Aviation India: Careers

As a precursor to the launch of its Indian operations in 2009, Premier Helicopters LLC USA has decided to launch a cadet pilot program to train dedicated and talented
Indian candidates as helicopter pilots. After finishing this self sponsored program, the cadets will be given options to join Premier Helicopters in its operations in
India or abroad based on certain conditions.The flight training will be in the company hanger in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
The first round of selections took place on 23rd December in New Delhi. Based on feedback from students who were unable to attend the first test, we have decided
another date on 4th January in New Delhi.
The requirements for the program are that the candidate (male or female) has to have cleared his/her 12th board examinations with physics and mathematics and should be
above 18 years of age and medically fit as per DGCA requirements.
For further details and to register call 09250 317676,09250 307676 or email
us at siddharth.reddy@premierheli.com.
30/12/08 PRESS RELEASE/Premier Helicopters

Hyderabad: For most rural women, especially those hailing from the SC and ST communities, getting through Class X itself is quite a hurdle, what to say completing graduation and aspiring to a good job.
Now, thanks to the Employment Generation and Marketing Mission (EGMM) of the Department of Rural Development, the first batch of 35 SC and ST women selected from interior villages of the State are being trained as air hostesses for employment in airlines of repute.
They are set to complete their three-month training programme in February 2009.
According to officials of the EGMM, companies like Air India have about 15 per cent reservation quota for SC and ST candidates in various departments.
For several years, these were not filled as suitable candidates were not to be found.
``To become an air hostess, candidates should have at least completed their graduation which is very rare among SC and ST women from rural areas. Also, very few of them even know about reservations in various sectors. Our initiative is likely to boost the employment prospects of several SC and ST women,’’ said Gopal Garg, state mission manager of the EGMM.
Should the project prove successful, the officials are planning to expand it.
The EGMM has selected 35 women graduates from rural areas and will provide them with air-hostess training at the Computers, Management and Technical Education Services (CMTES) in Secunderabad. The State Government is spending Rs 25,000 on each candidate.
They will be trained in communication skills, personality development, and aviation subjects apart from English and French language.
25/12/08 PS Dileep/ExpressBuzz

Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA), a division of Chimes Aviation Private Ltd, India’s leading premier pilot training academy, has launched first of its kind preliminary pilot training course called ‘START UP CPL’, a special short-term course aimed at young aspirants who would want to understand nuances of pilot training in a practical environment. Until now, no other pilot training institutes have come up with such an opportunity to aid students realize their dream of becoming pilots.
The programme is specifically designed for potential students looking at pilot training and will offer practical education and training, on practices, legal and regulatory aspects of pilot training .The course module is spread over a period of 2 months and would include 15 hours of Single Engine flying along with the basic understanding of ground school procedures. This is not just a coaching course as what they earn during the training i.e. flying & ground school hours are credited to their pilot training records if they decide to go ahead and take up the pilot training. The course is nominally priced at Rs 2 lakhs, which is 1/10th, the price of a regular CPL, which costs close to Rs. 23 lakhs, hence bringing down the entry barrier for people who earlier could not even try out this expensive course and also for aspirants who want to spread their training w.r.t time & cost and yet not compromise on quality. This course would also help aspirants to de-mystify Pilot Training, which is often just viewed as a glamorous, globetrotting career, but there is lot of hard work and academic study behind it.
Speaking about this initiative, Mr. Uday Punj, Managing Director, Chimes Group said, “We have spotted an opportunity and are committed to change the dynamics of the pilot training in the country “.
23/12/08 Moneycontrol.com

