Aviation India: Careers

New Delhi: Pilots with Indian airline companies, who possess foreign licences for using wireless communication sets in cockpits, are in for a hard time.
On February 7, the ministry of communication issued an order according to which some existing and new pilots would have to appear for an operating radio telephone (wireless used for communication from cockpits to ATCs and enroute ground stations) test.
Since no pilot can fly without a valid radio telephony licence, clearing the test and getting a licence could force active pilots, who already have foreign RTRs converted to Indian ones, to remain grounded for a while.
Before the new order was issued, those who had a commercial pilot licence to fly to any place in the world would get their radio telephony restricted licence from Commonwealth nations such as th UK or Canada.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a flight radio telephone operators' licence (FRTOL) and the ministry of communication's Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing converted the Canadian or British RTR to an Indian one for extendable periods of three years at a time.
The WPC issued the new memo on February 7, which laid down two conditions. Now, only pilots who have attended flying schools in the Commonwealth nations of Canada or the UK, and have both their CPL and RTR issued from the same country, can get their RTR converted to Indian ones.
But others, like some who got the CPL in the US and RTR from Canada, will have to appear for a test in India for a new licence. This will be applicable for both new CPL holders as also existing pilots whose Indian validation of foreign RTR has expired.
29/02/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

New Delhi: Soon, almost anyone who has cleared Class XII could be eligible to become a pilot irrespective of which stream the person chose after Class X — arts, commerce or science.
Existing rules stipulate that a student should have completed Class XII with physics and maths as compulsory subjects for becoming a flier.
Now, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has recommended that anyone who has passed Class X with physics and maths — which almost all do — and then completed Class XII from any stream be considered eligible for becoming a pilot.
The only condition the new DGCA recommendation lays down is that students must have compulsorily studied physics as part of science in Class X — and not home science in place of physics, as is the option in some boards.
DGCA has sent this recommendation to the aviation ministry for clearance by minister Praful Patel.
28/02/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

New Delhi: The DGCA has recommended that anyone who has passed Class X with physics and maths and then completed Class XII from any stream can be considered for becoming a pilot.
In fact, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), US’s regulatory and licensing agency, does not stipulate any minimum educational qualification for becoming a pilot.
It has only three conditions for a student pilot licence (SPL). These are: The person should be 16 years
or older, should be able to "read, speak and understand English" and be medically fit.
But clearing the tough FAA exams mean that the candidate should have knowledge of science and maths.
In India, too, a person can begin flight training at 16 years as the rules stipulate he or she be a minimum 17 years of age for getting the SPL. Then, after another year of flying, he or she can get a private pilot licence for which the minimum age is 18.
If cleared by the ministry and then notified as an amendment to existing rules by the law ministry, this could fuel the interest of youngsters towards flying.
In the past two years, so many youths have opted for this profession that there’s an excess of co-pilots in the aviation industry.
28/02/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

Thousands of foreign student pilots have been able to enroll and obtain pilot licenses from U.S. flight schools, despite tough laws passed in the wake of the 9/ll attacks, according to internal government documents obtained by ABC News.
"Some of the very same conditions that allowed the 9-11 tragedy to happen in the first place are still very much in existence today," wrote one regional security official to his boss at the TSA, the Transportation Security Administration.
"Thousands of aliens, some of whom may very well pose a threat to this country, are taking flight lessons, being granted FAA certifications and are flying planes," wrote the TSA official, Richard A. Horn, in 2005, complaining that the students did not have the proper visas.
Under the new laws, American flight schools are only supposed to provide pilot training to foreign students who have been given a background check by the TSA and have a specific type of visa.
But in thousands of cases that has not happened, according to the documents and current and former government officials involved in the program.
"TSA's enforcement is basically nonexistent," said former FAA inspector Bill McNease, in an interview for ABC News.
The new laws were passed after it was learned that all of the 9/ll hijackers, including ringleader Mohammed Atta, who were involved in flight operations had trained at U.S. flight schools with improper visas.
The FAA and Homeland Security are now starting to crack down on a number of flight schools suspected of training students illegally.
Just last month, agents raided a flight school outside San Diego, Anglo-American Aviation International, as part of an investigation of alleged fraud and misuse of visas.
A lawyer for the school said the raid only involved a technical, paper-work issue and that the school was "cooperating" in the investigation.
But federal officials say the so-called paper-work is extremely important.
The DHS said it conducts security threat assessments "on all non-U.S. citizens seeking flight training."
27/02/08 Brian Ross, Vic Walter and Eric Longabardi /ABC News

