Fifty and Flying High

Even as the 76-year-old landmark Begumpet airport shut down for commercial operations earlier this year, across the runway there is an institution, which has been so much part of India’s aviation history. However, it is a lesser-known landmark and its function still lesser known to the general public.
It’s the Rajiv Gandhi Central Training Establishment (CTE), resting firmly on terra firma which has enabled many take wings and continues to do so even after half-a-century. Though in its present avatar it recently celebrated its golden jubilee as the National Aviation Company of India’s CTE, it has its genesis as the Link Trainer of the Deccan Airways located in Ronald Ross Institute. After Deccan Airways was nationalised in 1953 giving birth to the Indian Airlines and Air India, it metamorphosed into CTE in 1958.
“The Link Trainer was the forerunner of the simulator,” recalls an old-timer.
Starting with the Avro simulator followed by the Boeing simulator, currently, the CTE has one simulator for the Boeing family and another for the Airbus family.
“We are a unique establishment in this part of the world offering the most comprehensive training in flying and flight engineering apart from aircraft engineers, technicians, commercial officers and cabin crew. Thousands of pilots have been trained here. Now we are planning to get a third simulator in a year’s time,” informed Capt. Ashok Raj, executive director (training and operations). One of the famous names that has been trained here was former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
“Many pilots who have been trained here have joined carriers abroad and they are very highly regarded as they are from the CTE,” asserted Capt AV Limaye, general manager (training), CTE.
“I did my conversion training from Boeing 737-200 to Airbus A-320 in Toulouse. But my batchmates and I felt that we hardly learnt anything there as Airbus doesn’t have facilities for teaching and it’s a self-study method. However, at the CTE we have the old blackboard system with a system instructor and instructors are well-qualified themselves. They are the best and the greatest compared to any institution in the world,” recalled Capt Jayant Bhoopal, a senior pilot and former head of CTE.
“The fact is, until Jet Airways came up with its own simulator in Mumbai, the CTE was the only one for simulator training. But then Jet only has a Boeing simulator while the CTE has both and the training is way ahead of anyone,” clarified another pilot.
Also, being the only one for Airbus, at one point of time pilots wanting conversion training or even for licence renewal – which has to be done every six months – there was a long queue.
Interestingly, even as the aviation industry has slowed down there seems to be full business for the CTE. “All the simulators operate for almost 20-22 hours a day and at any point of time there are 150 trainee pilots and others in the CTE,” pointed out Capt. Raj.
But the biggest and brightest feather in CTE’s cap is it being granted recognition as a Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) a few months ago. Earlier it was the DGCA, which did the type rating. Now, the CTE will do it – albeit overseen by the DGCA. Worldwide it was only the FAA in the US and JAA in Europe which did this.
16/11/08 Satya Naagesh Ayyagary/Times of India