CAE NFTI(GONDIA)..REALITY CHECK!
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CAE NFTI(GONDIA)..REALITY CHECK!
this flying training institute which was once termed as one of the premier flying schools in india(supposedly after IGRUA) is on the verge of downfall....the institute started as a promising one but then things went wrong all the way...
1.The current package for cpl(only cpl not type rating) costs around 37 to 38 lakhs in NFTI after the fuel price hike.One can do cpl with type rating abroad with this amount(boeing 737 ng rating).
2.Fake promises of job pacement by marketing executives of NFTI.All cadets are of NFTI except for indigo cadets don't have any kind of palcement support.They are as good as normal pilots with foreign cpl.Only the Indigo cadets have the contract of job.Indigo cadets will pay a sum of (38+20=58 lakhs) for their cpl and type rating for a320(earlier it was 30+15=45 lakhs).
3.The institute is running dagerously low on aircraft numbers.Currently only 4 aircrafts are serviceable out of 9 aircrafts and even the DA40 simulator is down.The student intake has drastically increased with the strength reaching close to 180.batches with almost 30 students are being inducted every 2nd month making the availability of flying slots almost impossible.Students don't get flying for days.
4.Even the indigo officials are unhappy with the way flying is being given to indigo cadets.No indigo cadet has got solo yet(still stuck with12 -13 hours of flying only) given the fact that the first indigo batch was inducted in the first week of november 2011.
5.The marketing executive of NFTI will literally beg you to join NFTI with fake promises(he/she will call you at odd hours and will beg to join it..probably for thier own gains.)
6.The cadets got placed with airlines with their sheer hard work and it has got nothing do with NFTI's name.
7.There is no job assurance for cadets.They are as good as normal cadets.
8.We were promised in November 2011 that 4new aircrafts will be acquired....it's may 2012 now and there's no sign of new aircrafts with current serviceble fleet of only 4 aircrafts out of 9.After repeated queries it was revealed that new aircrafts were ordered in march 2012 add to that another 4 months for manufacturing,shipping and registration formalitires in India.
8.Best option for aspiring pilots would be to go abroad finish off their flying quickly..give 10 hr skill test in india and apply for jobs...
9.The course in NFTI is of 17 MONTHS which often exceeds to 24 months due to non availibility of aircrafts and poor ground classes for tech and rt.
THIS IS MY FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE SO CALLED WORLD CLASS INSTITUTION...people can visit the campus and talk to the cadets to verify the facts...don't believe those marketing executives..they will do anything to get you in the trap.
1.The current package for cpl(only cpl not type rating) costs around 37 to 38 lakhs in NFTI after the fuel price hike.One can do cpl with type rating abroad with this amount(boeing 737 ng rating).
2.Fake promises of job pacement by marketing executives of NFTI.All cadets are of NFTI except for indigo cadets don't have any kind of palcement support.They are as good as normal pilots with foreign cpl.Only the Indigo cadets have the contract of job.Indigo cadets will pay a sum of (38+20=58 lakhs) for their cpl and type rating for a320(earlier it was 30+15=45 lakhs).
3.The institute is running dagerously low on aircraft numbers.Currently only 4 aircrafts are serviceable out of 9 aircrafts and even the DA40 simulator is down.The student intake has drastically increased with the strength reaching close to 180.batches with almost 30 students are being inducted every 2nd month making the availability of flying slots almost impossible.Students don't get flying for days.
4.Even the indigo officials are unhappy with the way flying is being given to indigo cadets.No indigo cadet has got solo yet(still stuck with12 -13 hours of flying only) given the fact that the first indigo batch was inducted in the first week of november 2011.
5.The marketing executive of NFTI will literally beg you to join NFTI with fake promises(he/she will call you at odd hours and will beg to join it..probably for thier own gains.)
6.The cadets got placed with airlines with their sheer hard work and it has got nothing do with NFTI's name.
7.There is no job assurance for cadets.They are as good as normal cadets.
8.We were promised in November 2011 that 4new aircrafts will be acquired....it's may 2012 now and there's no sign of new aircrafts with current serviceble fleet of only 4 aircrafts out of 9.After repeated queries it was revealed that new aircrafts were ordered in march 2012 add to that another 4 months for manufacturing,shipping and registration formalitires in India.
8.Best option for aspiring pilots would be to go abroad finish off their flying quickly..give 10 hr skill test in india and apply for jobs...
9.The course in NFTI is of 17 MONTHS which often exceeds to 24 months due to non availibility of aircrafts and poor ground classes for tech and rt.
THIS IS MY FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE SO CALLED WORLD CLASS INSTITUTION...people can visit the campus and talk to the cadets to verify the facts...don't believe those marketing executives..they will do anything to get you in the trap.
