Appearing for CPL exams gets easier
Mumbai: Appearing for the commercial pilot license (CPL) exams in India just got a tad easier, with the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) relaxing the number of flying hours needed to sit for these tests.
Till now, a student had to do 50 hours of flying training before he/she could appear for the written tests. Now, a student can attempt some papers even without doing a single hour of flying.
In a major revision of the exam procedure for CPL aspirants, the DGCA has laid down a fresh set of criteria dealing with eligibility to appear for the written pilot exams. To earn a CPL, a cadet has to undergo 200 hours of flying training and clear four subjects – aviation meteorology, air regulation, technical (general and specific) and air navigation.
ccording to the new rule, a student can start appearing for written tests after completing 100 hours of ground training, covering all subjects and no flying training. “The chief ground instructor shall issue a certificate to this effect and the student will be permitted to appear in (the) aviation meteorology and air regulation papers,” says the DGCA note issued to flying training institutes last week.
After clearing these papers and a minimum of 15 hours of flying training__ which can also include five hours of simulator training – a student can appear for the other papers. The alternative route to appear for written exams is to complete 25 hours of flying training with a maximum of five hours of simulator training and 350 hours of ground training. If a student has completed these, then he/she can directly appear for all four subjects. Those who have a private pilot licence can directly appear for all CPL subjects.
“The decision was taken following a meeting of representatives of flying training institutes in the first week of August. It was felt that the 50-hour flying rule should be toned down so that students need not wait for months together to start giving these ground training exams,” said a DGCA source.
05/10/08 Manju V/Times of India