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Aviation
A career in aviation
attracts many youngsters, not the least because it offers a
glamorous lifestyle and an opportunity to travel around the
globe. Job opportunities have multiplied in recent times,
since privatisation has resulted not only in a number of
private airlines operating in the sector, but new
international airlines have also started operations in India.
However, before you sign up at the nearest flying school, you
should know all about the career and know what it has to
offer. The Competition Master presents here a comprehensive
guide for a career in aviation and describe both sides of the
picture. A list of addresses is also provided for students
who would like to pursue a career in this lucrative field.
The aviation sector, which is dominated by Air India and
Indian Airlines, has seen some remarkable changes in recent
years. Private airlines entered the sector in a big way,
though some of them are not doing too well these days. Many
international airlines have started operations from the
country, thanks to increased opportunities now available in
the country after privatisation was taken up.
This has resulted in a huge demand for trained commercial
pilots. Salaries have been pushed up : a trainee pilot can
earn Rs 15,000 per month, which is a good amount for
starters. Pilots earn
Rs 65,000-85,000 per month; foreign
airlines pay much more, going up to Rs 1.5 lakh per month and
even higher. Add to this the charm of touring the world and
going to distant destinations, staying in good hotels, having
a status in life and perks of getting free tickets for your
family. The charm of flying high-technology machines and
soaring high is another factor for the popularity of this
career.
Before you start pestering your parents to send you for the
career, consider the other side of the picture too. It is a
highly responsible job with no room for error. Flight timings
are unearthly and this will play havoc with your body as well
as your family life. If you are medically unfit at any time,
you will be grounded with considerable financial loss.
Besides that, flying at high altitudes is extremely tiring
and may result in reduced vision, slowed reflexes, dizziness
and ozone sickness. If you have travelled a long distance in
a plane you will know the kind of fatigue that air travel
generates. Imagine doing that for the rest of life. Do you
think you can cope?
In fact, you should have a medical fitness test done even
before you join. Pilots have to undergo medical and fitness
tests at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment at New
Delhi or the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Bangalore. A
change in physical health, such as a heart ailment, epilepsy,
diabetes and so on, can result in grounding of a pilot.
Consider also the cost of training. A commercial pilot's
license costs upwards of Rs 5 lakh. Private flying schools
and foreign flying schools may charge Rs 15 lakh or above.
The career is certainly not for you if you cannot spare that
kind of money; no scholarships are available.
One way of making a career in aviation is to join the Air
Force and leave for commercial airlines after serving the
minimum number of years that are stipulated. Often, that is
not feasible. To start early, it is advisable to go for a
commercial pilots' license straightaway.
The first step is to acquire a Student Pilots License (SPL).
This can be obtained from a flying club in India after a test
of air regulations, aviation meteorology and navigation.
There are about 18 flying clubs in India, though only about 7
are reportedly active: Ludhiana, Patiala, Karnal, Hisar,
Indore, Bombay and Delhi. The minimum age requirement is 16
years and you can join right after your school degree. You
need to have studied science subjects in school: Physics,
Chemistry and Mathematics.
The next step is to get a Private Pilots License (PPL).
During this time, one is introduced to flying trainer
aircraft, at first with an instructor and later solo. A PPL
has to have 60 hours of flying experience. A Commercial
Pilots License (CPL) requires 190 hours of flying.
Examinations are also held and one has to keep clearing them
to become a full fledged pilot. Training on a Cessna is about
Rs 700 an hour including fuel and training. The CPL is more
expensive, which may cost Rs 1500 an hour.
A license can be obtained from the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya
Udaan Academy at Rae Bareilly (IGRUA) which was set up in
1986 to train pilots. To join the academy, you should have a
PPL with 60 hours of flying. The cost is over Rs 3 lakh
for a
two-year course.
One can also go abroad for training. At the Aviation Training
Inc, California, the cost is around $18,000 (Rs 6.3 lakh).
There are other flying schools in Texas and Kansas which may
be slightly cheaper. There are flying schools in Canada and
Australia too which offer quality training. The advantage of
doing a course abroad is that one can complete it in time. In
India, training flights may often be delayed if the flying
club does not have the requisite aircraft, fuel or trainers.
If you want to come back to India after training abroad, you
will have to get an Indian pilots' license. After getting an
American pilots' license, one has to get it converted to an
Indian one from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
You may also have to undergo a flying check in India.
After the initial license, you will have to get an airline
endorsement, which means training on large aircraft like the
Boeing 737. The cost of training on such aircraft can work
out to Rs 50,000 per hour. Indian Airlines will bear this
cost if you join them, but be prepared to sign a seven-year
financial bond if you do so. Private airlines charge up to
Rs
6 lakh for an endorsement, taking the cost of training abroad
to about Rs 15 lakh, if not higher. A new addition for
training are the flight simulators though flying clubs do not
have this equipment at present.
