​Air Asia QZ8501 Captain had more than 20,000 flying hours under his belt

 Air Asia released information regarding the competencies of the pilots on the missing QZ8501 flight this afternoon.
 
As reported by Kompas, QZ8501Captain Iriyanto had 20,537 flying hours in his career as a pilot, whereas First Officer Remi Emmanuel Plesel had 2,247 flying hours.
 
Detik also revealed that Captain Iriyanto was a former Indonesian Air Force pilot who flew the F-16 fighter jet.
 
“Uncle Iriyanto was an Indonesian Air Force pilot who retired early. He flew the F-16 fighter jet,” said Doni, Iryanto’s nephew, as quoted by Detik today. 
 
Doni added that Iriyanto became a commercial pilot upon his early retirement from the Airforce.
 
“He first joined the airline Merpati, and then he joined Air Asia,” Doni said.
 
“He’s a senior pilot. Lots of flying hours.”

Follow our live coverage on QZ8501 for the latest updates 

The Disappearance of AirAsia QZ8501: What we know so far

 

​Families of Air Asia flight QZ8501 passengers upset over lack of information

​National Search and Rescue Agency says bad weather could hinder search for Air Asia QZ8501

Vice President Jusuf Kalla leads Basarnas search for Air Asia QZ8501, finds similarities to previous Adam Air plane crash

 



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