In order to be able to take up a pilot training course it is very important for the candidate to have a passing certificate of atleast 10 + 2 or its equivalent along with 50% marks in Physics as well as mathematics. The candidate willing to take up the pilot training course should not be less than 16 to 17 years of age. The candidate should have a good eye sight and should be physically fit and should have a medical certificate in order to be able to take up the pilot training course.

As far as the pilot training process is concerned, the first and foremost step is to obtain a student pilot license which is often called an SPL. After obtaining the SPL, the candidate can start the flight training process in order to obtain the PPL or the private pilot license. The PPL includes atleast 60 hours of flying out of which 20 hours of solo flying ,5 hours of cross country flights as well as 20 hours of dual flying (with an instructor).  Along with flying clearing the theoretical exams in subjects such as Air Navigation, Air Regulations, Aircraft Engines and many more is also important.

After obtaining the PPL atleast 190 hours of flying are needed in order to obtain a CPL or a Commercial Pilot’s License. Thus on summing up a total of 250 hours of total flying hours are needed. Along with these licenses, a radio telephone license along with a flight radio operators license need to be taken.

Thus in order to complete the entire pilot training process which includes flying hours as well as class room learning a total of about  2 to 3 years are required.

The 2 most important things which come into the picture before taking private pilot training are money and commitment. The lack or the absence of any of these factors would make it difficult for you to reach your goal. The private pilot license is one of the most basic licenses.

In order to get a private pilot license the thing which is needed first and foremost is the student pilot license. It is also very important to have atleast 60 hours of flying out of which 20 hours of solo flying ,5 hours of cross country flights as well as 15 hours of dual flying (with an instructor) are a must.  A medical fitness certificate from IAM or AFCME is also very important to obtain a private pilot license. The candidate should be of atleast 17 years of age and should have a passing certificate of atleast 10+2 with Chemistry, physics and mathematics as major subjects are all needed.

Along with getting private pilot training a candidate also needs to appear for the written examinations which consist of subjects such as Air Navigation, Air Regulations, Aircraft Engines and many more.

The per hour cost of flying during the private pilot training turns out to be very expensive and is about 3,500 rupees. This would result into the cost of the entire private pilot training course to be about Rupees 2 lakh.

In order to get a private pilot job your experience is what counts the most. This experience is measured in terms of the “flying hours”. There are a large number of job opportunities which are available to the candidates who have successfully completed the private pilot training course.

The airline pilots are the ones who are responsible for flying scheduled or chartered flights and transport the passengers as well as the cargo from the source to the destination safely. In every aircraft there are usually 4 pilots allotted mainly depending on the aircraft type and the duration f the journey. The senior most pilot is the captain and he is the one who is fully responsible for the safety of the passengers and the air craft. The captain is assisted by the first officer as well as the cabin crew.

In order to be an airline pilot a candidate needs thorough and professional airline pilot training. In the airline pilot training the candidates are made aware of their duties which include acquiring all the data about the route, the passengers, the aircraft, the weather before the flight takes off. Also information about the working of the flight needs to be obtained. This information may include details about the amount of fuel to take, the flying height, etc. several other things that need to be taken care of are the carrying of the pre flight checks, being in constant touch with the air traffic control.

In order to be the captain of the aircraft it is important to obtain the Airline Transport Pilot’s License. This is one of the highest licenses available in the aviation industry. It is very important to clear the written paper in order to get a license. It is also a must to have a total of 1500 flying hours.

At times the training cost is sponsored by several airlines thus enabling candidates to take up airline pilot training without much pressure.

The job of a commercial pilot is one of the most exciting and lucrative ones in the airline industry and has attracted a lot of candidates to take it up as a career option. Being a commercial pilot isn’t easy at all and it requires a lot of patience, time, dedication and rigorous training.

The most important part which needs to be considered is that it is the responsibility of a commercial pilot to ensure that the lives of all the passengers in the flight is safe and secured. This makes them the most important individuals on the aircraft. Commercial pilots are the individuals who are trained professionally in flying airplanes and helicopters.

In order to be a successful commercial pilot a candidate needs several qualities such as adequate knowledge of navigation, operation of mechanical and electronic controls, good interpretation skills, handling emergency situations and many more.  A Student pilot license or an SPL is very important in order to be a commercial pilot. To get an SPL the candidate needs to be atleast 16 years old and should have completed atleast 10 +2 with science along with registration at a flying club recognized by the DGCA.