Prospects:
After getting an Indian license, one can apply to
the airlines for jobs. One may join as a pilot and work
upwards to become a Commander. In Indian Airlines, it may
take 8-10 years to get command of a jet aircraft. Private
airlines may take only half the time, since the flying hours
that the pilot puts in are much higher. These days there is a
shortage of pilots and foreign airlines such as Gulf Air,
Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Air Lanka frequently hire
Indian pilots. With Asia opening up, salaries have multiplied
and it is not surprising to hear of a monthly salary of
$6,000 after taxes (about Rs 2 lakh) or even a higher figure
of $12,000. Apart from this, one may get to fly a bigger and
more modern aircraft with a foreign airline.
A word of caution may be in order here. Many pilots switched
to private airlines a few years back, lured by high salaries.
With many such airlines folding up and running into losses,
the high salaries have not been sustainable. In the past
year, Damania was sold while Modiluft and East West were in
serious trouble and were grounded due to various problems.
This is not to say that the prospects are poor for a pilot.
The domestic private airlines may be failing because of
restrictive rules and this has been pointed out by owners of
airlines. Government policy is also very confused and a
proposal of a tie up between Tatas and Singapore Airlines has
not been allowed by the government. The country's
privatisation programme is clearly aimed at protecting the
government monopoly. So the career opportunities at present
are limited to Air India and Indian Airlines and foreign
airlines.
Aptitude:
What does it take to become a pilot? You should
have an aptitude to work with machines and vehicles. A pilot
has to understand his machine in the way one would understand
a car and look after it. The plane, is of course, much more
serious. Technical snags may risk the lives of passengers and
pilot. One has also to learn about the weather and how to
deal with it. It is rightly said that a pilot must love
flying, since the machine becomes an extension of self. It
has to be kept perfectly maintained so that it does not
create problems at high altitudes.
Some other qualities required are quick-thinking and the
ability to take snap decisions. One needs to have sharp
reflexes and the ability to keep calm in crises.
Choose the career if you have a good constitution, a love for
flying and a stable temperament. There is the risk factor,
where job security is almost non-existent. Not everybody can
get into a foreign airline, so you will have to reconcile
with the bureaucratic working of the domestic airline.
According to those in the airlines, pilots in Indian Airlines
get very few flying hours as compared to other airlines,
which seriously affects ones career. Pilots are grounded at
the slightest pretexts. They also have to go through medical
examinations every six months. Since the pilot's income is
reduced in the months that he is not flying, grounding causes
frustrations and hardship.
In the ultimate analysis, life as a pilot is both exciting
and offers many opportunities to see the world. Like every
other job, it has its negative side too. So the question
boils down to whether you have a love for it or not. If you
have a deep inborn desire for it, chances are that you will
overcome difficulties and even make it big as a commercial
pilot.
Are you built for a career in aviation?
Answer these questions to decide about a career in aviation:
How good is your general health and constitution?
Can your parents spend upwards of Rs 5 lakh for your
training?
Do you panic easily when things go out of control?
Did you have science subjects in school?
Do you like driving and going to new places?
If you have a vehicle, how many times has it broken down?
Can you take quick decisions?
Are you dependable and willing to take responsibility for
your actions?
Do you like to travel?
Are you able to repair machines yourself?
Questions 1-4 are critical and if you answered no to any of
them, you can decide against a career in aviation. The other
questions relate to your interest. You should have answered
'yes' to them (except Q. No. 6) to qualify.
This is a general quiz. For a detailed analysis, see a
counsellor.
Flying clubs in India
Kamal Aviation Club, Kunjpura Road, Karnal - 132 001.
Hisar Aviation Club, Textile Road, Sirsa Bypass, Hisar - 125
002.
Bombay Flying Club, Juhu Aerodrome, Santa Cruz, Mumbai - 400
049.
School of Aviation Science and Technology, Delhi Flying Club,
Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi - 110 003.
Abroad
Aviation Training Inc, 21593 Sky West Drive, Haywar,
California.
Acme School of Aeronautics, Meachan Airport, Fort Worth,
Texas 76106.
Atlantic Bridge Aviation, Lydd Airport, Kent, UK.
American Flyers International Campus, Executive Airport, Ft
Lauderale, USA.
You may also contact:
Campus Abroad, Vijaya Complex, 5th Floor Asiad Colony Anna
Nagar West, Madras 3D 600 101, for information on training
abroad.
Navair International Flying School, 359-A, Deep Bungalow
Chowk, Chinar Heights, Model Colony, Pune - 411 016. A
Commercial Pilots License here costs Rs 15.50 lakh.
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