It was a special day at Port Macquarie Airport with the graduation of students from the Australian International Aviation College.
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The students from China had spent the last 14 months in Port Macquarie training to be commercial pilots.
Head of Operations Kevin McMurtrie said he was immensely proud of the young men.
"When I first met these guys they had just graduated from uni, some of them didn't drive, some of them still don't drive cars so they were very, very green and they had absolutely no flying experience whatsoever," Mr McMurtrie said.
I feel very proud seeing these guys arrive here with no experience and leave quite confident and capable as cadet airline pilots.
- Kevin McMurtrie
Mr McMurtrie said many of the students had their families depending on them.
"Culturally for their parents this is a big thing, a lot of them will go back home and support their families, not just their immediate families but also their extended families."
Mr McMurtrie said the young men had integrated well into the Port Macquarie.
"Many of them join sporting groups, some have volunteered such as at Mrs York's Garden."
Twenty-six-year-old Jianhua Zhang got married in China the day before he moved to Port Macquarie to train as a pilot.
"My wife is in China and we have not seen each other since the wedding so it has been very hard for her," Mr Dai said.
"We chat on WeChat and call each other."
Mr Dai said he has loved Port Macquarie particularly the "beautiful coast".
However, his immediate career aspiration is to go home and see his wife.
Twenty-seven-year-old Shaoyi Dai said he was pleased to have completed his training.
I was homesick away from family and friends but if you want to accomplish something you need to sacrifice.
- Shaoyi Dai
Mr Dai said the people in Port Macquarie had been "very kind and welcoming" during his stay.
He hopes to one day fly planes from China to Australia.
