Air Pilot

Young aspirants who are enthusiast of flying in the sky having energy stamina and caliber can turn his dream into reality by taking air pilot career option. The applicant must be physically and mentally strong and active. Once he acquires a commercial pilot license (CPL), the success knocks his door. And with the increase of airlines and aeroplanes in international the job opportunities for pilot also increased. Therefore this is the right time to take air-pilot as a career option. Though the job is challenging and interesting the remuneration and benefits are really good.

It’s very thrilling to watch aeroplanes flying in the sky and far more exiting and joyful to occupy the pilot seat. Since it involves lot of risk millions of people travel in plane. With further openings up of the aviation sector for private participation, many private airlines are scheduled to launch their services in the country. This will definitely increase the demand for all the skilled people and one of the most challenging, interesting, thrilling and rewarding career in this field is that of pilot.

How to get License for Air Pilot:

To become Air Pilot there are three Licenses, which you need to acquire.
• Student’s Pilot License (SPL): the student’s Pilot License is the first stage of training and the minimum qualification required is 10+2 in science stream with mathematics as a core subject. The minimum age to start training should be 17 years to become a pilot. And the height should be 5 feet and eye sight 6/6. SPL is issued by 23 flying clubs in India. You have to appear for the written examination which tests basics of Mathematics, knowledge of aircraft, engine and aerodynamics. This test will be of 100 marks and the applicant has to score 75 to clear the test. The prospects will be provided by the flying club which includes the sample questions and answers to give an idea about the nature of questions expected in the examinations. This examination is held every month all over the India by the flying club. I Addition, The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts the examination and issues license for Assistant Flight Radio Telephone Operator (AFR-TO). There is no age limit to acquire a SPL.


• Private Pilot License/Hobby License (PPL): The Private Pilot License (PPL) comprises of 60 hours of flying (in which 40 hours with flying instructor and 20 hours solo) after rigorous training under the flying instructor. Along with flying (practical) training, you also have to complete a theory curriculum and clear a written examination. This examination tests the student’s knowledge about aircraft engines, air navigation, aviation meteorology and seamanship. This examination is conducted by the DGCA. This course generally takes two years to complete and make you eligible for PPL. Depending on the availability of a flying instructor and the weather conditions, the period of training may vary.


• Commercial Pilot License (CPL): For the third stage, the commercial Pilot License (CPL), a minimum of flying (including 60 hours of PPL) is necessary. To get CPL, you need to have the experience of 200 hours of solo flying. In addition you have to clear a written examination consisting of subjects like Air Regulations, aviation Meteorology, Air Navigation, Technical Planning and Communication in radio and wireless transmission. Further, you have to undergo a medical fitness test conducted by a team of doctors approved by the DGCA and the Central Medical Establishment (CME) of the air Force unit. The average period of training for Commercial Pilot is one year.

In India the PPL and CPL training is carried out with the help of single engine aircraft like Cessna and the Pushpak. The acquisition of a CPL is not sufficient. Before you fly a domestic flight, you must gain experience of minimum 15 hours of solo flying in a multi-engine aircraft. The pilot after acquiring the CPL, the trained at Hyderabad (Andra Pradesh) with Indian Airlines. The duration of this training is six months to perfect the technical know-how and flying skills.

The fee of flying per hour is different for the various flying clubs across different for the various flying clubs across different state due to variation in the operational costs. For example training at Karnal (Harayana) would cost Rs. 2,8000 per flying hour compare to Rs. 3,720 for Cessna in Delhi. On an average, the total cost of getting trained as a pilot is about Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 11 lakh in India. If you have trained abroad and intend to work in India, you required to take an examination called Composite Examination conducted by DGCA. Besides you have to appear for a under the Chief Flying Instructor.