Indigo - Information Highway

[Jackass Penguin]

Dear fellow aviators,

Please note that this is addressed to all pilots, however – please only provide mature and quality input to this discussion.

My role with any information with regards to Indigo is that of a fellow aviator that is in the pipeline for Indigo.

Having worked in 3rd world countries my self, I know that there is both beauty and ugliness in all places around the world. The key is to focus on the good and try and tolerate the bad. While change can be slow sometimes, if it is too slow for you - move on.

Home is where you hang your hat, if you are away from home and don’t accept where you are is home, and you’re homesick. Go home and solve your own problem.

While I prefer to use the word future aviators (In place of the word Wannabies) please do not make this thread your own personal Psychologist’s couch.

We all know as pilots there are no short cuts, and it is a very long and hard road. With many exams, flight tests and an extraordinary amount of money.

Those that are qualified on type, and have the necessary flight time. Use your experience in India as a journey into the unknown and explore all that you can. Remember this is not, I repeat not like living in Paris, London, Rome, New York or Sydney. Do not be so ignorant to get there and complain that I don’t have this and I don’t have that. You should have had some level of understanding of the city and country that you are going to.

If you are low in flight time and do not have a type rating, get motivated and get out there and pay your dues. Apart from the fantastic experience you will have being a pilot; you will gain a wealth of knowledge and wisdom that will be with you forever.

So far as the type rating, “I don’t want to PAY all of that money” without a guarantee.

YOU WILL NOT GET A GUARENTEE !!!

So while you are building your flight time, create a savings plan and set yourself a time goal. If you can time it right you should be able to get close to the amount of money you need for the type rating. Complete it and make YOURSELF a more SALEABLE product. You can DELAY yourself and express your feelings and frustrations all you want, the more you do the further ahead are the ones that have set a goal and achieved it.

All the while you are preaching to the converted, who appreciate your frustration but ignore it all the same.

Remember with the A320 type rating you have just climbed up the ladder a few more notches and have made yourself a more attractive pilot to prospective employers.

I am a self funded and typed pilot !!!

Who is responsible for this, ME – No one else but me. I have worked 3 jobs, studied my butt off and am proud of what I have achieved. You can too!!!

Now I hope that I have covered most of the people that take their time trawling though these posts, trying to weigh others down with their frustration and negativity.

OK Indigo Costs and time line.

You should be prepared to take at least 6 months if you are not typed and 4 months if you ARE typed to be flying with Indigo in India.

Non A320 Typed pilots (1000 TT +)

1-2 weeks self study prep for ground school and Simm
5 weeks type rating course on site Florida
4 – 7 weeks Indian Aviation security clearance
6 weeks Company Invitation letter (Required for Indian Visa)
20-30 days Airport Security Identification Card

24 weeks approx (5 and ½ months)

A320 Typed pilots

As above less study and type rating course period.

17 weeks approx (4 months)


Costs

If not American Approx USD$700 for student M1 visa fees
If not American Approx USD$100 – 200 for Homeland security check
Airfare to Miami Unknown quantity you must factor in say USD$1000
Hotel Accommodation while on site USD$80 x 35 = USD$2800
Food USD$15 per day x 35 = USD$ 525
Type rating USD$12500
Taxi / Hire car unknown quantity USD$500

Approx total USD$18225 – (Conservative figure)

REMEMBER YOUR PAY IS USD$6000 PER MONTH – So you can recover your costs in 3 – 4 months of flying jets.

Having 1500 Hours TT and satisfying the FAA ATPL minimums will also allow you to use your check ride as an upgrade to your FAA Airline Transport Pilots license.

If and when I have any information on my friends journey to India I will keep you posted.

[eramusbdraggin]

