When a pilot doesn’t trust his co-pilot

Mumbai: Pilots are worried about their co-pilots and that is worrying the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Would you trust your driver if he had just 10 hours of driving experience?” asks a senior and experienced pilot of a low-cost airline.
The boom in the aviation sector has triggered off a time-bomb waiting to explode. A student-pilot, who was earlier required to fly 250 hours for acquiring a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), is now required to fly only 200 hours.
“After completing 197 hours, the next three hours are spent for the check ride to finally acquire a commercial pilot licence,” says Marc Carvalho, who is CEO of the Baramati-based Academy of Carver Aviation Private Ltd.
Aviation experts are not as worried by the reduction in flying hours as by the decline in the quality and standards of training imparted. “There have been cases where a student has flown for one hour and the authorities at the flying clubs make them log in two hours or more,” says a captain with a major airline.
“When they make the student log in more than what they have flown, they cut fuel cost, wear and tear of the machine. Also, many students move out quickly leading to more students coming in,” says an airline examiner. “As a result the quality being churned out by these schools is very poor.”
29/07/07 R Swaminathan, Swati Chopra & Gautam Sheth/Daily News & Analysis