Thiruvananthapuram: It has been eight months since the parents of the trainee pilot Varsha Gopinath received the Aircraft Accident Investigation Report from the Philippines Government establishing that their daughter’s death in a mid-air crash in that country was caused by error and negligence on the part of the Air Traffic Controller (ATC).
But so far, the Indian Government has not taken a single step to facilitate compensation from Philippines authorities, Varsha’s father Gopinath Pillai said in a statement issued here on Friday.
Varsha, 18, hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, died in a mid-air collision at Plaridel Airport in Philippines on July 8, 2007. ‘’In April 2008, it was conclusively established that the accident occurred due to the ATC’s error and gross negligence. The Government of India is still a silent spectator on this matter,’’ he said.
The investigation report blames the student pilot of Fliteline Aviation’s aircraft in Philippines who hit Varsha’s aircraft, he said.
The Cessna-150 aircraft piloted by Flight Instructor Capt Patric Philipp Teruel in command with student pilot Varsha of WCC Aviation, Philippines, was hit by another Cessna-152 aircraft, piloted by a student of Fliteline Aviation, Philippines, during flying training and killed all the three.
‘’It was thus evident that the safety standards were also very poor at Plaridel Airport at the time of the accident. As the Philippines Government is primarily responsible for the mid-air collision due to the gross negligence of the ATC, it is liable to pay adequate compensation,’’ he said.
Pillai said that repeated requests to the Government of Philippines, Fliteline Aviation, WCC Aviation, and the Indian Ambassador to the Philippines, have not yielded any result regarding compensation or insurance.
20/12/08 ExpressBuzz

A teenager killed in a plane crash in New South Wales yesterday had been "hyped up" about learning to fly before taking the controls of the doomed aircraft.
Witnesses said Chandrika Gaur, 18, had jumped excitedly on board the plane with her instructor, who had only just graduated as a flight trainer.
Both women were killed when their light plane crashed into a house after a mid-air collision with another plane in Sydney's west.
Trainer pilot Joanne Ethell studied at Cessnock-based Hunter Valley Aviation in NSW, from where she graduated earlier this year before joining its sister company Basair Aviation just three months ago.
At the controls of the plane was Ms Gaur, a young Indian national, who had only been in Australia for about four months.
The daughter of an Indian doctor had enjoyed a coffee at the Flyers Cafe at Bankstown Airport before embarking on her lesson.
Cafe owner Eddy Omeissah last night told The Daily Telegraph Ms Gaur was excited about flying after finally securing a training time.
"She was a lovely girl," Mr Omeissah said.
"She came here hyped-up to do some flying".
Ms Ethell's Lismore-based parents were last night too devastated to speak about the loss of their daughter, who was well-known for her love of flying.
Relatives from Queensland were en route to Lismore to comfort them.
19/12/08 The Australian, Australia

Report of the crash from The Age, Australia

Two female pilots were killed when their light plane slammed into the back of a Sydney house after a mid-air collision with a second training-flight plane.
The Basair Aviation College instructor and her student, believed to be aged 21 and 18, were in a Cessna 152 flying over Casula, in Sydney's south-west, when the collision occurred about 11.30am yesterday.
The second plane, a single-engine Liberty carrying an 89-year-old instructor and his 25-year-old male student, immediately sent a mayday before flying 10 kilometres to Bankstown Airport.
Police said it was "a miracle" the Liberty was able to make a safe emergency landing at the airport, where the elderly Sydney Flight Training Centre instructor and his student walked away with minor injuries.
Witnesses described seeing the planes hit. The tail was torn off the Cessna, which then hurtled to the ground, demolishing the rear patio of a newly completed house on Flame Tree Street, Casula.
"I just saw the other (plane) out of nowhere and I thought, 'Geez, they're close,' and he's just run straight into the back of it," a witness, who was among the first on the scene, told Macquarie Radio.
"The back tail section0 has, like, flung around and was still hanging on, but was disconnected, and it's just nosedived, just straight down into the houses. It was horrific, it was like watching a movie."
The man, who had been lopping trees nearby, checked for pulses on the two women but said it was obvious they had not survived.
Bianca and Steven Condina were not home when the plane hit their house. The new mother had chosen that morning for her two-week-old son Aiden's first photo with Santa.
Distraught Basair staff and students were being counselled after the deaths of their colleagues.
Friends took flowers to the airport and the crash site.

Premier Helicopters LLC and ArcOne Charters India have launched a cadet pilot program fro helicopter pilots in India.
As a precursor to the launch of its Indian operations in 2009, Premier Helicopters LLC USA has decided to launch a cadet pilot program to train dedicated and talented Indian candidates as helicopter pilots. After finishing this self sponsored program, the cadets will be given options to join Premier Helicopters in its operations in India or abroad based on certain conditions.
The program is restricted to 40 cadets only and is based on a selection exam conducted in New Delhi on the 21st of December 2008.The flight training will be in the company hanger in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
The requirements for the program are that the candidate (male or female) has to have cleared his/her 12th board examinations with physics and mathematics and should be above 18 years of age and medically fit as per DGCA requirements.
For further details and to register please call 09250 317676,09250 307676 or email
us at siddharth.reddy@premierheli.com.
16/12/08 PRESS RELEASE/Premier Helicopters

