Into clear, open skies

The capacity of airlines and airport infrastructure has been significantly augmented.
Low cost carriers have that strategic edge to change aviation dynamics especially in other places apart from metropolitan cities.
However an upsurge of opportunities might lead to an unmanageable shortage of skilled manpower in aircraft maintenance engineering since there are very few institutes that provide such specialised training courses.
To build a career in AME, one needs to have a 10+2 pass certificate with Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics or an equivalent from any recognised board or university. Unlike four-year engineering courses which require approvals from the All India Council for Technical Education, technical training license courses span over three years and institutes that offer such courses need approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Government of India. DGCA is the Indian regulatory body responsible for aviation safety issues and it coordinates all regulatory functions with International Civil Aviation Organization.
The training period in any DGCA approved training institute is counted as maintenance experience for the purpose of computing total aeronautical experiences. These training courses are primarily differentiated into mechanical and Avionic streams and broadly come under two categories. The mechanical stream for aeroplanes and powerplants comprises of light aircrafts, heavy aircrafts, piston engines and jet engines.
The mechanical stream for helicopters and powerplants comprises of rotary wing aircrafts, piston engines and jet engines. The Avionics stream comprises of electrical systems, instrument systems and radio navigation systems. AME training courses are designed to give students comprehensive knowledge of an aircraft, its systems and good maintenance practices. This will allow students to become skilled and competent aircraft maintenance professionals.
14/06/13 vishwanath singh/The Statesman