Cadet programmes are "normally" free and are ONLY offered to citizens, with a job waiting for them at the end of the line. This 'Indigo Cadet Pilot Programme" sounds more like your run of the mill flight school producing pilots that'll add unemployed blokes to the already overly-saturated global aviation industry. The 3 main routes of earning the privilege of becoming another unemployed member of the fraternity are as follows:
1. Joining the Armed Forces, getting your licenses/certifications on Uncle Sam's dime.
2. Joining a Cadet Programme (offered mostly by national flag carriers and thus hire only locals, and MAJOR airlines)
3. Sponsoring your own studies at a flight school by spending a b**t load of your Dad's money, which parents tend to think about long and hard before spending their life's saving on their son's (or daughter's) non-existent future career, or getting a student loan which is more prevalent in Western Countries.
1 and 2 are totally free, of course. The majority of the world's pilots, including myself, are a product of 3. By the Grace of God, I had parents who didn't mind dishing out the extra dough, but being an "over" qualified finance professional already working on a high paying job helped. For others, the third option almost always results in a huge debt with no means of paying it off thus in essence causing a lot of major problems.
And don't feel bummed out that you lost your spot at the Indigo Programme. If it truly was a flight school, then it clearly was too expensive and you should be able to find a cheaper more feasible course (a CPL/IR + ME should cost you around INR 2 Million, if not less), I might be wrong. And trust me, these guys are dying to make a sale. If you have the money, and a Class 1 medical, they'll do everything to rope you in!
Last edited by JuggerD; 29th Jul 2012 at 22:55.