DGCA has published the list of computer numbers allotted to candidates for flight crew examinations.
The DGCA website reminds that the mere allotment of computer number does not entitle the candidate for appearing in the Written/Oral examination.
Application for written examination will only be accepted if the candidate fulfill the requirements mentioned in the CAR section 7, series B, Part-1, Rev.2, Dated - 07Aug 2006.
Read this requirements here or here .
If there is any mistake in the list like incorrect spelling of your name, write to CEO immediately for necessary correction.
List of admitted candidates will be given on DGCA website three weeks prior to date of examination.
DGCA further reminds that the applicants should read the Series B, Section 7 of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) prior to making any enquiry from CEO.
This CAR can be seen and downloaded from DGCA website or its hard copy can be obtained from the English Book Store, 17 L, Connought Place, New Delhi-110001.
DGCA also advices to download the page of this notification for your record purposes.
The examination fee has been revised @ Rs. 500/- per Paper.
25/02/08 DGCA

Muscat: Oman Air will set up a pilot training school and simulator in Muscat this year, according to Oman Air CEO Ziad Bin Karim Al Haremi.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the launch of the airline's re-branding at Shangri-La's Burr al Jizza Resort and Spa, Al Haremi said: "With the Ministry of Defence and Eurocopter, we will set up a pilot training school by the end of this year," he said.
He said the school will train 144 pilots and 37 single engine planes will be used in the training. "The school will be open to every nationality from anywhere in the world and higher secondary pass students will be enrolled."
Al Haremi revealed that the training will be for civil pilots and they will receive Airline Transport Pilot Licences (ATPL). "It will be a frozen licence after 18 or 20 months depending on weather conditions. We will also send our trainees to this school but admission will be strictly on merit," he said.
24/02/08 Sunil K. Vaidya/GulfNews, United Arab Emirates

New Delhi: Public sector banks will soon start offering insurance-linked education loans. The insurance premium will be a part of the expenses for the loan. The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has put together a model education loan scheme that entails a higher quantum of loan.
The loan limit has been increased from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh for studies in India and from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh for studies overseas. Further, there will now be a provision of top-up loan for students for further studies. A cap of sorts has been fixed for the cost of such loans — the rate of interest should not exceed the benchmark prime lending rate (BPLR) for loans up to Rs 4 lakh. For loans over this limit, the rate of interest, should not be more than 100 basis points over the BPLR.
Under the scheme, life policies and mutual fund units will now be treated as permissible security for the loan. Banks can now lend multiple loans to a single family. Education loans will now be offered for aeronautical engineering, pilot training, shipping training as part of eligible courses. The norms will however be stiffer for loans for overseas education. For loans between Rs 4 lakh to Rs 7.5 lakh, banks will impose more restrictive security by including co-obligation of parents.
23/02/08 Priti Patnaik & Deepshikha Sikarwar/Economic Times

New Delhi: JetLite, the low-cost subsidiary of Jet Airways, has 'rationalised' pilot salaries. Now they will have to fly 50% more for either the same salary or marginally more. Sources say this trend is likely to catch on, as almost all airlines are deep in red.
"Our commanders used to get about Rs 3.50 lakh per month for flying 50 hours a month. Now we will pay them Rs 4 lakh for flying 75 hours a month," JetLite COO Rajiv Gupta said. While commanders are still in short supply and a precious lot, co-pilots — being churned out in dozens at flight academies around the world — will feel the pinch. "Earlier they used to get about Rs 2.03 lakh per month for flying 50 hours. Now they will get Rs 2.05 lakh for flying 75 hours," Gupta said. The airline feels this is a "win-win" situation for both pilots and the company.
Facing mounting losses and a long queue of fresh co-pilots knocking at doors, Indian domestic carriers are now cutting human resource costs.
With more domestic and international flights (including new services to Gulf) in the offing, 'cheaper' pilots will make a big difference to the bottomline.
22/02/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

DGCA has published the result of January 2008 session of Pilots licence examination is published.
This list contains the results of those candidates who were admitted and have
appeared in Pilots Licence Examination, January 2008 session. The result of the candidate against whom Not Evaluated has been mentioned, their
OMR sheets could not be evaluated as they had not filled up their Roll Number /QP
Reference Number properly /correctly.
Download the list from this location at the DGCA site.

The last date of submission of duly completed application form for Pilots licence
written examination, April 2008 session is March 07, 2008. The April examination is scheduled
during 22-24 April, 2008. The fees for written examination is Rs.500/- per paper. The consolidated Bank Draft should be drawn in the favour of “PAO, DGCA, MCA, New Delhi.”
The Computer Number, Name and Session of Examination should be written on the back of the Bank Draft.
DGCA directs the candidates to submit the applications on CA-9 (Pilot) Rev., July, 2007 Form only, failing which, the same is likely to be rejected.
Candidate of ATPL category , who have failed in the Oral Examination should
apply for Second oral Examination on a separate Application along with requisite
fee.
23/02/08 DGCA

