11 come out with flying colours

Mumbai: Sahil Bhatt’s happiness knows no bounds. He has recently got a licence to co-pilot a flight. And Bhatt is the youngest person in the country to have it — he is 12.
Bhatt and 10 others got to live the life of a co-pilot, for some days though, all thanks to their school Ryan International Group of Institutions (RIGI).
As part of an Aviation and Leadership camp, 11 students and two instructors of RIGI had the opportunity to train as a co-pilot and hold the Airtime Canada Co-Pilots licence.
Sriram Natraj, 14, from Ryan International, Sanpada, showed his licence and said, “I don’t know how to drive a car and am not even eligible for a driving licence. But I have a co-pilot’s licence.
The organisation development head of RIGI, Francis Joseph, said,“The intention was to give our students a hands on experience. Just going to a counsellor will not help students make up their mind. This way, they know what they are getting into.”
The 11 students spent two weeks in Canada and were taught the language pilots use, controlling the plane, and leadership skills. “I did around 20 minutes of flying in the week.
A senior pilot from Jet Airways, however, said, “The students hold the licence to co-pilot a non commercial, one-passenger plane. To hold a legitimate commercial licence, one has to go through rigorous training. You have to have 200 hours of flying and clear two written exams.”
13/06/08 Priya Ramakrishnan/Daily News & Analysis