For aspiring pilots … in INDIA (report spl. By the pilot himself)

Lately, I’ve been inundated with phone calls, emails, and scrapbook messages from people in various walks of life – the standard 12th step for engineers, business graduates, and even certified accountants, asking anxiously and enthusiastically. on pilot training. The type of inquiries made and the expectations that most of these people have has made me realize that perhaps the boom in aviation in India has been exaggerated to such an extent that it has created some false impressions and hopes. In light of this, I would like to clarify the following things on how to become a commercial pilot:

1. The first and foremost thing I want to emphasize is that being a commercial driver is NOT, I repeat, NOT an easy escape from the difficulty of other races! It is as difficult, demanding and demanding as being an engineer or a doctor, with an added negative: EXTREMELY HIGH STRESS LEVELS. Being an airline first officer or commander is not at all about sitting in an air-conditioned automated plane, touring multiple cities every day, staying in fancy hotels, and getting paid for it. Get real guys! There is not a single dream job like that in the world. If it existed, I’m sure everyone would be doing just that by now. The things mentioned above are perks that come with your actual work, and they are not the work itself! The stress and rigorous effort required to train to fly even a small propeller plane is enormous! Taking responsibility for an aircraft at the airline level, as well as operating it in accordance with all the standards and norms imposed by the DGCA and the company, requires a skill equivalent to a good engineer, the vigilance of a manager, the precision of a good meteorologist, solid knowledge of regulations, PLUS constant presence of mind and self-innovation to tackle everyday situations, each of which will be unique.

2. Training to become a pilot is one of the hardest things in the world. I’m not kidding! It is only the amount of BOOKISH EFFORT that is less in flight training, although of course there is a lot of that too. Becoming a pilot is not as easy as simply enrolling in an institute and recording your hours. There are at least 10 procedures involved in this, viz. Police Verification, Board Verification, Computer Number Request, Theoretical Exam Request, SPL, FRTOL, Theoretical Training, Medical Class 2, Medical Class 1, COP (RTR), Flight Training, License and Rating Applications. You will have to sweat and run a lot for each of these procedures, and each of them will take a minimum of 3 months to complete.

3. Becoming a pilot means obtaining and having at least 6 CURRENT documents viz. SPL, FRTOL, Class 1 Medical assessment, pass the 5 compulsory theoretical exams (which by the way are quite difficult to pass), COP (RTR) and flight training diary carried out according to the syllabus. EACH of these have a separate validity period, from 6 months to 2-1 / 2 years, and if you cannot complete your training within that time, that particular license will expire and will have to be renewed. This will mean higher costs and more running, so there is tension to finish training very quickly, which is not practically possible. After becoming a pilot, your instrument rating and night rating will need to be renewed every six months, the COP (RTR) will need to be renewed every 3 years, and the Class 1 medical class will need to be renewed every year until age 40. The latter is especially dangerous, you could be medically punished at any time, and depending on the duration, it can ruin your flight training and even ruin your career for life.

6/24/06 4. Here’s an important point: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A 100% WORK OR PLACEMENT GUARANTEE! Any institute that proclaims this is trying to lure you in with false promises. Hello there?? Guys, wake up! Is there a guarantee of employment in any career? Even if you are a student at an IIM or IIT, do you have a guaranteed job? What a ridiculous thought! If so, then all you would have to do is get into high school and sleep for the rest of your days. Hey, guaranteed job, right? Even wishing something like this seriously is proof that you want something for nothing: a free life! Get that thought out of your head, otherwise you will screw it up! Aside from moral preaching, there is no job guarantee for pilots, in fact, landing a pilot job is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT than landing a job as an engineer, MBA, or call center officer. Since the industry is not as well organized as the hard-core ones, it is difficult to say when the vacancies will appear in which company or how many there will be. When vacancies appear, you will have to compete alongside many experienced pilots, such as flight instructors or charter pilots, for the same position. The entry process for most airlines involves a written test, psychometry, interview, simulator check / instrument check, and company medical review – 5 levels to pass! Most companies charge you for each of these layers.

5. Contrary to popular opinion, flying professionally is difficult, as I have already mentioned. There are too many professional and human limitations to follow at work. Your family and social life will have to sacrifice a lot at least in the first years. You will have to undergo skill tests and proficiency checks at least every 6 months in an airline, and believe me, you need to be vigilant if you don’t want to be punished or fired …

… It is not similar to driving a car where the skill remains; it implies constant improvement in both practice and theory; Well I’m sure a look at the theory required just for the basic CPL exams will scare quite a few people.

6. There are many headaches and frustrations in flying, from financial problems to political competition, lack of flight instructors and medical grounding. The whole process to become a pilot will involve a minimum investment of Rs. 13-14 lakhs, and this does not include Multi-Engine Qualification or Instructor Qualification or any post-job airline training costs, which can be Rs. 10-25 additional. lakhs. You may have passed all of your theoretical papers and are the first in line for training and the most interested best flyer and yet you may fall victim to favoritism, nepotism, and influence. There is nothing that can be done about it. If your flight instructor suddenly leaves your job for someone else, leaving you stranded, there isn’t much you can do about it either.

My motive is not to dissuade people from aspiring to become pilots, but to try to segregate the hardliners and the hopefuls. If you are bored or tired of your current career and want a refreshing change, FLYING IS NOT FOR YOU. If you’re bad at school or don’t want to fight much in life, FLYING IS NOT FOR YOU. If you want a stable, safe and risk-free career option, FLYING IS NOT FOR YOU. If you are looking for alternative and unconventional career options, FLYING IS NOT FOR YOU. If “you want to be a pilot because it’s cool”, FLYING IS NOT FOR YOU (you can try Microsoft Flight Simulator).

To even think about becoming a pilot, you must be passionate about it and willing to risk a lot in life, financially and otherwise. You must be prepared to face insurmountable obstacles and gut-wrenching pain in your endeavor. You must be prepared to suffer terrible injustices in your search. You must be willing to fight like a madman, with no destination in sight, trudging forward only fueled by the hope that you will make it through one day. You must be prepared to live badly and badly maybe even your whole life. Yes, what I’m saying is that flying must be the main love of your life if you want to pursue a career in it, just like music was the main love of Beethoven’s life.

I hope this article has been helpful to many of you who dream of being a pilot. If you have fully understood the challenges involved and still want to start the adventure, I will be happy to help you. Greetings and fly high.