What are the courses available to become a commercial pilot?
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There are three basic license courses a candidate needs to clear in order to become a commercial pilot. These have been discussed in further detail below.
Student Pilot License
To get the SPL, candidates who have cleared their Class-12 examinations (science with and mathematics is essential) and are aged at least 16 years should register at a flying club recognized by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India. Registration requires a medical certificate, security clearance and a bank guarantee. An oral examination in subjects such as air regulations, aviation meteorology, and air navigation, engine (technical and specific) follows the registration. Successful completion of the examination entitles one for an SPL certificate.
Private Pilot License
The second step is the PPL. Training for this includes 60 hours of flying, of which about 15 hours are dual flights, in which the flight instructor accompanies the pilot, and at least 30 hours of solo flights apart from five hours of cross-country flying. This makes one eligible for the PPL exam which consists of subject such as air regulation, aviation meteorology, air navigation, aircraft engines and seamanship. The prescribed age for appearing for this exam is 17 years. An educational qualification of Class-12 is also required, along with a medical fitness certificate issued by the Armed Forces Central Medical Establishment (AFCME).
Commercial Pilot License
To obtain CPL, 250 hours of flying, which includes the 60 hours required for the PPL, is necessary. Besides this, a medical fitness test, held at New Delhi, is compulsory, as is an examination on subjects such as air regulations, aviation meteorology, air navigation, technical planning, and communications in the form of radio and wireless transmission. With a CPL, a pilot can take up any professional assignment. The number of youngsters appearing for the commercial pilot license examination has gone up from 300 to 3,000 within a period of just five years.
CPL and training at a particular aircraft generally leads to a co-pilot assignment. As further usually depends on flying experience and vacancies, co-pilots must have the required numbers of flying hours and license.
The highest among the category of licenses is the air transport license (ATPL), which allows a pilot to fly in any type of aircraft. This license has to be constantly renewed through passing medical and other tests every six months.