Commercial pilots are recruited by both the Domestic as well as the international airlines such  as Indian Airlines, Air India, Jet Airways, Sahara etc. The pay package offered to the commercial pilots is variable and highly depends on the grade level of the position. Along with a lucrative salary the commercial pilots also get a lot of attractive incentives as well as remunerations.

A large number of scholarships are offered by several pilot training institutes to the students on the basis of merit. Scholarships offered by a few institutes have been given below:

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Rae Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) offers the following scholarships:

• Rajiv Gandhi Foundation: A scholarship of rupees 3 Lakhs is offered to 2 women pilots based on their merit cum means for every batch.
• Air India scholarships: A scholarship of rupees 4 Lakhs is offered to 2 students on a merit-cum-means basis for every batch.
• Indian Airlines scholarships: A scholarship of rupees 4 Lakhs each is offered to 2 students on a merit-cum-means basis for every batch.
• JRD Tata Memorial scholarships: A scholarship of atleast rupees 1 Lakhs each is offered to 4 students on a merit-cum-means basis for every batch. Scholarships of up to 10 lakhs a year is offered to the pilot training trainees by the JRD Tata Trust.
• Scholarships for SC/ST candidates: A large number of different scholarships are made available to the SC/ ST candidates. A scholarship of rupees 2 Lakhs on training fee is offered. Another 2 lakhs by IGRUE is offered to selected candidates and a few other state government scholarships, etc are offered to the SC/ ST candidates.

The Madras Flying Club, Chennai, Tamil Nadu offers a large number of scholarships as well:

• Scholarships for SC/ST candidates: For the SC/ST candidates who have completed their SSC/ 10 + 2 and who wish to take up a pilot training course a large number of government scholarships are made available to them.

Incase if you need to find out about more scholarships which are offered at various institutes and training schools you may visit the following websites.

• http://www.scholarshipsinindia.com/civil.html
• http://tribal.nic.in/cpladvt.pdf

•       www.scholarshipsindia.com

The number of the pilots in India is not very high. This has resulted into a large number airlines and private companies hiring and recruiting students directly from the flying schools or the pilot training schools. However taking up a pilot training course isn’t a very affordable option and is an expensive proposition.

Although it is a smart investment and is sure to reward you handsomely in the form of salary if you can afford the pilot training cost. The cost for any private training course may it be in India or abroad is quite high. The fees at pilot training schools such as Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi, Rae Bareilly are more than 16 lakh for the commercial pilot license as well as the private pilot license. For the ones who already possess a PPL or the private pilot license the 18 month CPL course would cost more than 12 lakh rupees.

The cost for any pilot training course is extremely high and even after getting an initial license it is important and a must to get training or a large air craft such as a Boeing 737. Training for different aircrafts such as the Boeing 747, Airbus 320 can keep varying anywhere above 15 lakhs and is very expensive. Also, every time the pilot switches his or her aircraft from one type to another he or she may have to specific training for that particular type of aircraft and obtain the type endorsement.

Although one need not worry about the money since there are a large number of scholarships which are made available to the candidates aspiring to take up pilot training.

A flying club is nothing but an organization which rents aircrafts to its members to pursue their flying activities. A large number of them provide pilot training to its members. Even though they are mainly used by people who take flying as a hobby but then it is widely used by for the pilot training purposes as well.

There are a large number of State owned flying clubs which are used mainly for pilot training.Other than the state owned flying clubs there are a large number of Private flying clubs as well which can be utilized for the Pilot training in India. A few of them which are situated all across the country have been listed below. They have been given as follows:

· Orient Flight School, Pondicherry

· Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautics, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

· HAL Rotary Wing Academy, Bangalore, Karnataka

· Academy of Carver Aviation, Belgaum, Karnataka

· Flytech Aviation Academy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

· Rajputana Aviation Academy, Kota, Rajasthan

· Wings Aviation, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

· Yash Air, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

· Frank Airways, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

· Bangalore Aeronautics and Technical Services, Bangalore, Karnataka

· Garg Aviation, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

· Tata Nager Aviation, Jamshedpur, Bihar

· Udan Research and Flying Institute Pvt Ltd, Madhya Pradesh

· Indore renamed Frank Airways Private Ltd

· Tetra Aviation Academy, Salem, Tamil Nadu

· Teneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd, Bangalore, Karnatake