Paramount Airways is now looking for Pilots. (The airline now fly Embraer jets and are planning to induct Airbus/Boeing aircraft).
The requirement is for:

• Type rated pilots on ERJ 170/190
• Non type rated captains & co-pilots

The advertisement published this week in leading dailies says the company will provide type ratings on an attractive basis.
Those who with professional ATPL, CPL pilot license with IR, FRTO and RTR may send their applications with recent flying experience along with current DGCA medical status and passport.
Email or send by snail mail the applications on or before 30/02/08 indicating the position (Pilot) and code (PA/PIL/1) in the subject line or on the envelope.
email:
hronline@paramountairways.com
OR
vpfltops@paramountairways.com

Snail mail:
HR Department
Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd.,
Alexander Square,
No. 35, Sardar Patel Road,
Guindy,
Chennai.
PIN 600 032

22/02/08

DGCA has revised the list of admitted candidates for AME Licence Examination (February 2008 Session) originally published on 15/02/08.
The examination schedule and venue the
Licence examination too is with the list.
Here is the revised list for various centers (Published on 22/02/08):

• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Hyderabad
• Kolkota
• Mumbai
• Delhi
• Others

The exams are on this Sunday and Monday (24-02-2008 and 25-02-2008).
22/02/08 DGCA

Kollam: A 23-year-old youth who is a flight instructor with a Philippines aviation company and a native of Kollam, was reported missing from Sunday after his training aircraft crash landed in the Bay of Philippines near Manila, according to information received here.
Kiran .G. Panicker, son of Gopalakrishna Panicker of Karthika, Kallumthazham, Kilikolloor, was reported missing after the accident on Sunday.
According to family sources Kiran met with the accident when he was flying along with a senior flight instructor and a trainee pilot. However, the two who were with Kiran were rescued by fishermen.
It was one-and-a-half years ago that Kiran joined the Aero Flight Aviation Corporation, Olongapo City, Philippines, to learn flying.
According to his employer, rescue squads were continuing with the search operations.
Kiran’s family has requested Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Union Ministers A.K.Antony, Vayalar Ravi and E. Ahamed to provide immediate help in continuing with the search operations.
20/02/08 Newindpress

Chandigarh: With a growth rate of 18% per annum, sunny skies lie ahead for aviation industry. The industry has witnessed expansion both in terms of players and number of aircrafts. With this the strength of the Indian fleet is expected to be 500-550 by 2010. Even the open sky policy of the government has reaped huge dividends with many foreign players entering the market. To meet the talent crunch which is the main problem of any sunrise sector, lots of training institutes have come up in the city.
Talking to FE, Kamal Saini, centre head Frankfinn said, "Earlier people were reluctant to join the aviation sector but now trend has changed. People are more aware of the opportunities in the aviation sector and want to be a part of it."
Apart from the shortage of the cabin crew, there is also a deficiency in the number of commercial pilots in the country. Commenting on this, Captain SP Singh, Director, Sky Wings Aviation said, "There is shortage of training institutes for pilots in India. To circumvent the problem, we have tied up with foreign institutes. Large numbers of students are now opting to do their flying courses abroad." He further added,
Talking about the future prospects Sapna Gupta, Director, Air Hostess Academy said " Since common wealth games are scheduled for 2010, we are expecting 2.5 lakh jobs will be created in this industry.
20/02/08 Financial Express

The worldwide credit crunch is forcing flight students to take up smaller student loans at higher interest rates, yet the impact on flight schools in the USA is minimised due to surging enrolment from China and India.
The revelation comes as students of the ill-fated Silver State Helicopters continue to wrestle with the debts they incurred when the world's largest flight training academy filed for banckruptcy earlier this month.
Students need higher credit scores to qualify and are agreeing to shorter payment periods and a higher interest rate," says Jeremy Wilson, marketing director of Seattle's Galvin Flying Services.
At the same time, Wilson notes, airlines are hiring flight instructors with fewer hours. "The only way a flight school can retain an instructor is by paying him a higher rate, more benefits and so on, and that cost gets passed to the prospective new student," he says.
Simultaneously, thousands of students from China and India are enrolling at US schools, which Wilson predicts will ease the financial impact. "There are no local aviation infrastructures in China and India to meet this demand," he says.
19/02/08 Jeffrey Decker/Flightglobal.com

DGCA has published the list of admitted candidates for AME Licence Examination February 2008 Session .The examinations are to be conducted on 24th & 25th of this month (February 2008) at Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkota, Mumbai, Delhi etc. as per this schedule.
Admitted candidates:

• Bangalore
• Chennai
• Hyderabad
• Kolkota
• Mumbai
• Delhi
• Others

Rejected candidates lists also are there:

• Rejected List 1
• Rejected List 2

Reduced A380 transition training for A320 Family, A330 or A340 qualified pilots has been jointly approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). The latest approval was obtained for the transition training from A320 Family aircraft to the A380 on 7th February 2008. This means that, for example, a pilot flying Airbus' smallest aircraft, the A318, can be qualified to fly the A380 in 13 working days. It offers operators significant cost savings since training times can be halved compared to standard type rating courses.
Reduced transition training, known as Airbus Cross Crew Qualification (CCQ), is only possible due to the unique flight operational commonality between Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft. Fifteen Airbus models, from the A318 through to the A380 and including the three new models of the A350 XWB Family, feature very similar flight decks and similar handling characteristics thanks to fly-by-wire technology. Commonality is a fundamental design criterion for Airbus as demonstrated by the fact that CCQ is available now for all combinations of Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft in service.
The transition training from A320 Family aircraft to the A380 takes 13 working days, from A330/A340 Family aircraft it takes 12 working days, while a pilot with no Airbus fly-by-wire experience requires 24 working days to complete the A380 standard type rating course.
18/02/08 PressMediaWire, USA

New Delhi: In a move to provide its senior pilots with an attractive second career option and help aviation companies, IAF proposes to release around 20 of its helicopter pilots for the civil sector every year.
A MoU has been signed between IAF and Pawan Hans, under which the helicopter pilots "nearing their end of flying career" in IAF will be inducted into the public sector company. The IAF, incidentally, had signed a similar agreement with Air India last year.
"The MoU with Pawan Hans is indicative of IAF's commitment to the growth of aviation in the country, be it civil or military. It will not only promote mutual benefits to both the organisations but will prove to be a milestone for Indian aviation as a whole," said IAF chief Air Chief Marshal F H Major.
19/02/08 Times of India

Montreal: Founded in 1987 by five people who had enjoyed working together on a research project at Concordia University, Mechtronix has evolved into a multi-million-dollar, global manufacturer of high-tech flight simulators for the aviation industry.
During a tour of its Montreal plant this week, Mr. Herve pointed out simulators in various stages of completion destined for Turkey, Israel, El Salvador and China.
Business is booming, thanks to the rapid economic development of countries like China and India and a worldwide shortage of pilots.
It is estimated North America will need twice as many pilots by 2020.
South America will need three times as many, India four times and China five times its current number.
"Pilot poaching" is now a fact of life in the aviation industry, with large international carriers luring away experienced individuals from smaller companies, who are then left to recruit new people.
"A huge number of training organizations are being set up around the world," Mr. Herve, 44, said.
Many of those cent res are Mechtronix clients, as are the Tier 2 and 3 airlines that are compelled to do much more in-house training because of the high cost of doing it externally and pilot turnover rates that average 30% annually.
Because flight simulators are usually delivered six to 18 months after an order is placed, Mr. Herve already has a good idea what the 2008-09 numbers will be, and they're consistent with recent rates of growth. This summer, the company will expand its local base by constructing a second building on property adjacent to the Montreal premises it has occupied since 1997.
But that's old news for Mr. Herve. He is already looking ahead two years. By then, he expects the company to open its first plant outside Canada.
18/02/08 Paul Delean/Canwest News Service/Financial Post, Canada

Singapore: The growth of Asian low-cost carriers is helping to drive pilots' salaries sharply higher, but training is being expanded to meet demand, an industry official said Monday.
Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines, said the new carriers tended to poach pilots from other airlines rather than train their own people.
"They own a large number of aircraft and they need to crew them," he told AFP. "In terms of what they are paying their pilots, they may be low-cost airlines but those are not low-cost pilots."
Herdman was speaking in Singapore on the sidelines of an aviation conference, where International Air Transport Association chief executive Giovanni Bisignani said competition for aircrew was a key challenge.
A total of 17,000 pilots annually have to trained for the 16,000 new aircraft needed by 2020, Bisignani said.
Investments were underway for pilot training in-house or through aviation schools, but for now pilot costs were jumping, Herdman said.
"We see pilots' salaries rising quite sharply, particularly in lower cost countries in the region," Herdman said.
18/02/07 AFP

Indore: An Indore based pilot academy Asiatic International Aviation Academy have started tying up with foreign flying schools so that Indian student Pilots can cut down sharply on training time and get an International standerd pilots for domestic carriers with greater frequency.
In countries like the United States, Australia and Philippines, a commercial pilot's licence can be obtained in just six to Eight months time with Instrument rating & Multi Engine rating.
Asiatic International Aviation Academy has produced aprox 300 Pilots in last five years, it has recruited more than 100 aspiring pilots a year and sent them for training to the USA, Australia & Philippines.
In some cases, this works out cheaper than getting a licence in India. Also, aspirants get to hone their skills on better machines and infrastructure. conduct the tests on their own and also help students in obtaining the visa.
Asiatic International Aviation Academy conduct the tests on their own and also help students in obtaining the visa.
16/02/08 PRESS RELEASE/Asiatic International Aviation Academy