Mumbai: Gurgaon-based no-frill carrier SpiceJet has decided to hire nearly a dozen pilots including foreign commanders, in a fortnight. SpiceJet CEO Sanjay Aggarwal confirmed the development.
He told ET: “We will hire around one dozen more pilots in December including expats,” Mr Aggarwal said. “We have seen expats are more efficient in some cases compared to Indian pilots. The airline has sent back a few Indian pilots due to unsatisfactory results. Local pilots are our first priority, but foreign hands are also welcome in our family,” he added.
It is learnt that SpiceJet will pay foreign pilots Rs 7 lakh per month, including accommodation allowance, double of what it offers its Indian pilots. SpiceJet employs 65-70 expat pilots.
SpiceJet needs more pilots as it is increasing capacity. It plans to increase flights by another 20% over the next two months. It plans to double the frequency in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai routes.
The daily flights will go up to 120 from the existing 98 in 20 cities by the end of this fiscal. The company has also retracted from its earlier decision of returning three aircraft.
SpiceJet’s market share increased from 9.5% in October to 10.8% in November, while its load factor jumped 4% to around 65%. The low-cost airline’s market share swelled from 12.8% in October to 14.7% in November.
Industry experts said SpiceJet has managed to resolve its problems related to cash after the US-based investor WL Ross injected Rs 360 crore into it.
15/12/08 Mithun Roy/Economic Times

National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) Law University has announced its decision to launch a Master’s programme in insurance risk management and capital markets.
Students working as ground staff, aircraft engineers, lawyers, will be the primary beneficiaries. "Though any graduate can apply for the course, preference will by given to those associated with the aviation industry. The classes will be held at the NALSAR campus during weekends. Content will also be available online," stated Singh.
NALSAR will offer the diploma course in two semesters with four papers each. Students will also be expected to submit field project work. The fee for the entire couse is Rs 40,000, approximately. Also, more and more people will be interested in different kind of investments,"informed Veer Singh, vice-chancellor, NALSAR.
The university will offer this two-year residential programme in collaboration with the Institute of Insurance and Risk Management (IIRM) from the next academic year. The course fee will be approximately Rs 4 lakhs. "...It is in league with this that we are also starting a postgraduate diploma course in aviation law. The one-year programme will be offered in collaboration with the Institute of Applied Aviation Management (IAAM), Calicut," he added.
" ...This particular course will offer knowledge about aviation laws, rules, security management, international cooperation and civil aviation laws set by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)," Singh stated.
15/12/08 Surbhi Bhatia/Times of India

Aviation Academy International (AAI) believes in making quality education available at the fingertips of every professional aviator.
We at AAI, recognize the extremely large gap in the demand for good ATPL ground training, and the lack of the same in the Indian market. AAI in collaboration with
Nordian has entered the field to bring quality DGCA - ATPL distance learning through an e-learning platform.
After careful analysis and study, AAI has, using the Nordian e-learning platform, designed, structured, and created a program to meet the current needs of the DGCA-ATPL(A) syllabus. This web-based e-learning system, along with books, CBT lessons, study guides, and online tests is ideally suited to the "on the move community" of professional Indian aviator. “Study on the move,at one’s own time and pace” as you work is the underlying philosophy. All one needs is a laptop and a broadband internet connection.
Key FeaturesOnline Course – Subjects covered: Air Regulations (optional), Radio Navigation, General Navigation, Flight Planning, Instrumentation, Meteorology &
Indian MeteorologyCourse Material: Five Nordian textbooks, CBT DVD, Air Craft Manual (India) Vol I & II, Aviation Meteorology handbook. Online Study Guide, Self
Assessment, Progress, School and mock DGCA Tests with access for nine months. Students Progress monitored through reports and regular contact/instruction through
Webinars & Video conferencing, Web meeting, chat, bulletin board, internal email and integrated calendaring. Exam Prep: Fourteen day extensive contact program with top class faculty Online Demo and Presentation.
To learn more about the e-learning system and the course in detail, kindly view an online presentation. Alternatively to schedule an online demonstration at a time of your convenience send us an email.
AviationAcademy International (Bangalore) and Aero-navigation Academy International (Philippines) are subsidiaries of Aviation International Holdings LLC (AIH) a US based Delaware Corporation with a focus on bringing quality aviation education internationally. At AAI we aim to teach the science, practice, and business of Aviation.
05/12/08 PRESS RELEASE/Aviation International Holdings, LLC 622 Rte 10 West, Unit 22A, Whippany NJ 07981

