@flyboy_nz
In regards to the DGCA requirements, a Commerical Pilot wanting to conduct charter must have 500 hrs TT. If he/she wishes to become an instructor, they require 300 PIC. Then, how is a fresh CPL holder going to build up his/her hours to get a job? What is the point of issuing a CPL at 200hrs? Doesn't a Commerical Licence entitle a Pilot to conduct ops for hire or reward?
It is not just random numbers. Most of the hours requirements have been laid out keeping in mind various ICAO guidelines.
Once a student has earned his/her CPL in India, he/she would pretty much have around 140 hours + of PIC time.
Now, where can you get the remaining 60 hours of PIC time to get an AFIR ?
Well, you either can pay for those hours or get into an agreement with some flying school wherein they pay for your AFI training and the hours requirements and you in turn sign a bond to serve them for a few years as flight instructor.
This is one of the many possible ways.
Other avenues like sky diving flights, scenic tours etc are almost negligible in India. Too insignificant to be bothered about by the average aspirant without much connections.
My next query would be, how is it these fresh CPL holders are getting into the Airlines? I mean, the requirements just for charter and instructing are pretty high, the jet stuff should be really up there. Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying they should put up the ante for the Airlines as well, but look at the contradictions. It is so clear that they have merely picked random numbers and put those as requirements.
The hours requirements for an RHS position in a Jet normally in any other country like the USA, Canada etc would be huge.
However, in India where GA is very small, low time piston engine pilots with CPL only are taken in by the airlines whenever there is a need. (This need arises when the industry is in good health and market conditions are conducive to hiring fresh low time CPL holders .. which in other words means VERY VERY RARELY)
And even after getting into an airline, a low time CPL holder does not straight away jump into the RHS.
He/she has to go through ground school, pass DGCA tech-general and tech-specific papers of aircraft type, do a few hundred hours of Supernumary or Observing flights, then Simulator sessions, LOFT sessions etc.
Even after passing all of the above and being released online as a full fledged first officer, he/she still has a lot of restrictions depending on company policies .. ie. can not be PF for certain critical airports, or during monsoon etc.
Why .,. I even know some junior FOs who have done nothing other than RT and maybe Passenger Announcements in their first 100 odd flights !
Commander takes controls from some rookie pilots routinely during normal line flying due to safety reasons, during approaches and on finals.
Even in the non-critical airfields, many rookie First Officers have not been allowed to do landings by their Commanders.
In short, even after joining an airline, and after becoming a "full feldeged" First Officer, he/she is STILL almost NOTHING as far as being an Airline Pilot is concerned. He/she is still a fresh student who has a long uphill road to travel and learn new things and unlearn a lot of things, along the way.