Or is it the all pervasive culture in India where the "end justifies the means"?
IMO it is a combination of all of the above. Parents paying bribes and pushing their children to become airline pilots (they see and understand only the future golden stripes on their kids shoulders); children who are not otherwise interested in aviation but do not want to disappoint their parents, just like most kids here do not question their future spouse or wedding arranged by their parents. DGCA and airline officials who cannot refuse a bribe from, or cannot refuse a favor to, an influential parent or other person of influence. Etc.
In addition to the “cockpit gradient”, there is also a huge “society gradient”.
Result: incompetent pilots, substandard flight ops and hopeless civil aviation authority.
Someone once told me: “If I would have been told in advance what I was about to see as far as aviation is concerned, I would not have believed it”!
Last edited by avionimc; 7th Apr 2011 at 09:18.