FAQ’s
The eligibility criteria to become a commercial pilot in India are as under:-
Age: 18 years
Educational qualification: Class 12th Pass with Physics and Mathematics from any Central or State education board
Medical: Fit as per DGCA standards
Exams: As stipulated by DGCA
Flying: Minimum 200 hours of flying experience
A person from any stream can become a pilot. The only additional thing he/she will have to do is to enrol with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and appear for the Senior Secondary (Class 12th) Physics and Maths papers through their On Demand Examination System.
No. As per DGCA rules, one can start flying after 16 years of age by getting a Student Pilot License (SPL) from a DGCA authorised flying school. This is somewhat like the Learner’s License in driving. This is a very good option for those youngsters who have made up their mind to become a commercial pilot as one gets more time to complete the requirement of 200 flying hours. The criteria for 18 years is for submitting the final application which means the entire requirement of 200 hours can actually be finished before attaining the age of 18.
The major component of the cost of training for CPL is the flying of 200 hours and the cost of type rating. The cost for flying varies widely between different flying schools, while the cost of type rating is generally fixed. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the expenditure for obtaining a CPL in India will vary anywhere between 35 – 50 Lakh rupees depending upon the choice of flying school.
On being recruited by an airline, a pilot starts flying with the designation of a First Officer, wherein the average salary ranges from 24- 40 lakhs per annum based on flying hours experience and. After 3-4 years of flying and gaining the requisite flying hours and qualifications to become a Captain, the salary jumps to 70-80 lakhs per annum. With further growth in the career as instructor or examiner, or as captain of bigger aircraft, the salary per annum will surely cross 1 Cr.
Yes, a person with spectacles can become a pilot, provided his/her vision is correctable to 6/6 with the spectacles.
The examinations that one should have passed are:
- Online exams conducted by DGCA in five subjects namely Air Navigation, Air Regulations, Meteorology, Technical General and Technical specific.
- Radio Telephony Restricted (Aeronautical), also known as RTR (A) exam, conducted by the WPC.
- English Language Proficiency (ELP) Test.
There is no cap on the maximum number of attempts that a candidate can take for passing an exam. DGCA conducts exams once every three months as per their schedule. In addition, candidates can avail the facility of On Demand Examinations which are conducted once a month. This means that a candidate can easily appear for a particular exam 6-7 times in a year.
RTR (A) exams are conducted once every 2 months in rotation at one of their five centres located at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.
An average student can obtain a CPL within 18-20 months of starting his first training in ground subjects, accounting for the time required by DGCA to process the documents and final application.
While there is no such restriction, it is advisable for candidates to start with ground subjects first, attain some amount of proficiency and pass at least 3-4 exams before starting flying. This reduces the workload on the candidate during flying and also gives him/her basic theory knowledge before commencement of flying.
The max age to obtain a CPL is 65 years as per DGCA rules. In fact, there are a large number of instances where people have switched careers to become commercial pilots. One must only weigh their decision based on a reasonable age limit, beyond which airlines are not likely to recruit a fresh pilot. However, the option of obtaining a Private Pilot License (PPL) is always available for aviation enthusiasts who could not commence flying earlier in their life.s
The major difference between a CPL and PPL is that a PPL holder cannot carry passengers. Apart from that the eligibility criteria is also much lesser for PPL when compared with that for CPL. Eg, the minimum age limit for PPL is 17 and the number of flying hours required is only 40 hours.
The CPL license is valid for 5 years and it is renewed through a very easy process without any exams or tests.
