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Fee hike fails to clip
wings of aspirant pilots -
Times Of India
HYDERABAD: Getting a
commercial pilot's licence
(CPL) has become an expensive
proposition. Flying schools in
the city have hiked their
course fee by at least Rs
50,000 since last year.
The schools attribute the hike
to the rise in the price of
white fuel that aircraft use
but they are also eager to
cash in on the demand for
their courses, fuelled by the
pilot shortage in the country.
According to some flying
schools, the number of CPL
aspirants has gone up four
times in the past two years.
Similarly, the price of white
petrol has gone up four times
in the last four years.
The fees for an 18-month CPL
course now ranges from Rs 8
lakh to 18 lakh. It is
interesting to note that the
number of flying hours
required by the directorate
general of civil aviation (DGCA)
for a pilot's licence has come
down from 250 hours to 200
hours.
Even then, a CPL is not
guaranteed at the end of the
course. A candidate will have
to clear the examination
conducted by the DGCA.
"We take those candidates
who are likely to clear the
DGCA exam," said the
chief managing director of
Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy,
Y Prabhakar Reddy. His school
trains about 40 candidates a
year.
He says flying school grads
don't have to wait even a day
to get a job as a commercial
pilot, the starting salary for
which can range from Rs 90,000
to 3.5 lakh per month.
Flying schools in the city are
facing a shortage of ground
and flying instructors.
"We have lost many of our
instructors to airline
companies as they offer hefty
pay packets," said the
owner of a flying school.
The country will need 4,000 to
5,000 pilots in the coming
five years. The city produces
less than 100 a year. There
are only two DGCA-approved
private flying schools in the
city in addition to the state
government-owned Andhra
Pradesh Aviation Academy.
There are ten planes available
for training in the city,
mostly Cessnas. There are only
20 flying schools in the
country of which again the
state-owned academies are not
active.
While some foreign companies
are coming to the country with
DGCA-compliant courses, local
flying schools are also
sending candidates to
countries like Australia, US
and even Sri Lanka.
Getting trained in foreign
countries costs Rs 10 lakh to
Rs 18 lakh. Candidates can get
trained in these countries and
get a CPL there.
However, they will have to
take the DGCA examinations
again to convert their foreign
CPL to Indian CPL, The DGCA
authorities warn against fake
flying schools, which are
trying to make some quick
buck, as there is a huge
demand for pilots.
Those joining flying
schools must check if they are
authorised by the DGCA,"
said a DGCA official.
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