Chandigarh: Haryana Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department has invited applications from the students belonging to Scheduled Castes for undertaking Commercial Pilot License (CPL) course latest by February 22, 2008.
While stating this here on Friday, a spokesman of the department said the Commercial Pilot License Course would include Commercial Helicopter Pilot License (CHPL) and Multi-Engine Rating Training on A-320 and similar aircraft even after the candidate had got scholarship for multi-engine rating training with the Special Pilot License (SPL) course. The number of scholarships had been enhanced from 20 to 50 from the current financial year. The scholarship would only be given to those students who belonged to Scheduled Castes and permanently settled in Haryana. The student should have passed the matriculation or higher secondary or any higher examination of a recognized University or Board of Secondary Education and the parents or guardians income from all sources did not exceed Rs. one lakh per annum. Similarly, the student had to pursue the CPL course from a recognized institution.
The selected candidates would be provided maintenance allowance in addition to all compulsory fees, including flight charge would be provided as fee. In addition, the value of scholarship includes additional allowance of reimbursement of compulsory non-refundable fees, study tour charges, thesis typing, printing charges, book allowance for students pursuing correspondence courses and book bank facility for complete duration of the course.
The maintenance allowance which would be provided to selected candidates would be Rs. 740 per month for hostlers and Rs. 330 for day scholars. Selection of candidates would be made subject to the application of Means test prescribed in the scheme.
Candidates might submit their application to the Director, Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Department at Chandigarh latest by February 22, 2008 through the Head of the Institution being attended or last attended by them in the prescribed form which was available in the offices of all the District Welfare Officers in the state.
The candidates could also contact at telephone number 0172-2716248 for more details.
15/02/08 PunjabNewsline.com

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force and Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd (PHHL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan) enabling IAF to share its expertise in operations with Pawan Hans. Under the agreed terms and conditions, helicopter pilots nearing the end of their flying career in IAF for induction into Pawan Hans. The MoU was signed by Air Vice Marshal LK Malhotra, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers) on behalf of IAF and Shri GP Srivastava, GM(P&HRD) for Pawan Hans.
This would ensure Pawan Hans, India’s leading helicopter service provider, benefits from the extensive operation experience of IAF pilots. At the same time, it will offer a second career option to IAF helicopter pilots would be able to utilize their flying skills even after their career in IAF. The accrued training and expertise of IAF pilots nearing the end of their terms of service would therefore be effectively harnessed in furtherance of the national cause.
AVM LK Malhotra, who signed the MoU on behalf of IAF said during the ceremony “the MoU will enable IAF pilots to get opportunity for growth and a longer, fruitful second career upto 65 years of age...”.
Shri RK Tyagi, CMD of Pawan Hans Ltd mentioned that Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd is looking forward for a massive fleet expansion as well as to enter new areas of operation such as inter and intra city transportation besides setting up a state of art maintenance center and also new helicopters at Delhi, Mumbai and other viable areas. It is understood that PHHL is poising for acquiring new helicopters during next financial year for which requirement of more qualified pilots is paramount.
15/02/08 Press Information Bureau

Kolkata: The Indian Air Force was facing a shortage of pilots as the younger generation prefers to join commercial airlines.
"When a pilot of a commercial airlines gets around Rs 2 lakh at the start of his career, those in the air force gets around Rs 20,000 monthly and naturally they are keen to join the private airlines," Air Marshall S K Bhan, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Region told reporters here today.
"In our days we came to this profession because of the challenges and not for the money, but times have changed and for youths today money has become a priority," he said.
Asked what was being done to check this, Bhan said "We have a commercial tie up with Air India where we will provide pilots when we have an excess. So far we have sent 18 pilots to Air India."
15/02/08 PTI/Sify

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force is hoping for higher pay packages to overcome the shortage of around 300 pilots in its ranks.
"There is a slight shortage, between 250 and 300, of pilots in the force but the situation is not alarming," Air Chief Marshal F.G. Major said here Thursday.
Better pay packages for pilots will help attract talent and overcome the shortage, he told reporters on the sidelines of the International Flight Test Seminar organized by the Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE) here. "We hope the Sixth Pay Commission will give a boost in this regard," Major said.
The Air Force has also introduced a short-term service of 14 years for pilots as part of the plan to overcome the shortage, he said.
This will also help the growing civil aviation sector as there will be a pool of trained pilots discharged from the Air Force after the short term service, Major said.
14/02/08 IANS/Indian Muslims, US

