The Hindu Business Line : Canadian flying schools woo aspiring Indian pilots

The advantage of undergoing the training in Canada is that the course can be compressed to nine months as against three years it normally takes in Indian schools.

Ahmedabad , Dec. 1

INDIA's booming aviation sector has sucked out large numbers of instructors from flying schools in the country who have joined airlines as commercial pilots. To fill in the gap, a group of aviation schools from the Manitoba province of Canada has moved in to offer training to aspiring Indian commercial pilots. All that is required is Science and Mathematics in their 10+2 level, a working knowledge of English and physical fitness.

"We are offering training for commercial pilot's license (CPL) to aspiring students. As of now, 24 young students are undergoing training in different aviation schools of Manitoba," Ms Bonnie de Moissac, Manager (International Business Development) with Manitoba Trade and Investment, told Business Line here.

The advantage of undergoing the training for CPL in Canada is that the course can be compressed to nine months as against three years it normally takes in Indian schools. "We have a relatively free airspace and the aircraft to student ratio is 1:4. We even get trainees who want to log the mandatory 200 hours of flying to become eligible for the CPL," Ms Moissac said.

The Government of Manitoba is also interested in a tie-up with an Indian flying school to carry out ground training in India followed by flying in Canada. The cost of training works out to be about 50,000 Canadian dollars (Rs 16 lakh), she said. After earning the 200 hours of flying experience, trainee pilots can acquire the CPL after writing the required exams conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. To become first officers in airlines, they need to undertake another 100 hours of flying to become eligible for the Airline Transport Pilots License.

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