Gauri Chhabra
If you want to touch and extol the sky with all its glory, Commercial Pilot is the career option for you. It is a life of adventure.A commercial pilot basically flies aircraft carrying passenger or cargo or both, unlike an air force pilot who flies fighter aircraft defending the country from enemy attack. Flying aircraft is just one of the responsibilities of commercial pilots. They have to be well versed in meteorology, air navigation, and must know the intricacies of the equipment and instruments under their control
There are 2 distinct sectors in Indian Aviation Industry: Commercial and Military. Commercial aviation includes passenger airlines and cargo planes, international air services, air taxi and charter operations being major function. Military aviation includes the Indian Air Force and the aviation arms of the Navy and Army. The Commercial airlines have typical Organizational structure. This includes airlines operations, maintenance,and marketing and finance divisions. The job of pilot comes under the airlines operation division.
Job Profile:
Airline pilots are highly trained, skilled and eagle eyed professionals who can qualify to fly many kinds of aircraft and helicopters. The skills demanded of a professional pilot include not only the ability to control the aircraft physically but also to make the right decisions in complex situations where time is a critical factor. The pilot keeps in mind the safety of the aircraft, the comfort of the passengers and crew and the airline’s schedule and efficiency. Flying does not require much physical effort but the mental stress of being responsible for a safe flight of an aircraft full of passengers in all kinds of weather can be taxing.Before take-off the pilot must prepare a flight plan, study the weather, make sure that the aircraft is airworthy, check that the cargo and fuel are safely loaded and work out estimated arrival times. Little time is spent actually flying the aero plane manually. Most of the time, the pilot is carefully monitoring sophisticated computer-controlled automatic flying, navigational and communications systems. Pilots keep in touch with air traffic control and must be prepared to deal with sudden changes in weather and other conditions. Hours of work are irregular but their actual flying time is strictly controlled.
Normally the pilots’ duties begin an hour or so before the flight. Pre-flight schedules are checked, the specified height, weight and noise level determined and the meteorological data interpreted. The equipment and instruments are inspected for proper functioning, the fuel requirement estimated, loading and refueling supervised, the crew is briefed etc. Throughout the flight, the pilot receives a steady stream of information which needs to be interpreted, all the while maintaining contact with the air traffic control. Pilot also has to occasionallycommunicate with the passengers to keep them informed about the flight condition. One or two co-pilots may accompany the pilot depending upon the duration of the flight.
Getting in:
Admission to IGRUA is based on an all-India written test, Pilot Aptitude Test (WOMBAT) and an interview. The written test is one paper of two hours duration that tests general English, Mathematics, Physics and Reasoning. Knowledge of Physics, Mathematics and English upto 10+2 standard is required along with general awareness of current affairs and normal reasoning.
Pilots need to be physically fit, possess good eyesight and color vision, be mentally and physically alert, wellbalanced and ready to respond to quickly changing situations. They must be unflappable, confident, self -assured leaders with considerable technical skill. Air Force Central Medical Establishment (AFCME),New Delhi and Institute of Aviation Medicine (IAM), Bangalore, are the final authorities for medical fitness.
Student Pilot License (SPL)
This is an examination conducted by flying clubs in every State and covers theoretical examination in Air Regulations, Aviation Meteorology, and Air Navigation Air Technical. The eligibilityis 16 years of age and pass in class X. A medical certificate of fitness, security clearance and a bank guarantee of Rs.10, 000are required. In case you wish to take the SPL test, you will have to appear in an oral examination on a fixed day every month; candidates go through a medical test.
Private pilot license (PPL)
After getting the SPL, you will have to take another theory exam of Air Regulations, Aviation Meteorology, and Air Navigation. Besides, you will have to undergo the initial flying training along with the flying instructor. This is a dual flight, where the instructor or trainer accompanies you to teach him the practical aspect of flying. After about 15 hours of dual flying, you may get your first independent flight that includes cross country flying. A total of 60 Hours of flying is needed of which 20 hour minimum should be solo and 5 hours cross country. The eligibility criteria of age is 17 years and educational qualifications is 10+2 along with medical fitness certificate from AFCME OR IAM.
Commercial pilot license (CPL)
You can get Commercial Pilot License by doing this flying training for 129 hours to complete 250 hours of flying. The educational eligibility is XII with Physics and Mathematics and age criteria is 18-30 years.A written exam in the following subjects is needed for getting the CPL: Air Regulations, aviation Meteorology, Air Navigation, Technical, Planning. These exams are conducted 6 times a year. Actual flying experience required – 250 hours of total flying time(150 hours of solo, 25 hours of cross country, 10 hours of instrument flying, 5 hours of night flying).
The training schedule for PPL and CPL is 6 months and 15 months respectively.
CPL license and training as a particular aircraft leads to a co-pilot assignment. Promotion depends on flying experience and vacancies. Co-pilots must have the required numbers of flying hours and license. Proficiency tests have to be cleared almost thrice a year or more depending on the license category and age of the pilot. The highest among the category of licenses is the Air Transport Pilot License(ATPL) which allows the pilot to fly any type of aircraft. It has to be constantly renewed through passing medical and other tests every six months. . University of Mumbai offers BSc Aviation through different colleges which offer CPL training.
Training of Helicopter Pilots
Helicopter pilots need to have Commercial Helicopter Pilots License (CHPL) that can be acquired by two stages. The Private Helicopter License (PHPL) is granted after 40 hours of flying training (15 hours should be solo) and on clearing the written exams of aviation subjects. 60 hours of flying training has to be completed and a written exam has to be cleared
Institute Scape:
There are about 30 state sponsored flying clubs in India of which the most prestigious and best known is the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy, (UP). Apart from the state-sponsored flying academies, there are 11 private flying clubs in the country. The major advantage of private schools is that, most of them are located in small towns, which have fewer flights touching down. As a result, getting clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC) becomes relatively easy, as compared to the busier large city airports. This in turn makes it possibleato log the mandatory flying hours sooner. Here is the list of some of the locations of the flying clubs – Amritsar, Chennai, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Patiala, Ambala, Hissar, Delhi, Rae Bareilly, Faizabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Mysore, Thiruvananthapuram, Pondicherry, Hyderabad, Indore, Bhopal, Bhubneshwar, Patna and Kolkata. However, some may be defunct due to paucity of resources.
Pay Packet:
Commercial Pilot is one of the very attractive and lucrative career options, but simultaneously anextremely demanding one. In popular imagery the profession of a pilot has special mystique attached to it. Commercial pilots are employed by national airlines as well as by private airlines and international airlines too. The introduction of low-cost airlines in India has given explosive growth to the sector and hence the demand for commercial pilots. A pilot’s job, glamorous as it may appear, however involves, working odd hours with eagle sharp concentration, absorbing complex data that is constantly fed during the flight and taking quick decisions based on the information received.Salaries for commercial pilots are very attractive, ranging anywhere from Rs. 40,000 to whopping Rs. 200,000 p.m.
Therefore, for all those who aim for a sky rocketing success, script your way to glory by being a commercial pilot…
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