate until when an announcement must be made, the priority is always to ensure the safety of everyone”he explains.

But of course there will always be something that escapes any manual or protocol. Like a pandemic that forces the world into quarantine.

COVID-19 put the aviation industry on the ropes and forced many of its workers to rethink the future. Gino Román was one of them.

“I had family in the United States who could take me in, so I decided to settle here with my wife and children. Fortunately, my experience and my passion for teaching allowed me to open new doors, such as those of the prestigious Airbus of America and Panam International Flight Academy training centers. That’s how I became a flight instructor”he explains.

Since 2023, Román is responsible for training promotions of 200 pilots from an important Middle Eastern country that prefers not to be detailed for security reasons, and evaluating them in different skills such as knowledge of procedures or handling the surprise effect. “Before, a pre-established curriculum was taught, so the pilot knew more or less what would come next. Now we seek to have the surprise effect, to develop the pilot’s resilience capacity to overcome adverse situations that can affect or even paralyze you at times. For this we use level D flight simulators, the most advanced in the world currently.”he explains.

All this accumulation of experiences makes Gino Román dream again. Now it is not a child who admires huge and shiny airplanes, but an experienced pilot who hopes that Peruvian aeronautics will finally make a leap towards modernity.

“One sees and compares the investment that exists in other countries and dreams that in Peru at some point there will be that, that there will be incentives for talent, that it will be invested in our compatriots. I know that we still don’t have the necessary finances, but you can always give an incentive or spread passion. Aviation is made up of different branches, from pilots and air traffic controllers to flight dispatchers or aviation doctors. That is why I am in talks with two airline companies in Peru and the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, to be able to organize some conferences for 14 and 15 year olds in which we can encourage them to join this exciting world.“, says.

Papa Claudio would be proud reading his biography.