Pune: Kingfisher Airlines is planning to leap into the education sector. There are plans to start a Kingfisher University which will cater to the needs of the service industry. The university will offer a full time MBA course in aviation and also some courses in hospitality and retail management.
“The process has begun to start a university, but it will take another three years to start the activities,” said Kunal Vasudeva, project head, Kingfisher Training Academy.
“We have started the training academy as a first step. Our ultimate aim is to create an IIM of the service industry,” said Rita Gupta, brand adviser of kingfisher training academy. “The courses which we now run are certificate courses; but there is a real need to have management degree courses in the service sector. We are definitely looking at to start such courses in aviation, retail and hospitality industry,” she said. “The other advantage is, we are in the industry and we know its needs. Accordingly, we can be able to design the courses,” she said.
“As of now there are four universities in the world which offer MBA course in aviation. These four universities are in the UK, the US, Australia and Dubai. The courses offered are very expensive. When we start our course, we will try to keep the fee structure such that it will be in the reach of common students,” said Vasudeva.
14/02/08 Pune Newsline

DGCA has published the list of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) institutes in the country which got approval to impart training for obtaining basic license in various categories.
The list is updated on Dec 31, 2007 and it includes a total of 58 institutes from all over India.
In addition to the schools name, address and scope of approval, the pass percentage for October 2006 & February 2007 sessions and the average pass percentage of last six sessions from 2005 June too is there in the list.
Download the list from here or here.

Singapore Airlines is now looking for Flight Stewardess from India.
The candidates should be female Indian citizens who are at least 158cm in height. Should be graduate and proficient in English and Hindi. Knowledge of regional languages is desirable.
To apply, complete the application form available at the airlines website.
With the application, attach a full size photograph. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by email. Interviews will be held at Mumbai, Delhi in March, April repectevely.
Apply before 20 feb (for Delhi) or before 14 March (for Mumbai).
14/02/08 Singapore Airlines

Calcutta: Kingfisher Airlines opened a training institute in Calcutta on Tuesday.
Kingfisher Training Academy, which will have campuses on Camac Street and in Salt Lake, will offer a six-month course in aviation and a one-year programme in hotel management.
The basic eligibility for admission, which opens on Wednesday, is 10+2.
The institute will focus on both classroom studies and professional exposure.
The fee for the aviation course is Rs 1,00,000 and hotel management, Rs 1,25,000. The institute has tie-ups with banks for education loans.
On job opportunities in the aviation sector, Rajesh Verma, the chief mentor of the Academy and executive vice-president of Kingfisher Airlines, said: “There will be a need for nearly 15,000 to 20,000 additional crew in the next three-four years. It is not a short-lived profession. Managerial jobs can be handled after one is too old to be cabin crew.”
13/02/08 The Telegraph

Indore: The branch of Kingfisher Training Academy Indore is located at Orbit Mall and will become operational likely by the end of March this year.
Kingfisher Training Academy hopes to train at least 3500 candidates over the next three years from Indore. Kunal Vasudev, project head, Kingfisher Training Academy, informed that the first batch of the Kingfisher Training Academy passed out of its Mumbai centre, has been placed successfully in the Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways, Spice Jet, Go Air and the Indian Airlines respectively. In the non-aviation sector, KTA has placed its first batch in leading hotels like JW Marriot, Hyatt, Renaissance and the Taj Group, Mumbai.
14/02/08 Central Chronicle, India

Pune: A tie-up between Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) and aviation schools in the US and Australia is imminent, and the company will induct students who have been trained at specified institutions as pilots to address the needs of a fleet that will be nearly 100-aircraft strong by the year-end.
Mr Rajesh Verma, Executive Vice-President, KFA, said that those recruited would typically be Indian students who have received their Commercial Pilot Licences from these schools.
The norm for the industry is 10 pilots per normal bodied aircraft and around 22 for the wide bodied craft, and the shortage was of commanders rather than first officers, he said.
Announcing the launch of the Kingfisher Training Academy in Pune, Mr Verma said that the plan was to set up a dozen such schools in India for training youngsters for the aviation and hospitality industries during this year.
11/02/08 Business Line/Moneycontrol.com

Pune: The United Breweries (UB) Group launched on Monday a Kingfisher Training Academy (KTA) to cater to the rising demand for trained professionals in the hospitality and the airline industry.
Pune is the third such academy that has been launched after Mumbai and Hyderabad while the group plans to have to have set up in all 12 centres across the country by the end of this year. The Pune branch will be operational by March end. “...We have plans of starting similar academies in other cities including Delhi, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Goa, Kolkata, Guhawati and Indore,” said Rajesh Verma, executive vice president of the Kingfisher Airlines.
Verma said that between Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, there is already a shortage of 600 crew. “In the next two to three months, this demand is going to double because of expansion plans,” said Verma. Currently, the airline has 350 aircraft. “..In India, there will be a great demand for cabin crew with airlines expanding into smaller cities,” Verma said.
11/02/08 Expressindia.com

