Career as a Pilot : Commercial Pilot Career in India

Career as a Pilot : Commercial Pilot Career in India


Right from the childhood, most people dream of spreading their feathers of hopes to fly high while sighting an aeroplane rocketing up above the blue sky. These hopes which once seem to be the pipe dreams for many has now turned into a much acclaimed profession and career track. Today, there are many Commercial airlines that are actively operating in the aviation industry. One can therefore easily get trained and be specialized in his career under commercial aviation. There are many institutes which offers courses and training for pursuing a career of commercial pilots. But going after such an adventurous yet responsible profession, one however needs to be quite good in his academic career and should be the owner of many skills and talents. Apart from the excellence in studies, one also needs to have a good fitness level and must not be a dependant on any aids as such. One must also have good command over his English skills which should include both written and communicative skills.

One can apply for a pilot training course in various flying clubs right after appearing for or qualifying in the 10+2 examination. However, it is recommended that an individual must complete his graduation as the same is quite desirable while seeking jobs in the aviation industry. The students who opts for applying after their 10+2 level must have Physics and Mathematics in their qualifying examinations. There are various entrance examinations that are held in the flying clubs for selecting candidates for pilot training sessions. These examinations mainly includes two formats, i.e. a written test and a viva voce. The various advertisements and admission notices for pilot training applications are usually made available by the month of September. The minimum age requirements for applying for such a course is 18 years. This course and training will be for around three years and will cost for approximately five lacs of rupees. After successful completion of the training, one will be eligible for receiving the private pilot license which will be provided accordingly to the students.

Even though, one can easily get employment through training from the various flying clubs and with a private pilot license in hand, it is generally a requirement for many job positions of higher rank to have a commercial pilot license. There are many institutes which has the provisions of awarding commercial pilot license to its passed out students. One such renowned and well established institute that awards the commercial pilot license to its students is that of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) which was established in the year 1985. However, for enrolling oneself into this academy one has to meet certain qualification requirements beforehand. Some of these qualifications are that of:-
• A private pilot license

• 60 hours of flight experience

• Age limit of within 23 years.
In addition to these, a candidate will also have to appear in the entrance exam and the viva session which are conducted by the month of February every year. After qualifying in the examinations and the viva voce, one can continue his training in the IGRUA institute and accordingly be eligible to avail the commercial pilot license on successful completion of his training period. After getting the commercial pilot license, there are many opportunities open for the candidates like that of joining the Indian Air Force, Private Airlines, and can also serve as a trainer in the various flying clubs to name a few among the other available options.

Some of the Flying Clubs of India

1. Flying Training Institute, Calcutta

2. Government Flying Club, Lucknow

3. Mumbai Flying Club, Santa Cruz West, Mumbai

4. Government. Flying Training School, Bangalore

Some Institutes providing training for Commercial Pilot License

1. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Uttar Pradesh

2. All India Institute of Aeronautics, Gujarat