Pilot certification norms to be as tough as in US, UK

With the aviation watchdog proposing tighter checks to plug the loopholes in the Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) issuing process, the certification system in India is due for a major overhaul.
As the new norms come into force over the next few days, the revised framework will mirror the rules in the the US and Europe. In such developed aviation markets, the IT supported certification process involves rigorous tests and strict procedures that attempt to minimise any chance of forgery and false claims.
The need for a revision of the Indian system was felt after it was discovered this year that some pilots with domestic airlines had obtained ATPL licences based on forged documents. This caught the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on the back-foot, as a few of its officials and pilots were arrested after a review of 8,000 licences.
Among the changes proposed, the regulator plans to make verification from the original licensing authority mandatory for pilots looking to convert a foreign licence to a domestic one. Also, all pilots will have to undergo skill tests, with additional tests for flying more advanced aircraft.
“Previously, a pilot had to take just two tests to convert a foreign pilot licence to an Indian one,” Mr E. K. Bharat Bhushan, Director-General, DGCA, recently told Business Line. “But we are looking to put in some safeguards by making changes in the licensing agreement. It will become more rigorous now.”
05/06/11 Debabrata Das/Roudra Vhattacharya/Business Line