Being a pilot is a tough job. It might feel good thinking about flying and travelling to a number of places on a regular basis, but it is not that easy. A pilot is essentially carrying the responsibility of the lives of hundreds of passengers or very valuable cargo whenever he/she is flying. But it is still a lucrative field of work and anyone who wishes to can become a pilot. But there are eligibility rules and exams that a candidate needs to clear before he can become a commercial pilot. More on the story ahead.
Who is a Commercial Pilot?
Before we understand how to become a commercial pilot in India, it is important that we understand who is a commercial pilot in the first place. So a commercial pilot is a pilot flying for a commercial/business purpose. It can be flying passengers or cargo or testing aircraft for a private airline or company. So who is not a commercial pilot? Any pilot flying for non-commercial reasons or flying for the Indian Air Force is not considered as a commercial pilot.
Eligibility Rules
First of all, if a candidate wants to become a commercial pilot in India, he/she needs to obtain a Commercial Pilot License (CPL). But it is not an easy job to obtain it. First of all, the candidate must be 12th standard passed from high-school. After that, he/she needs to find a DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) approved institution where they can learn and train for flying an aircraft.
The thing to note here is that CPL is issued by DGCA only. But to enter the DGCA approved institution in any part of India, the candidate will have to clear a written test. After that, he/she must pass the DGCA Class-1 medical assessment as well. To obtain a CPL, there is again a theory test that needs to be cleared and on top of that, the candidate must have 200 hours of flying on their record.
How Does the Training of a Commercial Pilot Look Like?
Training is no joke when a candidate is learning how to fly an aircraft. Because a small mistake can result in the loss of many lives and precious cargo when flying commercially. So in the training period, before the candidates are actually taught how to fly, they are taught about flying through academics in theory. Only after the flight instructors feel that a candidate is ready to fly an aircraft do they allow him/her to.
So initially, every candidate is trained in a dual flight. But once they complete 15 hours of flying in a dual flight, they can also go for the solo flights. The thing is, even after a candidate is assigned a CPL, he/she still needs to go under extensive training ranging between six months or one year before they can start flying commercially.
In the training period, a commercial pilot is taught about many things including cockpit resource management, air frames and engines, air regulations, aviation meteorology, flight planning, air navigation, and etc.
Commercial Pilots Salary Packages and Training Institutes in India
Commercial pilots are doing a very tough job day in and out. That is why they are paid handsomely as well. For a fresher pilot, he/she will be paid between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh per annum depending on the airline they are working in. As for the senior commercial pilots, their salaries can range between Rs 65 lakh per annum to Rs 1 crore per annum. As for the training institutes in India, there are many. There are institutes such as Nagpur Flying Club, Ludhiana Aviation Club, Gujarat Flying Club, Orient Flying School (Chennai) and many more.