Gandhinagar: Her father calls her the puttar' of the family. For, few girls dream of becoming a pilot in Mangrol taluka of Junagadh district.
However, geography was no deterrent for Hetal Sondarva, who did the unthinkable. Today, she has not just charted her own course as a co-pilot with Kingfisher Airlines, but set a precedent for her two brothers.
But, this flight of fancy did run into turbulence for a brief period. Preparing for a career in aviation doesn't come easy on the pocket. And Hetal's father, Arjun Sondarva, assistant manager at New India Assurance Company Ltd, realised this when their loan amount fell short for financing his daughter's lofty aspirations. So much so, that he had to finally sell his house to fulfil the requirement!
This, at a time when he already had a lot of criticism to contend with, for investing so much money to let his daughter follow her dream. "Many friends and relatives would say that I was wasting my money. According to them, my daughter would eventually get married and the huge amount of money would go in vain," he says.
But Arjun's efforts paid off and Hetal became the family's first pilot in 2004. Now, she is married to colleague Shreesh and the couple is settled in Bangalore.
Her younger brother, Alpesh, followed suit. After completing a BE in IT from Nirma University, he's now a co-pilot with SpiceJet. Jay, the baby of the family, is also studying in Florida en route to conquering the skies. The Sondarva family still lives in a rented house, now having shifted to Gandhinagar. Hailing from a small village, Lathodra in Junagadh district, Arjun recollects how he had to work and study simultaneously. His wife, Hiraben, is a primary school teacher in Vavol village near Gandhinagar.
"I've always believed that girls and boys should be treated equally. When Hetal decided she wanted to become a pilot, I encouraged her,'' says the proud papa.
As for Hetal, she says she owes everything to her parents. "For them, I am a third son. When I quit engineering, to become a pilot, they welcomed my decision though few girls opt for this profession," she told TOI from Bangalore. Many girls have high-flying dreams, but are unable to fulfil them because of archaic parental and societal attitudes towards girls, says the pilot who controls A320s and A321s today.
05/12/08 Vijaysinh Parmar/Times of India

Lake County: Lakeport flight school owners Gary Trippeer and Nancy Brier want to help international flight students like Aneesh Mullacheri earn their wings. The 18-year-old from India completed the first critical step to becoming a commercial pilot last week when he earned his private pilot license at the couple's expense.
"I am ready to do anything to continue and get done, but I don't know what to do," Mullacheri said.
After they became familiar with Mullacheri's plight, Solo Flight School in Lakeport is changing its name to Solo Flight Academy International to reflect its new vision. The flight school partnered in November with Santa Rosa Junior College to offer international students a level of pilot training that will satisfy visa requirements.
"This will allow international students to apply to Santa Rosa for the aviation program and stay in the country with an F-1 visa, which is like the Holy Grail of visas, because it is an academically based visa," Trippeer said.
Four of Mullacheri's friends visited the Lakeport school Wednesday, and said they wanted to start before the year is done. They were among the group of approximately 100 international students affected when ASA closed. Since then, they and others wealthier than Mullacheri re-enrolled in other Bay Area flight schools, but Trippeer said the availability of pilot training resources is not keeping up with the demand.
According to Trippeer, the highest demand comes from India and China, but more Asian countries are sending students overseas for pilot training to meet the demands of their growing commercial flight industries. Once Mullacheri gets his commercial license, he said he can earn between $8,000 and $10,000 monthly in India flying an Airbus 320.
Mullacheri's visa expires in February. The American School of Aviation (ASA) in Atwater folded after he had paid $38,000 upfront for commercial pilot training. Mullacheri has to prove financial stability in order to get a new visa. With his money gone, Mullacheri said his chances of being able to come back to America to finish his training are slim and none. Brier said she is working with Congressman Mike Thompson's office to get an extension on the visa.
04/12/08 Tiffany Revelle/Lake County Record-Bee, USA