Which country to choose?? Help Needed!

[bala_murali]

Hi guys
Would like some advice on which country to select to do my pilot training in considering 2 facts the license quality and training quality offered. I do know UK is the best when it comes to license and training quality but it doesn’t fit into my budget .Here is my list. Please do help me make up my mind.

1. Canada (CAA)
2. Australia (CASA)
3. New Zealand (?)
4. USA (FAA)
5. South Africa (?)

Does the value of the license really matter and the training institution really matters when it comes to job interview or will it mostly dependent on just flying hours.:confused:

[SpreadEagle]

Does the value of the license really matter and the training institution really matters when it comes to job interview or will it mostly dependent on just flying hours.

What matters is who your friends are, what your daddy does and how much money you have.

The fact that you do not have enough to go UK, implies you will not have enough for a type rating which sadly seems to be the way of things. You may go over hours during training and that will incur more costs so you need contingency cash.

Unless you are well connected or have more money than Mukesh Ambani, then you may want a rethink before ploughing what savings you have into a career that may never materialise.:{

[Whirlygig]

What matters in which countries do you have the right to live in and work.

Cheers

Whirls

[bala_murali]

The only country i am allowed to live and work in is INDIA. My sister is a permanent resident in Boston USA,don't know whether thats gono help me in anyway... i have did my research regarding many flight academies and spoke to many pilot too , after speaking to everybody i was not sure of which country to go to but the overall unique reply i got is "DO NOT DO YOUR PILOT TRAINING IN INDIA".many said the training standard and the duration of the course would be very long.PlZ do let me know if there are any good flight schools in India.

And what "SPREAD EAGLE "says is right.i don't have enough money to do my training in UK and i don't have the dough for the type rating ready in my hand now,but joining a school like say in Canada, doing my instructor rating there , becoming a instructor in the same school ,building up my work experience and flying hours then applying for an airline keeping in mind that i would be finishing my pilot training somewhere around august.Wont the job market be better at that time .Cant a person from a upper middle class family take this path,OR is flying for the super rich only these days.

Many people in this forum have tremendous experience in the field of aviation ,you guys must have gone through the hurdles that i have in front of me now.Plz do let me know of which is the next best country to UK for flight training ? Your guidance would be much appreciated.

[milanius]

Hi Bala,

I have heard that a group of around 60 guys and girls from India, recently graduated in JAT Flight Academy (Serbia). You can find them on Facebook, one guy from that team made a FB group there. I also heard that they were very sucessfull. Anyways, here is the link:
Jat Airways Flight Academy - Vr?ac - Home (http://www.jatfa.com/)
get in touch with the Flight School directly and get some more info.

I am planning to start there this October.

Good luck,
Milan

PS. Even they had there own cook from India :) I have a lot of colleagues from India and i know how important that is.

[konvikt]

hey i live in UAE..and i am also looking forward to be a pilot..i have just finished my high school .. i am actually from India too..i would like more information this Jat aiways things thank you alot

[pittss2b]

I think Canada is the way to go, few visas hassels, reasonable price, good standards!

[bala_murali]

hi Milanius

Thanks for the info . Will check out this academy.To tell you the truth this is the first time i am hearing about a academy in Serbia.Heard that the winters there are very bad compared to other countries in the world excluding Antarctica and the north pole (Ofcourse).

[bala_murali]

Comparing the license quality and the standard of training which would be preferred
1.Canada
2. Australia

[konvikt]

so where are you planning to join? canada? austraila? serbia? .. one guy above said there are many indians goin to serbia

[bala_murali]

on the top of my head i have kept Canada as my first choice as they are giving me a post graduation work permit to build up my flying hours . Had a choice of Basair aviation college in Australia, but hopes on Australia are diminishing day by day .

[Dan Winterland]

I would contact your own aviation authority to find out what you would have to do to convert the various licences into an Indian one. I don't know India's conversion requirement, but for example, some authorities don't rate US licences highly and you will find yourself doing a lot of extra exams and maybe some flying tests on your return.

[bala_murali]

hi Dan
thanks for the info.Would like to know whom you exactly mean by an aviation authority .

[Whirlygig]

Oh dear ... I'm afraid you've got a lot more research to do.

Aviation is governed by a civil aviation authority in every country - in your case, the DGCA in India. These authorities regulate the industry and are responsible for issuing the licences. Licences from one country are not necessarily valid in another.

Therefore, in order to have an Indian licence, you either train in India or you convert from another country's licence. You need to find out from your country's aviation authority (Google DGCA India) what is required to convert from say, either FAA, CASA, JAA to an Indian licence).

Cheers

Whirls

[PPRuNe Towers]

Tell you what Bala,

Why don't you come back when you have done some serious research.

Not just on aviation authorities but, more importantly, how many fully trained and qualified new pilots there are on the DGCA books. It's also worth reading PPRuNE and local forums for the estimate on numbers presently training at airfields all over the world.

All Indian wannabees not already trapped by the honeypot flight training centres taking their money around the world really need to do this research.

900 expat pilots, mainly experienced captains, being dismissed will allow jobs for how many thousand unemployed Indian pilots with zero commercial experience? The numbers just don't add up.

Rob