Introduction- Flying in India
In India, presently as I write there are no schools where students can learn flying helicopters. I love my country, but in every country there are certain backdrops which we need to accept.
For an Indian to be a helicopter pilot, he/she has to go abroad. In case of fixed wing or Airplanes, there are multiple schools out there offering multiple options. This is one of the reasons because of which theres a huge shortage of helicopter pilots in India.
I joined a training school in 2010 to be a helicopter pilot. To tell you the truth, I have got nothing here more than humiliation and hardships. Many of you might say that it made me strong enough to face the hardships ahead in the future. But theres no excuse for the time that has been wasted. We humans love to complain, and well I am going to do that. But through this, you will get a better idea if your going through your training. Here are the reasons why I had to leave India for flying training..
1. Delay in flying
So, this is an obvious reason right!!. I have written before about all the delays i have faced during my days of flying training. There were multiple reasons like strikes, aircraft unserviceability, manpower shortage, weather etc. All these delays not only affects a student financially but its mentally exhausting as well.
Sitting there in that old school and waiting to get up in the air was one of the most discouraging feelings as a student.
2. Unaccountability
Despite of the delay and the financial loss, my issue is nobody is accountable. The only helicopter training organisation in India is under the government. And nobody is there to give answers to my questions. The only thing that happens is, one person blames the other and the students are further troubled. For every question I have ever asked, the only response I have got is humiliation.
3. Humiliation
Though I agree that instructors should maintain discipline and order. But there’s a difference between maintaining discipline and humiliating somebody. You hardly learn through humiliation. Though humiliation is a very sophisticated way to define whats happening there. What I mean to say is, civilian students who come in to learn flying after paying from their pockets do not deserve this treatment.
4. Cost
Many say its cheaper to finish your flying in India. But, I respectfully disagree. Theres a cost which we should take into account. The cost is due to delay. I finished my training in 6 months in the US, but people couldn’t finish their training in 4 years from flying schools in India. This is inspite of having funds and passing all exams on time. The more time it takes, the more you spend in accommodation, food and miscellaneous expenses.
5. Missing out opportunities
The more time you take, the more opportunities you lose. In India, aviation has follows a trend. The job vacancies goes up the graph for a few years and then it suddenly comes down for a few years. The up-time is always lower than the low-time. So its very important to get a job at the right time.
Conclusion
You may think, this is a post only to show the deficiencies of Indian aviation training organisations. It’s not true. I’m just uprising you of the issues I faced while training and so that you do not make my mistakes. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Happy flying!!.
For further clarifications feel free to contact us or email me on sanjithkc@yahoo.com
Further check out www.dgca.nic.in for further information.