Here is the dope on IndiGo for those interested.I spoke to their VP Ops and this is from the horses mouth.
-Foreign Pilots with Type rating(A320) are only considered. The Indian :):)DGCA has laid down minmum experience level for foreign license validation after a Security clearence.
-It is for Capt 2000 TFT with 100 PIC on A320
- For a copilt 1000TFT plus type rating or 500Me and type rating or type rating and 100 hours on type flying(not Sim) experience...This is the DGCA.
IndiGo will take a pilot meeting the above copilot requirement as a Second Officer( approx $3000/- and $1000/- housing) The pilot will fly a min of 300 hrs under supervision and on completion and a successful line check will up grade to FO ($5400 after tax with 80hrs assured and overtime after 80 hrs.
The FO has a Capt upgrade at at no cost built in to the contract( he/she should have the appropriate license) As capt you get $9000 net of tax (80 hours assured) overtime $150 per hour.FOs and Capts work 70 days on 21 days off. During OFF full 80 hr pay assured.
Direct Hire Capt need at least 2000 hrs Me Command and at least 300 PIC on Type. TRI TRE are at $10500 and 11500 net of tax.Airline does not accept this paper qualification at face value. To be TRI/TRE you need to be checked out on Sim and Route by Airbus TRE and IndiGo TRE.
It is the most professionally run Indian Carrier. CEO,COO,Director OCC, Director Crew Planning, Director Cabin Crew are Out of US Air, Com air and Delta. INDIGO MAY BE LOW COST BUT IS NOT CHEAP OR BEHAVES CHEAPLY.
IndIgo has georgeous Girls layover in same hotels and offers Pilot Domiciles at Delhi, Mumbai(Bombay) Kolkatta(Calcutta) and Bangalore.
No policy prohibiting dipping pen in Company ink:O
Check it out.Put up or Shut Up.Interested. write [email protected]...... For the Indian A command Upgrade is available with ATPL, 1500 TFT and 300 hrs On type...
IndiGO offers Command pilots have to earn it to get it.SOPs are Airbus (FCOM 3).
IndiGO has training agreements with Sim Centre and CAE Madrid. No job assured just because you have a rating.Read the small print.... IndiGo may be short of pilots but it is choosy. It trains to proficiency.. Want to go to India Check your English and RT procedures.Either can get you rejected.

Least I forget its 5days on 2 days off a week.Expect 4 flying days 1 reserve. 6 hours a day, 5 sectors. @ There are layovers in good hotels presently in Calcutta, Bombay, Bangalore Delhi and Jaipur .
90-100 hour per month. limits Daily 8hrFT/12FDT, Weekly 35FT/60FDT monthly 125hrsFT/200hrsFDT, year 1000hrsFT/1600hrs FDT.
Expect a1.5 months gardening holiday......
IndiGo happy to see the 6 FO likely to leave not interest in spoilt brats out of jetlite( Shahara) big on EGO low on experience and ability....:)

[Vili68]

Eramus,

Thanks for a very informative post. Do you have any knowledge of whether that type requirement may go away? In other words, is the current shortage putting enough pressure on them to continue dropping the type mins?

Thanks again,

Vili

[Jackass Penguin]

Due to the explosive growth of Indigo the SO program is delayed because of lack of instructors. 3 Captains will undergo training as TRE's, that will happen sometime in October of 2007.

Keeping this in mind - this should not effect pilots considering this path in their aviation career. The time it will take you to get to the point of acceptance I.E. you have completed your A320 type rating, they will already have the increase in the amount of TRE (Type rating Examniers)

[Rubis]

What does it take to open the ink bottle?

[nicholasblonde]

eramusbdraggin (http://www.pprune.org/forums/member.php?u=182378) and jackasspenguin,

so are there SOs in the pipeline who will be backed up in front of me if I were to start the SO track programme through SimCenter?

Is IndiGo still selling 300 hrs line FO experience through Simcorp and Bond (who both recently said on the phone they could get that line training for 20K)??? Wonder what would be better--showing up through the Simcenter programme or applying after buying 300 on type via simcorp/bond?

[flaps 1]

I have gone down the Simcenter route and found out that you get no guarantees , or that they have any ability to get you into Indigo more than the other 2 companies mentioned .
As regarding the $20000 the others say it costs for "pay to pay " deal , Im pretty sure Simcenter is charging $19000 for the same as this is the price mentioned on there web site and "climb 350 " ads. they only mention as much as required to gets ya money . Their web site still shows the 727 internship , which i gather went bust at least in 2006 . :=
They had the same A320 deal offered last year with Deccan and that has fallen flat , hours offered with that was $17000. This years playmate is Indigo.:hmm:

Be aware they are only selling type ratings , any thing else is a bonus if you are lucky enough to slip through otherwise you ll be joining a big backlog with guys like me who did the rating and havent been able to start even when prepared to "pay to play".
No probs if you got s the money to spend and experience etc to wait it out till someone picks you up , otherwise its a rating with no time on type ,ie expensive piece of paper .
Seems anyone can set up a flash website and promise lots to eager wannabees , your choice ,good luck:ok:

[vinayak]

go to apply in the cae website for indigo... can't submit the application for somereason. its getting stuck at the page where the licence details are to be submitted. what to do!

[viking320]

can anyone tell what is the latest with tha s/o with indigo have the project been put on hold.CAE did interviews in USA for indigo
any updates on the companies currently on the list