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8.Best option for aspiring pilots would be to go abroad finish off their flying quickly..give 10 hr skill test in india and apply for jobs...
do they have a CPL requirement!!!!
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I knw a guy who is studying there, he said he is getting poor training and nothing as promised.....only 1 guy got in QR and rest are Indigo cadets, the others are suffering after spending 40 lac plus!!!! Airlines wont be hiring anytime soon...so no point in joining NIFT let alone any flight school...for those who want to be pilots do a Engg or finance degree and u can secure a decent job..dont waste your life on this, there is no job and 10000 unemployed pilots... or else u will end up being in call centre, infact even call centre pays you according to degree you have, if you have Bachelore degree the pay is more than CPL which is +2 logicically.
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Flying in India never was a good option , for one we don't have as many airfields in the vicinity.
What are you going to do when your engine fails whilst youre cruising Indian skies...
* and they make you pay 58 lakhs for that .. ?
Sure, life is a joke..isn't it ?
What are you going to do when your engine fails whilst youre cruising Indian skies...
* and they make you pay 58 lakhs for that .. ?
Sure, life is a joke..isn't it ?
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What to do?!
So whats the bottom line? I'm about to complete my engineering and I have a good job offer in hand. I always wanted to become a commercial airline pilot. CAE-Gondia has always been my first option..the lady there promised me of jobs at the end of the 17 month course..weird. What on earth should I do now? Please advice.
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@planeboy777...you did your flying in NFTI when the strength of a batch was 5-7 max...and during that time NFTI had around a total of 30-40 students....now its gone upto 150+(30 others waiting to rejoin to complete their flying once they clear their papers)...My advice to others...come talk to the cadets here(who are already frustrated) and decide...don't believe those marketing excutives...i fell for that too..
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@speedbird 11
Why exactly are 5 aircraft grounded ? Where they all grounded at the same time or are they just undergoing scheduled maintenance checks ?
Also could you tell me what cost is for Avgas 100LL at Gondia ?
Why exactly are 5 aircraft grounded ? Where they all grounded at the same time or are they just undergoing scheduled maintenance checks ?
Also could you tell me what cost is for Avgas 100LL at Gondia ?
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1 of them down with broken propellers due bad landing(awaiting dgca enquiry)....1 is multi engine which only flies when multi-engine flying is required...one is gone for 2000 hr maintenance which takes almost 1.5 months....rest two have gone for scheduled maintenance..and again the serviceable ones will go for 2000 hr maitenance which will again bring down the fleet back to 4-5 a/c and monsoon is approaching which means flying will again get hampered for two months as these a/c are not meant to be flown in rainy season...so basically we are short of aircrafts(atleast 5) which don't seem to be coming anytime soon....so if you join now(june batch) you wont get flying anytime soon...they are saying that 1 of the newly inducted batches will start flying only after about 5-6 months of induction...simply because flying slots are not sufficient to meet the current number of flying cadets...it'a a fight to get ur slots that too after paying 30-32 lakhs which is going to increase upto 37-38 lakhs..again i repeat come and verify the facts with cadets and not with marketing chaps...
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Typical of anything in India. Lotsa style, but not too much in the substance department. They started off well, as pb777 can attest, but I guess greed and just plain sheer incompetence has ruined it. I wonder if CAE still wants to attach it's name to farce like this. Hope it works out for the rest.
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speedbird11: thanks for the information about NFTI, i was in the notion that it is one of the best we have in India. your piece of information will be helpful for future aviators.
vdaff: i very much agree with you on situation of jobs for CPL holders in India, but i would like you to justify the figure of unemployed pilots in India. to the best of my knowledge the total number of CPLs issued by DGCA is close to 12000 and you stated 10000 out of these are jobless. ??????
being an Indian has its own drawback- facing competition in any and every field, aviation is no different.
vdaff: i very much agree with you on situation of jobs for CPL holders in India, but i would like you to justify the figure of unemployed pilots in India. to the best of my knowledge the total number of CPLs issued by DGCA is close to 12000 and you stated 10000 out of these are jobless. ??????
being an Indian has its own drawback- facing competition in any and every field, aviation is no different.
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In NFTI,to get to flying phase you have to wait 4-5 months. During this time you will be doing ground training.this helps a lot to clear papers. if a student has taken 24 months to complete his training,it is only coz he cudnt clear his papers in time.for others who clear papers in 2-3 attempts,they finish ther flying in matter of months.
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grim reality of so called "global academy" of CAE Gondia
I agree completely with speedbird11. I am also an ordinary ( non-indigo) cadet at NFTI and its my advice to all my dear friends who are looking forward to join NFTI, considering it as a promising option to attain CPL..... mind you
.. Its a gift wrapped empty carton.
