Aviation India: Careers

Indian (Airlines) has extended last date for applying for the posts of Senior Trainee Pilot/Trainee Pilot.
For both the positions, applications will be received up to 08.12.2006.
As per the notification issued by the Airline, the minimum academic qualification For Senior Trainee Pilot and Trainee Pilot is 10+2 from a recognized Board/University.
Upper Age Limit:
35 Years (40 Years for SC/ST & 38 Years for OBC Candidates). (Ex-Servicemen will be given
age relaxation as per rules)

The Senior Trainee pilot applicants should have the following technical qualifications:
I) WITH A-320 ENDORSEMENT
Candidates must be in possession of Indian:
i) a) current CPL/SCPL/ALTP
b) current Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence
c) current C.O.P./R.T.R.
d) current medical
AND
ii) A-320 endorsement.

2) WITH JET ENDORSEMENT AND 500 HRS. OF AIRLINE JET EXPERIENCE
Candidates must be in possession of Indian:
i) a) current CPL/SCPL/ALTP
b) current Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence
c) current C.O.P./R.T.R.
d) current medical
e) current instrument rating on multi-engine aircraft
AND
ii) a) Jet endorsement
b) 500 hours of Airline Jet Experience.

Candidates should be in possession of the above technical qualifications as current at the time of
SPAC/Personal Interview as well as at the time of reporting for training

Technical qualifications for Trainee pilot applicants:
Must be in possession of Indian:
a) current CPL/SCPL/ALTP
b) current Flight Radio Telephone Operator’s Licence
c) current C.O.P./R.T.R.
d) current medical
e) multi-engine land: with a minimum of 25 hours on multi-engine aircraft (10 hours
can be completed on an approved multi-engine Simulator)
f) instrument rating on multi-engine aircraft.
Candidates should be in possession of the technical qualifications as indicated at (a) to (d) above
as current at the time of verification of documents/Personal Interview as well as at the time of
reporting for training.

Selection process:

Senior Trainee Pilot
Eligible candidates will undergo Simulator Proficiency Assessment Check (SPAC) on applicable simulator at Central Training Establishment, Hyderabad. Cost of Simulator Check (Rs.15000/-) will be payable by the candidate and Demand Draft payable to Indian Airlines Limited, Hyderabad is to be submitted before the Simulator Check. The result of the SPAC would be declared on the same day. Those who qualify the same will appear for Personal Interview at Hyderabad on the same or next day. Selected candidates will be advised to report for medical. Candidates, who are declared medically fit, will berequired to report for pre-employment formalities at Delhi/Hyderabad.

Trainee Pilot
Eligible candidates will undergo a Written Test. Candidates qualifying the Written Test would be required to appear for Personal Interview.

Due weightage will be given to additional Flying Experience for Sr. Trainee Pilot and to Flying
Experience for Trainee Pilot.

Candidates, who fulfill the above requirements may send their typed and signed application in the prescribed format alongwith two recent passport size photographs and a non-refundable Bank Draft of Rs. 500/-(not applicable in case of SC/ST/Ex-servicemen candidates) payable to Indian Airlines Limited, New Delhi, addressed to General Manager (Personnel), Indian Airlines Limited, Airlines House, 113, Gurudwara Rakabganj Road, New Delhi – 110 001 on or before the dates as shown above. The envelope must be super-scribed “APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF SENIOR TRAINEE PILOT” OR “TRAINEE PILOT” as the case may be.

The notification in full (in pdf format), issued by the Airline can be downloaded from here or here.

Surabaya: Indian airline companies are attracting more and more Indonesian pilots by giving them two-three fold higher salary than what their country gives. "In Air Sahara, there are about five Indonesian pilots, while in Jet Air at least ten pilots are from Indonesia. Most of them are former pilots of Garuda, Merpati, Mandala and other private airlines companies of Indonesia," Lulik Turnianto, a former Merpati airline (Indonesian) pilot, who is now working as a pilot in Air Sahara said.
"Working in India gives certain satisfaction as the salary is quite big. A captain's salary in India can reach three folds," he said.
16/10/06 PTI/Financial Express

The Federal Opposition has called for a Senate inquiry into a new type of pilot's licence.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is considering using a new licence for co-pilots, including those on jumbo jets.
Labor's transport spokesman Kerry O'Brien says the licence requires a minimum of only 10 hours flying.
Senator Eric Abetz, representing the Transport Minister, told the Senate the Government will not do anything that will compromise safety.
CASA says co-pilots of large passenger jets can learn more from using 747 flight simulators than flying solo in single engine planes.
Peter Somerville, from the Australian and International Pilots Association, says he is worried standards are being lowered to attract overseas students to Australian flight schools.
"There's a looming international shortage of pilots, as the Chinese and Indian aviation industries grow, and what we're calling on the Minister for Aviation, Mark Vaile, to do is to reign in the Civil Aviation Authority, review this new multi-crew pilot's licence and make sure that Australia's high safety standards are not reduced," Mr Somerville said.
16/10/06 ABC Online, Australia