New Delhi: A former Indian Airlines flight purser on Monday moved the Supreme Court against his dismissal on charges of sporting a handlebar moustache.
Sacked Indian Airlines employee Joynath Victor De, who is also a member of London's famed 'Handlebar Club,' petitioned the apex court after waging a long legal battle at the Calcutta High Court and winning the initial round of litigation.
He told the apex court in his plea that he has been "keeping a stout moustache as part of his family custom and spiritual faith."
A bench of Justices H K Sema and Markandey Katju issued notice to the state-run domestic airliner and sought its reply within four weeks.
De told the Court that he had begun sporting the moustache since 1968, when he joined the airlines. He went on to become assistant manager in 1994 on the basis of his efficiency and integrity of character. He also told the Court that he had scrupulously adhered to the airline's conduct rules of 1991 that "all crew members should have well groomed appearance and moustache, if worn, would be neatly trimmed." He said he adhered to the rules even when the airline scrapped the provision between 1996 and 1998.
However, in July 1998, Indian Airlines revived the provision with the amendment that "except Sikhs, all crew members should be clean shaven, and moustache, if worn, should not extend beyond upper lips," said De.
Soon after, he was issued a notice asking him why he should not be sacked for keeping a handlebar moustache. He told the court that despite his explanation, the airlines forced him to take premature retirement at the age of 55 in January 2001. A single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court held his sacking as illegal, but a division bench of the high court set aside the order.
De approached the apex court, challenging the high court's final order.
11/02/08 IANS/Sify

A major fraud has surfaced in the aviation training scenario in India, according to a news report published in Bangalore Mirror daily(Jan 29, 2008 issue).
The head of a newly formed pilot training organization, Career Aviation Institute, near airport road, Bangalore has gone missing with the fee collected from about 20 pilot students amounting to Rs 47 lakhs. The first batch of students who came to join the institute from all over India in 2006 with dreams of flying never gone beyond some ground classes at the institute. Now they've filed a petition against Capt Krishna Prashant, who still is absconding.
A scanned copy of the daily with the details of the cheating is posted in the Indian Aviators Yahoo Group some days back by Mr. Mayur Poddar an aviator at Vancouver, Canada.
To read the scanned report, download it from here.
On October 16, 2007, we had reproduced a report by UNI of a press conference by this Capt Krishna Prashant, originally published in the Siasat Daily. Just like UNI & the Daily we too could not see through the fraud then.
We are deleting the post from our site & we regret publishing it.
11/02/08

Sapna Gupta weaved her dreams around her passion and turned it into a successful business model. The director of Air Hostess Academy (AHA), Gupta set up her company in 1997 to train students for the jobs of airhostesses, flight stewards and airport ground staff.
A travel and tourism graduate from South Delhi Polytechnic, she started working with Cox & Kings, a travel agency, in Delhi right after her graduation in 1994.It was barely four months with Cox & Kings when she was offered the post of a junior lecturer in her college by the head of the department of the travel and tourism department.
Along with South Delhi Polytechnic, Gupta simultaneously imparted lecture at Bharti Vidya Bhawan and YWCA.
In 1997, Gupta, with an initial investment of Rs 25,000, set up her classes in an apartment in Delhi's Amar Colony area, with three students enrolled for her course. The realisation to have a training institute dawned on the major players when the HR department at Jet Airways, the first airline she approached, saw the difference between her students and the candidates they recruited.
Needless to mention, there was no looking back thereafter and Gupta started organising seminars and inviting personnel from the aviation and hospitality sector to deliver lecture at her institute.
Starting from a small nondescript outfit in the nineties, AHA—riding on an annual turnover of Rs 80 crore—today trains around 10,000 students across India every year for the services sector.
Following the success of AHA, she is currently on the verge of establishing Makeover, a venture aimed at providing initial grooming to aspiring candidates in tier two and three cities such as Bhatinda, Agra and Bhopal.
11/02/08 Shruti Chauhan/Economic Times

