PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Pilot Traning in India (Apologies for new thread)
Old 15th Feb 2012, 15:17
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RohanThePilot
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
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Yuvraj, I would highly recommend against even trying to become an ATP in India. I personally feel that the Indian aviation industry is, at the moment, is ailing. It's practically impossible to land up with a right seat job with any airline without influence and money. The majority of ATPs in India have got their jobs since they're rich and have a lot of influence.

Airlines in India say that their pilots are well trained and go through thorough currency evaluations periodically. Do you know the truth? The training is not up to the expected standards, money/influence gets em' past their examinations with ease and you have so-called 'well' trained 'authentic'/'genuine' wannabe jet-jockeys at the controls. They have the hours (hopefully) but do they really live up to the right standards?

You read in the newspapers about all these fake, drunk, misbehaving and rule-breaking pilots right? Tell me, what does this suggest about their background? Only a handful of such pilots make the news. Trust me mate, there are many more who very few will ever hear about.

I recently visited an exhibition of Indian universities and had a chance to personally speak to the head of a reputed aeronautics university of India. He told me that the aviation in industry is right now only suited for those who have serious grit, money and resources. So far he has had only a few students who made it to the airlines. The rest couldn't make it or saw the challenges and settled for other jobs. Even those who made it spent min. 55 to 60 lakh s INR. Their training may have been genuine but they had to shell out a lot of cash just so they could be assessed.

Think about it a lot Yuvraj. This industry is not forgiving at all and when it bites, it bites right down to the bone. It takes real grit and resources to make it to the right seat of an airliner in India. It's going to take many years for the flow to become a little less turbulent. I'm not yet in the industry because my time to gun it comes 5 to 6 years down the line. I'm not so optimistic about a career in flying in India right now. If it improves later on, then good. Otherwise, I'm hoping a foreign cadet program or some arrangement may be available when my time comes.

Don't be totally bogged down by these challenges. There are a lucky few who have really worked hard and made a place in the cockpit with some luck. You could well be one of them and if you have the motivation and spirit, you might even get picked for an advanced cadet program with a foreign airline.

Cheers.
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