Shillong: Facing desertions by its pilots, IAF was contemplating to 'depute' some of its senior pilots to the Air India and other civil carriers for a short period.
"We are in contact with Air India and others on how we can give some of our pilots to them on deputation for a year or two," Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Air Command (AOC-in-C), Air Marshal F H Major said here yesterday.
Making it clear that IAF trained its pilots to fight war and not to fly commercial planes, air marshal major said an officer upto the rank of 'Group Captain' has got 15-20 years of experience in flying. "So we are thinking of how we can give some pilots to Air India and others on deputation."
Seeking to downplay the desertions by the pilots in the IAF, he said it was 'not alarming', though some might have left the IAF.
11/10/06 Zee News

Mesa, Arizona: Mesa -Falcon Field is returning to its roots.
The Mesa airfield will again host international pilots in training when the Sabena Airlines Training Center relocates this year.
The move will bring about 70 jobs to Mesa when the facility is fully staffed and leave 150 future pilots residing in the Mesa area at any given time, said Sabena's managing director, Kris Vandenbergh.
The move to Mesa comes on the heels of Sabena's agreement to train pilots for Indian airline companies, which will increase the number of aircraft in Sabena's fleet from 22 to 40 and put the training at about 160 flights per day, Vandenbergh said.
Corinne Nystrom, Falcon Field's director, said neighbors shouldn't be concerned about the extra flights.
"That is more activity, but they won't be flying a lot of jet aircraft," she said. "It'll be similar to the aircraft you normally see flying in and out of Falcon."
10/10/06 JJ Hensley/The Arizona Republic, US

Mumbai: Air hostess schools to pay airline for in-flight training. Air Deccan will now outsource cabin crew from training institutes and get paid for it in the bargain.
“We are in talks with cabin crew training institutes and are likely to conclude agreements in a week’s time,” said Air Deccan Chief Operating Officer Warwick Brady.
Sources close to the development said the airline was in talks with Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Air Hostess Academy and a training institute in Hyderabad.
They added that the airline would be deploying over 300 cabin crew members in a year through this. While this arrangement will give aspiring cabin crew of various institutes the chance to train on the job, the airline will not have to hire additional cabin crew. The institutes will pay Air Deccan for giving their trainees this opportunity.
“Foreign cabin crew training institutes have also expressed their willingness to take part in this innovative model,” the sources said.
09/10/06 P R Sanjai/Business Standard

Aviation training organisations are being urged to join together to provide trained staff for India’s booming aviation industry.
The General Manager of New Zealand’s only university school of aviation (Massey University), Captain Ashok Poduval, says the economic boom in India has resulted in huge growth in Indian aviation, creating an immediate demand for well-trained airline operational staff, particuarly pilots.
Captain Poduval has already had a positive response from training providers in New Zealand to the idea of a joint bid and says he plans to visit India to develop the initiative further.
He says this window of opportunity to the India market will not be open for long, with the Austraalian aviation training industry already making a bid.
Captain Poduval is a fomer Air India pilot and has held senior positions in the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
09/10/06 Scoop.co.nz (press release), New Zealand

Perak-based flying school Integrated Training and Services Sdn Bhd (IT&S) managing director Maj (rtd) Mohd Halim Aziz said the company plans to pump in some RM30 million to set up its new training facility at the Ipoh airport in Perak.
In addition, the company will spend another RM20 million to further expand its current fleet of four helicopters.
Pending approval from the state Government, he said the facility can be completed in 12 months and that the company hopes to have it up and running by the end of next year.
"We are still waiting for the State Government approval on this. We hope to be able to obtain the approval soon," he said.
The new facility would enable the company to double its intake of 60 students per year.
With the bigger capacity, the company would be more prepared to take in more students from abroad, namely China, India, Vietnam and the Middle East.
07/10/06 Anna Maria Samsudin/Business Times - Malaysia

An academy to train aircraft engineers, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, is now up and running in Bahrain with 105 students.
The Bahrain Airport Services' (BAS) Aircraft Engineering Training Centre is the first such accredited institution in Asia and the Middle East and only the third outside Europe.
The BD1 million centre has been opened to qualify and license aspiring aircraft maintenance engineers, said BAS manager-engineering training Mahmood Al Balooshi.
The majority of students are Bahrainis and a few have come from Oman and India, said Mr Al Balooshi.
The new centre is the first aviation training organisation outside the European Union (EU) to attain the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 147 approval for aircraft training and the 147 "Basic" aircraft maintenance engineering training approval, said Mr Al Balooshi.
04/10/06 Soman Baby/Gulf Daily News, Bahrain

