• To become a pilot one must have a keen interest to start with.
• Minimum Class 10th class pass is required for Private Pilot License (PPL)
• Minimum class 10+2 with Mathematics & Physics is required for Commercial Pilot License (CPL) & Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).
• The candidate should be medically fit as per the standards of DGCA for the respective Pilot License. The Medical Fitness can be obtained by undergoing the medical examination by visiting a Designated Aviation Medical Expert or any DGCA approved Aviation Medical Centre.

After completing the above pre-requisites, one must approach a pilot training center or talk to a flight-training consultant. Talking to a Flight Training Consultant (these words will have an email & Whatsapp no highlighted when the cursor comes) is highly recommended in order to understand the specific details of course options, training center and training locations.

The requirements to issue the various category of pilot license will vary according to the number of flying hours and successfully passing the relevant DGCA exams. So the flight-training course can be divided into two phases. Initial phase is theoretical training followed by Flying Training. The theoretical training is also known as Ground School.

What is Theoretical training or Ground school?

Learning the aviation subjects in a classroom is very important and it is the primary step towards the flight training. This is achieved by compulsorily undergoing the syllabus that may take up to 750 hours. This is completed in 18 weeks.

Flying Training

• An aspirant for a Private Pilot License (PPL) requires minimum of 45 hours of flying to be completed as per DGCA prescribed flight-training syllabus.
• An aspirant for a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) requires minimum of 200 hours of flying to be completed as per DGCA prescribed flight-training syllabus.
• Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) requires minimum of 1500 hours of flying to be completed as per DGCA flight hour experience requirement. No pilot receives these 1500 hours as training but accumulate these hours as work experience on the basis of CPL.

A pilot’s career is very rewarding and satisfying. It is a highly paid job considering the short course duration. A well-balanced brilliant pilot can start earning at the very early age of 19. His salary will be 5 times of his peers, if at all the peers start working at that age.

Career growth is achieved at a faster rate as the experience is calculated in flying hours and not in the years of service.

Becoming a pilot involves arduous training, dedication and years of building experience. Once a pilot is working for an airline, their life is sure to include significant time away from family and friends. This will include holidays that can be airline’s busiest times for transporting passengers, which translates into a higher demand for pilots to operate those flights.

The job may demand where a pilot should live. The pilot may need to move locations to secure the best job in all sense. They may need to work out of a base assigned by the airline. Pilot assignments are usually determined according to seniority.

Trainee pilot officers have the lowest level of seniority and they are always on call for 20 -24 days in a month. They also become fill-in pilots as a reserve duty where he or she should be available and reday to assume duty and fly on short notice.

The flying duty is aircraft specific as the pilot is approved to fly only one type at a time. If the pilot is certified to fly Airbus 320 type then he will continue to operate the same type till he is approved and certified in another type by the Airline. The duty time and flight time of a pilot is two different things. Flight time is the actual time the pilot is at the controls of the aircraft, this also termed between pilots as “stick time”. The pilot’s duty time is more than the flight time as the pilots are responsible for many time consuming duties before and after a flight including the pre and post flight activities, in addition to “stick time” and can extend upto 14 hours a day, especially in the case of weather disruptions. They also undergo rigorous recurrent training and qualification upgradation to be updated with the technical advancements.

The pilot rest is critical as adequate rest is a major focus for all airline pilots. One of the greatest challenges for our pilots can be adjusting to changing time zones and ensuring adequate rest both before and after a long duty day, especially after flying overseas and/or operating at night.

It is a fact that every year lot of pilot training aspirants joins flight schools abroad. The favorite destinations are USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa & European countries. All these countries issue the CPL/MEIR once the candidate successfully completes the course, which is approved by their respective CAA. There can be variation of the course syllabus for each country, but still they satisfy the minimum requirements established by ICAO.

DGCA India has also established their approved syllabus. This syllabus can vary and it may be well within some countries syllabus, if not the additional requirements need to be completed in the training location. If the candidate is unable to complete the additional requirements, then it shall be completed in India, subject to prior approval from DGCA India.

During the conversion process there are few mandatory flight tests and theoretical exams, which the candidate need to compulsory and successfully complete in India.

In order to have a continuous and smooth completion of the training abroad followed by issue of Indian DGCA CPL, few things have to be completed prior to departure. These pre course actions are very critical to successfully complete the course on time or before time.

Talk to our Flight Training Consultant to understand in details.

• Minimum 30 Hrs (for applicant who has passed English language Exam in Class 10 or 10+2 Examination)
  
  (Or)

• 200-400 Hrs (for applicant whose English is a second language or non-native language, the purpose of the training is with a view to correcting or attenuating unintelligible features of their speech)

The WPC (Wireless Planning and coordination) wing of the Ministry of Communication, Government of India conducts this examination and issues the RTR (A) or Radio Telephony Restricted (Aeronautical) license in India. The RTR (A) license is required for the use of communication equipment in an aircraft is the prerequisite for issue of pilot license. In air transportation the information and instructions transmitted are of vital importance in assisting in the safe and expeditious operation of aircraft. On the other hand, the use of non-standard procedures and phraseology can lead to misunderstanding. This elaborates the importance of using correct and precise standard phraseology. Students will be trained accordingly to appear for RTR license exam from Wireless Planning and Co-ordination Wing (WPC) of the Ministry of Communication, Government of India.

The RTR (Aeronautical) exam consists of following two parts:
Part 1: Practical test in Regulations and Procedures (Transmission)
Part 2: Oral Exam (VIVA) in A) Regulation and Procedure B) Radio principles and practice

In order to clear the RTR exam, candidate may either self-prepare or choose Training Centre/Coaching/Pilot Ground Training School for preparation and practical knowledge.

Training Duration: 02 Weeks

Eligibility: The candidate is required to have passed the higher secondary examination (10+2) with Physics & Math from any recognized board, conducted by Govt. of India.

In general, an applicant for issue of a license should meet the requirements in respect of Age, Basic Educational Qualification, Medical Fitness, Passing in requisite Examinations and Flying Experience appropriate to the category applied for. An Applicant who meets all the requirements is issued a Flight Crew License in appropriate category by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

To pass the requisite exams, it is very important the pilots must learn the aviation subjects in a classroom, and step towards the flight training in a proper manner to complete the training in time and get issued with Pilot License.

It is the runway (ground) from where aircraft do the takeoff and soar in sky. The same way, pilot need strong ground training not only to have the exams cleared but to also have the concrete knowledge and implement this knowledge in their flying career and keep flying higher. Therefore for any pilot aspirant, the best way to start with ground studies (Theoretical Training) and clear all the DGCA exams as specified and then move to flying training with focused mind.

The DGCA exams without having the good theoretical knowledge are very tough to pass. A candidate who secures a minimum of 70% marks in the Theoretical knowledge Examination of a particular subject will be declared PASS. Most aspirant pilot gets failed in their attempts & this in result delay their flying training or in some cases incompletion of the whole pilot training.

An aspirant pilot has multiple options for ground training, to have these ground training classes done and accordingly pass their relevant subjects. They may enrol in the Flying Training Organisation for ab initio training (Ground Training & Flying Training). Also there are several Ground Training School in all over country to provide enrich customised Ground Training as per student’s requirement.

Following DGCA subjects undertaken in the Ground Training for CPL:

• Air Regulations
• Aviation
• Meteorology
• Air Navigation
• Technical General
• Technical Specific

Training Duration: 5 Months
Eligibility: 10+2 or its equivalent with a minimum of 50% marks in Mathematics and Physics. At least 16 years of age to start pilot training.