There are a large number of flying clubs in India which are owned by the state where pilot training can take place. A few of them which are situated all across the country have been listed below. They have been given as follows:

• Patiala Aviation Club, Patiala, Punjab
• Amritsar Aviation Club, Amritsar, Punjab
• Bihar Flying Institute, Patna, Bihar
• Government Flying Training Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal
• Kerala Aviation Training Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
• Rajasthan State Flying School, Jaipur, Rajasthan
• Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Gujarat Flying Club, Vadodara, Gujarat
• Government. Flying Training Institute, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
• Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
• Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Pinjore, Haryana
• Ludhiana Aviation Club, Ludhiana, Punjab
• Assam Flying Club, Guwahati, Assam
• Banasthali Vidyapith Gliding and Flying Club, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
• Government. Flying Training School, Bangalore, Karnataka
• Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal, Haryana
• Aviation Training Academy, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
• Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi, Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
• Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Hissar, Haryana
• Delhi Flying Club, New Delhi
• Andhra Pradesh Aviation Academy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
• Nagpur Flying Club, Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Jamshedpur Cooperative Flying Club, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
• Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
• Madras Flying Club, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
• Northern India Flying Club, Jallandhar, Punjab
• UP State Flying Training Institute, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
• Andaman & Nicobar Flying Training Institute, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

There are a few set of requirements which need to be fulfilled by a candidate in order to take up a pilot training course or to be a pilot. A few of these requirements have been given below. They are as follows:

• A pass certificate of atleast 10 +2 or its equivalent with atleast 50% marks in both physics or mathematics or a bachelor’s degree is a must have in order to get enrolled for or taking up a pilot training course.
• The age of the candidate aspiring to take up a pilot training course should not be less than 16 years in order to be eligible for a Private pilot license and it should not be less than 17 years in order to take a commercial pilot license.
• The candidate must have a good eyesight of 6/6 uncorrected vision in atleast one eye. The other eye can have a corrected vision of 6/6 (an imperfection of up to 6/9 is allowed).
• Basic physical fitness levels should be met.
• It is very important for a candidate wanting pilot training to have spatial awareness to be able to read and interpret data. It would be of help while interpreting maps and 3-D displays.
• Staying calm and having the potential of handling emergency situations is also very important while taking pilot training.
• Having high level of numeracy is equally important inorder to be able to make mathematical calculations.
• For a student pilot license several things such as getting security clearance, medical certificate of fitness, appearance in the written and the oral examination which is conducted etc are mandatory in order to get an SPL or a student pilot license.

Getting to fly an airplane is considered to be one of the most adventurous and a fun task by a large number of people. And getting paid to do something that is so cool is even better. Being a pilot is a perfect career option for people who love to travel, have fun, love to have a constantly changing view and destination and experience challenges.

Infact a lot of people get fascinated every time they see a pilot. A lot of people also consider the job of a pilot to be a job with several hours of boredom as well as a lot of risk. There may be mixed opinions about the job profile of a pilot but there is no denial to the fact that the job of the pilot is extremely lucrative and full of added benefits. Pilots in India and all across the world are highly paid and that is what attracts majority of the people all across the world to take up a career as a pilot.

Pilots are people with a lot of responsibility and most importantly they are responsible for the safety of hundreds of people travelling in the flight as well as goods worth millions of rupees. Thus in order to start a career as a pilot getting proper and professional pilot training is a must for every aspiring pilot.

In the past few years a large number of pilot training schools have been setup and established in various parts of the country. These pilot training schools offer a large number of pilot training programmes which are available to all the candidates. These programmes are the Commercial pilot training, Airline pilot training, Private pilot training, Professional pilot training, Helicopter pilot training, Military pilot training, Sport pilot training, Student pilot training and many more.

In order to be able to take one such program the candidate needs to fulfill all the requirements or the eligibility criteria for that particular course. The pilot training courses are quite expensive and cannot be afforded by many. In order to solve this problem and give equal opportunity to all the students on the basis of the merit a large number of training schools have collaborated with several banks  and other organizations to offer loans and scholarships to aspiring and deserving pilot training students.

A lot of training institutes also provide scholarships on the basis of the performance of their students. Selected numbers of students belonging to Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes as well as OBC’s also get an opportunity to get pilot training for free.

The result of all these provisions has been quite positive and India has been observing an increase in the total number of pilots as well as the pilot training schools.