Patiala: Patiala Aviation Club reopened for flying on September 3, after a gap of three years.
The Club is the only one in Punjab and Chandigarh to have a Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) licence for instructing students in flying. Three years ago, flying had come to a complete halt here. The other two flying clubs of Patiala — government’s Northern India Flying Club and privately owned Birmi Flying Academy — however, remain trapped in a legal battle.
At the Patiala Aviation Club, on the other hand, it is time for action. And like the club, Sukhdeep too is raring to go. In her ambitious flight, she has company of at least a dozen girls (most of them from the rural heartland of Punjab) who have enrolled with the club to learn flying. For Sukhdeep, DGCA’s green signal to relaunch flying at the club came as a breather. “I had long waited for this day,” she says, as she takes her ground lessons.
Ask the ambitious brigade if flying pinches their pockets and they reply, “The risk is momentary; the return everlasting.”
Though initially the DGCA had given the Patiala Aviation Club a licence to start flying lessons for two months, it has extended the permission till November 1. Club manager Abhay Chandra said the DGCA had asked the club to employ more ground instructors.
02/10/06 Sanjeev Chopra/Chandigarh Newsline

Hyderabad: The Andhra Pradesh government's plans to set up an aviation university at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Begumpet may not take off.
Instead, the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) may give the go-ahead to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to set up its own aviation academy, sources told TOI.
The 798 acres of airport land in the heart of the city, now worth thousands of crores, has become a bone of contention between the Centre and the state government.
The AAI and the MoCA are reportedly not in favour of the joint venture with the state government as they want complete control of the prime land.
The state government had some time back proposed setting up an aviation university on the airport land. This was in the light of a condition that commercial activity be stopped from the facility once the international airport at Shamshabad becomes operational by April 2008. The state government had even proposed a joint venture with AAI for the university.
02/10/06 Times of India

New Delhi: As part of efforts to improve the pilot training infrastructure in the country, India is inviting global players to manage Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA) at Rai Bareli.
Notices inviting expressions of interest from major international players have already been issued by the civil aviation ministry.
Eventually, IGRUA, which is currently registered as a society, would be converted into a company so that a joint venture partner with equity participation could also be brought in, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said.
"This would lead to the training of a far greater number of pilots than that being currently done by the academy," Patel said.
The output would go up from the present level of 40 pilots a year to over 200 pilots a year.
01/10/06 Times of India

Mumbai: The central government has decided to revamp and upgrade its pilot training institute, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA), to overcome shortage of pilots in the country.
"The government is soon going to invite major global aviation players in flight training to manage the IGRUA," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Saturday.
"Eventually the IGRUA, which is registered as a society, would be converted into a company so that a joint venture partner with equity participation could also be brought in," he added.
These steps would help the IGRUA to increase its existing capacity of training 40 pilots a year to more than 200, the minister said.
This would also be on account of the reduction in the total training time at the IGRUA, which is being brought down from the present two years to about a year, he added.
30/09/06 Indian Muslims, US

Chinese airlines will need an additional 10,000 airline pilots over the next five years, and the figure expected to reach 18,000 by 2015, said a senior official of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC).
Many Chinese airlines have begun looking for pilots overseas.
Shenzhen Airlines alone has recruited nearly 60 pilots from Brazil, Russia, the US and other countries, Beijing Daily reported.
CAAC deputy director Wang Changshun called for the training of more pilots to meet civil aviation demand, which is growing at a rate of 12 to 14 percent annually.
Zheng Xiaoyong, president of Civil Aviation Flight University of China, also said China needed an average 3,000 pilots each year over the next 10 years.
However, the country is capable of training only 2,000 pilots each year.
30/09/06 Xinhua/India eNews.com

Qantas is set to axe 300 information technology workers in Australia and send their jobs to India. The carrier has shortlisted two Indian companies to take over the work, saying it was impossible to find enough high-tech expertise in Australia to carry out computer systems maintenance, Fairfax newspapers report.
In July it shortlisted two Indian companies, Tata Consulting Services and Satyam, to take over the work.
A review of IT jobs is almost complete, and an announcement is expected this month.
Jobs at risk are in the internet operation that deals with holiday bookings, frequent-flyer programs, operational logistics, crew and engineering operations, and financial and payroll systems.
Rejecting the carrier's justification for the move, The Australian Services Union (ASU) assistant national secretary Linda White said: "To say there are not the skills here already is crap. They are asking our people how to do it."
Ms White said it's "pretty outrageous" for an iconic Australian company like Qantas to be sending highly paid, highly skilled jobs offshore, "particularly as the jobs are such an important part of the Qantas operation".
01/10/06 NEWS.com.au