NFTI presently has 8 single-engine a/c and 01 multi- engine with 150+ students to train on them. Out of these 8, usually you ' ll find 4-5 a/c serviceable at a time which brings the student to a/c ratio to 25:1. Hence you hardly get to fly 01 sortie a week.
The instructors out here are such who themselves took 8-9 attempts to pass their DGCA CPL examinations.
@josephkd85 -those are bloody old times u talking about.....
i have cleared all my papers... and i haven't flown for last 15 days, despite being present at flight school everyday.
.. Its a gift wrapped empty carton.NFTI presently has 8 single-engine a/c and 01 multi- engine with 150+ students to train on them. Out of these 8, usually you ' ll find 4-5 a/c serviceable at a time which brings the student to a/c ratio to 25:1. Hence you hardly get to fly 01 sortie a week.
The instructors out here are such who themselves took 8-9 attempts to pass their DGCA CPL examinations.
@josephkd85 -those are bloody old times u talking about.....
i have cleared all my papers... and i haven't flown for last 15 days, despite being present at flight school everyday.
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I can support everything said by speedbird11. I am also a present cadet here and have seen things going downhill since joining. Initially we were all promised the world - simulators, fast completion of flying hours, high ratio of aircraft to students, multiple contracts with airlines (Jet, Air India, IndiGo, Spicejet, Qatar) and discount for the A320 type-rating by being CAE CPL trainees. All of that is a big fat lie.
Batches of 25-30 come in every two months, but the number of aircraft haven't increased by even 1 since the last 5 batches have started.
The flight instructors, though decent (not very good, just reasonably OK), are mostly fine, except two-three who train you well. They're all very good pilots, but not at the same high level while instructing. Instruction varies, not only how it is delivered but also what is delivered causing confusion during checkrides. Shouting and screaming at trainees is regular. Only one or two can deal properly with all kind of students. On the positive side they're honest, unlike management.
Ground instruction is one of the better things about this institute, with the instructors being knowledgeable and approachable. However, the way classes and flights are scheduled is not. Management is not interested in genuinely solving issues or in progress of trainees. Classes, even if scheduled, will see some instructors coming and treating everyone like they are in the 2nd standard.
School management seems to gain sadistic pleasure by not providing any sensible transport options to cadets. Vehicles take us to flight school only at fixed times in a day. If you miss class because there is no vehicle one hour before your flight, too bad - walk. 22 degrees or 50 degrees outside temperature does not matter. If your flight was late and you want to get to class in time, walk if there is no vehicle scheduled. Own vehicles are not allowed (even two wheelers).
Being situated outside the small village-town of Gondia means we only have one place to go for any minor outing every fortnight, or for change of food. Before joining this place we were assured of tranport to Gondia on weekends (Sat and Sun), but as soon as we joined this was stopped for unknown reasons. Now we have 6-day working, sometimes 7-days before DGCA exams, but we get no transport to Gondia. Ever. Except drop and pick-up service when coming back from or leaving for exams/medical renewals.
We are at the mercy of the one caterer here in Gondia. Nobody else will take the mess contract (this is what management tells us) because Gondia is isolated, and the current caterer takes full advantage of it. Food quality is regularly bad. Not unhygenic, but it wouldn't take much to let it drop to that too. When we complain the food suddenly becomes good for a few days, and then goes back. It recently got decent - we are all hoping it remains so.
As far as airline contracts go it looks bad right now. Qatar took a total of one student - I guess to show that the contract was real, but they don't seem to be interested in any more now that they have the rights to use some key routes overflying Indian airspace. The contract was an eyewash for them to get what they wanted. They got it, and now they will most likely not take anyone else from here.
There is nothing with Jet Airways, Spicejet, or Air India. The Indigo contract is only for cadet pilots. That too is only as an expression of intent to hire their cadets after taking skill tests when they finish their CPL. There is no job guarantee. Regular cadets are given no special treatment (this is a common misconception that lots of new people come with). To add to the mask that NFTI is trying to create - this is the list of airlines they claim to 'Work With'. The words chosen are subtle influencers to gullible students and parents - conveniently saying nothing about job/placements with these airlines, but implying an association in the same regard -
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3k...jYzaTBXX1o3WU0
CASS is an eyewash. Everyone is taken in. I know cadets who are here even after failing CASS. Still management says CASS is used as a selection/rejection tool. All they want is your money for CASS, and then for the course. They don't care if you have the aptitude as per the test result or not.