Tucson, Arizona: About 9,000 miles separated Manoj Rajput from a pilot's license and a shot at leaving behind his parents' electronics store in India. The chance to change his life began with a Tucson company's remarkable offer: spend six to 10 months studying at Ryan Airfield and leave as a certified aviator.
Rajput said he and nine compatriots scraped together thousands to pay the International Airline Training Academy — known as IATA — for classroom training and hands-on flying experience.
IATA trains hundreds of pilots per year at its Ryan Airfield facility, 6400 S. Aviator Lane. The vast majority, 88 percent, are Chinese, Collins said, and about 10 percent are Indian. The FAA lists the school as "certified," which means it can train international students and advertise such training.
But as last summer approached, the students became suspicious when they said their flight training was just two days per week, far short of the six days they said they were promised.
Chinese students, the school told the Arizona Daily Star in 2003, receive customized 10-month training "from the ground up" — from ground school lessons in aviation theory, plane mechanics and flight preparation to flight lessons in single-engine and multi-engine planes, and finally jets.
But to the Indian students, it seemed as if excuses, not courses, became the norm. One said he once overslept and then was barred from taking to the skies for almost two weeks. IATA promised enough instructors to sustain a 24-week course and six-day-a-week training, they said.
"After three to four months, it was just getting slow," said one student, Biju Chandran, 26. Besides the pace of training, there were few unused planes, available instructors or aircraft with completed maintenance, according to documents from their attorney.
The students have since returned to the Phoenix area, where they are finishing their training at CRM Aviation Training Center. Instead of the couple of days per week they had at IATA, they're now up in the skies almost every day, owner Paul Blair said.
The students now claim IATA is owed more than $130,000 for incomplete training.
"America is known for the opportunities it provides," said Rajput, 33. "When I see this, it really is discouraging."
Flight schools have been under pressure to closely monitor their students since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But some students and experts say it is the schools that need closer monitoring.
While the Federal Aviation Administration monitors the curriculum and air-safety standards of flight schools, there is little oversight of the financial health of those institutions, interviews suggest. Instead, students are left to fend for themselves in the American legal system.
The Indian students also are becoming entwined in the U.S. legal system after trying to talk to IATA's owners personally — and having the police called on them. Their attorney said they are mulling a possible lawsuit against IATA over expected tuition refunds.
The school's attorney, Mark L. Collins, said in an e-mail that the school is one of many experiencing shortages of flight instructors and is planning to refund less than $110,000 of the Indian students' money.
IATA's financial troubles may not have begun with the Indian students, Pima County Superior Court records indicate. The school has been sued twice in the last two years over finances, including a major bank's assertion that IATA owes it more than $1 million.
The school moved operations to Ryan in May 2003 from Glendale Municipal Airport, purchasing the building and planes from KLM and leasing the land from the Tucson Airport Authority.
International students are attracted to flight school in the United States for many reasons, Goldstein said. "We have a large country that has open skies for training compared to many countries, and the ability to put many planes out in training missions is a little easier."
But foreign students also are vulnerable because they make big outlays of money for their training and have little knowledge of their options if things go wrong, experts said. They also are on student visas that limit their time in the country.
Arizona flight schools landed in the spotlight after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Islamic extremists such as Hani Hanjour were drawn to Arizona by the flight schools. Hanjour, who piloted American Airlines 77 into the Pentagon, also lived in Tucson and attended the University of Arizona.
Scrutiny of international students has risen since Sept. 11. In fact, when Teresa Eloy, the IATA official, was asked about the Indian students who were complaining about her school, she told a reporter to check with the FBI regarding an investigation of the students. But Manuel Johnson, an FBI spokesman in Phoenix, said a probe in November into a group of Indian students at IATA revealed no signs of terrorism. He would not say who made the complaint.
Local authorities also became involved in the matter when some of the Indian students showed up at IATA on Jan. 25 to ask about their refund payments. A Tucson Airport Authority police spokesman said the company complained when "irate" students showed up, but no arrests were made.
"Why is it trespassing if it's their money?" said Donald Maxwell, the Indian students' Scottsdale attorney.
But some in the industry have harsher words for alleged malfeasance and say that trouble with a handful of flight schools can make all institutions look bad — and leave some students, such as the Indians, waiting for their money.
10/02/08 Jack Gillum/Arizona Daily Star, AZ, USA

New Delhi: With an aim to cash in on the booming Indian aviation market, Canada-based simulator manufacturer CAE has tied up with low cost carrier IndiGo to train around 300 typerated, simulator trained pilots to the airline in the next five years.
"We have got into an agreement with IndiGo to train around 300 pilots for them from all our training institutes across the world," said Jeff Roberts, group president, Innovation and Civil Training Services, CAE. The contract would be worth more than $6 million in terms of training services. The pilots will be supplied from CAE's global network of 27 civil and military flight training institutes.
Going by its aircraft deliveries of around 10 per year, IndiGo would require 500 additional pilots for the next five years, of which 60 per cent will be accounted for by CAE. IndiGo currently has around 120 pilots, out of which 70 are expatriates.
10/02/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

Chennai: At the graduation day of the 100th Batch of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Course of Hindustan Institute of Engineering Technology, K S Balasubramaniam, Director of Airworthiness, Director General of Civil Aviation, Chennai declared that for aircraft maintenance engineers sky is the limit and they are in great demand, following the unprecedented boom in the aviation industry.
In this graduation day where a record number of 50 aircraft maintenance engineers passed out, Balasubramaniam further declared that this demand was felt right across the globe and with the Indian aircraft maintenance engineers recognized for their technical capabilities, the whole globe was literally open for job opportunities, he opined.
HIET a flagship unit of the Hindustan Group of Instit