How to become a Commercial Pilot: Giving wings to your career

Does flying thousands of feet up in the air give you the thrills? Do you like travelling to new places and meeting new people? Becoming a Commercial Pilot is one way to give wings to those dreams. It’s also one of the most glamorous and well-paid careers in the aviation industry.

Who is a Commercial Pilot

A Commercial Pilot is a trained professional who operates the flying controls of a commercial aircraft. It’s a highly specialised job where you’re taught to handle an aircraft in different weather conditions and to ensure its safety. In this role, you also learn how to analyse meteorological office reports and act as the leader of the cabin crew and passengers.

As a pilot, you are responsible for the lives of hundreds of people in the aircraft and are committed to transporting them from one place to another.

How to become a Commercial Pilot

You need a Commercial Pilot Licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) under the government of India to qualify as a Commercial Pilot. Getting this licence involves a lot of hard work and training.

Here is how to prepare:

• You need to pass your Class XII board exams with Physics, Maths and Chemistry as compulsory subjects. You must also score more than 55% in Physics, Maths and English.
• You can become a Commercial Pilot even if you come from a Commerce or Biology background. All you need to do is pass the mandatory science subjects through open school, after which your marksheets will be verified by the board concerned and sent to the DGCA.
• You need to be between 18 and 32 years to apply.
• You must have 6/6 vision. Though you’re allowed to wear glasses, you can’t be colour-blind.
• You must be proficient in the English language.
• You need to appear for a medical exam by the DGCA.

You can take one of these two routes to train as a Commercial Pilot:

Route 1: Get a Commercial Pilot Licence from any of the flying schools recognised by the DGCA.

• Apply to a flying school after finishing your Class XII board exams. Every flying school holds its own entrance exam and you need to clear that. In the entrance exam, your knowledge of meteorology, navigation and regulations will be tested.
• The duration of a flying course is 18 months to 2 years. It includes both theory and practical training. It also involves more than 200 hours of flight time that you’ll put in.
• A course could cost around Rs 38–45 lakh.

Route 2: Enrol in a Cadet Pilot Programme run by one of the airlines operating in India. This training is on the expensive side and could cost around Rs 1 crore.

Here are the airlines that run this programme in India:

• Indigo
• Air Asia
• Spice Jet

Student Pilot Licence: If you’re still a student, you can apply for a Student Pilot Licence from a flying school. After finishing this programme, you can apply for a Commercial Pilot Licence. Here are the steps to get a Student Pilot Licence.

• Clear the entrance exam held by the flying school you are applying to.
• There will be a viva voce exam conducted by the flying school’s chief instructor or a representative from the DGCA.
• The Student Pilot Licence will allow you to receive flying instructions and fly gliders or small planes provided by approved flying clubs across India.
• By the end of your course, you need to accumulate a minimum of 250 flying hours, after which you can apply for a Commercial Pilot Licence.

Types of Commercial Pilots

• Scheduled pilots: These pilots work in different Indian airlines like Spicejet and Air India.
• Non-scheduled pilots: Those who fly chartered planes and air ambulances.

Top pilot training institutes:

• Rajiv Gandhi Academy of Aviation Technology, Kerala
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA), Rai Bareilly
• National Flying Training Institute, Maharashtra
• Bombay Flying Club’s College of Aviation, Mumbai
• Ahmedabad Aviation & Aeronautics Limited, Ahmedabad
• School of Aviation Science & Technology (SAST), Delhi Flying Club, New Delhi
• PTC Aviation Academy, Chennai