Today, honestly speaking, getting into flight training is a terrible idea. Go do a graduation in anything else - commerce, arts, science, medicine, law. Follow that up with working somewhere or a Master's course. Fly for fun when you get the money. Alternatively, if you have decided to do flight training then please, please, please - save yourself and your parents the misery of dealing with ANY Indian flight school. I don't know about other schools except NFTI, but I can guess that they can't be much better. The Indian attitude in instructors and management will be everywhere in the country. Go to Canada, USA, South Africe, New Zealand, Australia, or anywhere you want to. Make sure the quality of training you get is high. Learn the skills for piloting an aircraft safely. There are no jobs today, and probably will not exist in the foreseeable future. Any jobs that did exist till a few months ago have gone away with the Air India/Kingfisher fiasco.
Be a pilot if you can afford it without unsettling your life. Train to be a good pilot, from somewhere you will actually learn with an instructor who really cares about your learning. That place is not India. It is certainly not NFTI - CAE Global Academy Gondia.
Batches of 25-30 come in every two months, but the number of aircraft haven't increased by even 1 since the last 5 batches have started.
The flight instructors, though decent (not very good, just reasonably OK), are mostly fine, except two-three who train you well. They're all very good pilots, but not at the same high level while instructing. Instruction varies, not only how it is delivered but also what is delivered causing confusion during checkrides. Shouting and screaming at trainees is regular. Only one or two can deal properly with all kind of students. On the positive side they're honest, unlike management.
Ground instruction is one of the better things about this institute, with the instructors being knowledgeable and approachable. However, the way classes and flights are scheduled is not. Management is not interested in genuinely solving issues or in progress of trainees. Classes, even if scheduled, will see some instructors coming and treating everyone like they are in the 2nd standard.
School management seems to gain sadistic pleasure by not providing any sensible transport options to cadets. Vehicles take us to flight school only at fixed times in a day. If you miss class because there is no vehicle one hour before your flight, too bad - walk. 22 degrees or 50 degrees outside temperature does not matter. If your flight was late and you want to get to class in time, walk if there is no vehicle scheduled. Own vehicles are not allowed (even two wheelers).
Being situated outside the small village-town of Gondia means we only have one place to go for any minor outing every fortnight, or for change of food. Before joining this place we were assured of tranport to Gondia on weekends (Sat and Sun), but as soon as we joined this was stopped for unknown reasons. Now we have 6-day working, sometimes 7-days before DGCA exams, but we get no transport to Gondia. Ever. Except drop and pick-up service when coming back from or leaving for exams/medical renewals.
We are at the mercy of the one caterer here in Gondia. Nobody else will take the mess contract (this is what management tells us) because Gondia is isolated, and the current caterer takes full advantage of it. Food quality is regularly bad. Not unhygenic, but it wouldn't take much to let it drop to that too. When we complain the food suddenly becomes good for a few days, and then goes back. It recently got decent - we are all hoping it remains so.
As far as airline contracts go it looks bad right now. Qatar took a total of one student - I guess to show that the contract was real, but they don't seem to be interested in any more now that they have the rights to use some key routes overflying Indian airspace. The contract was an eyewash for them to get what they wanted. They got it, and now they will most likely not take anyone else from here.
There is nothing with Jet Airways, Spicejet, or Air India. The Indigo contract is only for cadet pilots. That too is only as an expression of intent to hire their cadets after taking skill tests when they finish their CPL. There is no job guarantee. Regular cadets are given no special treatment (this is a common misconception that lots of new people come with). To add to the mask that NFTI is trying to create - this is the list of airlines they claim to 'Work With'. The words chosen are subtle influencers to gullible students and parents - conveniently saying nothing about job/placements with these airlines, but implying an association in the same regard -
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3k...jYzaTBXX1o3WU0
CASS is an eyewash. Everyone is taken in. I know cadets who are here even after failing CASS. Still management says CASS is used as a selection/rejection tool. All they want is your money for CASS, and then for the course. They don't care if you have the aptitude as per the test result or not.
Today, honestly speaking, getting into flight training is a terrible idea. Go do a graduation in anything else - commerce, arts, science, medicine, law. Follow that up with working somewhere or a Master's course. Fly for fun when you get the money. Alternatively, if you have decided to do flight training then please, please, please - save yourself and your parents the misery of dealing with ANY Indian flight school. I don't know about other schools except NFTI, but I can guess that they can't be much better. The Indian attitude in instructors and management will be everywhere in the country. Go to Canada, USA, South Africe, New Zealand, Australia, or anywhere you want to. Make sure the quality of training you get is high. Learn the skills for piloting an aircraft safely. There are no jobs today, and probably will not exist in the foreseeable future. Any jobs that did exist till a few months ago have gone away with the Air India/Kingfisher fiasco.
Be a pilot if you can afford it without unsettling your life. Train to be a good pilot, from somewhere you will actually learn with an instructor who really cares about your learning. That place is not India. It is certainly not NFTI - CAE Global Academy Gondia.
Last edited by crossbase; 11th May 2012 at 15:17.