DGCA set to reform examination for pilot licences

In what comes as relief to aspiring flight commanders, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will reform the examination system for air transport pilot licences (ATPLs). As part of the reform, the aviation regulator has prepared a question bank for tests conducted for ATPLs.

“We have prepared a question bank for the ATPL test conducted by the DGCA and that is being vetted by independent experts. We are also defining the syllabus in terms of the number of books to be prescribed,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.

To become a commander, a co-pilot with the requisite number of flying hours needs to appear for a test to secure an ATPL. The requisite flying hours are decided by airlines, though the aviation regulator has fixed it at 1,500 hours.

The official also said a number of frauds had taken place in the process of securing ATPL licences. “The examination system would be computerised, through which the selection of questions would be random. Also, the verification system should be strengthened to avoid any such problems in the future,” he said.

These changes are part of the recommendations of the 12-member committee formed after the case of fake pilots had come to light. The committee comprises members from the civil aviation ministry, the DGCA, representatives from the Indian Air Force, Air India and National Informatics Centre, and independent aviation analysts.

Currently, though there is a syllabus for the test, it does not limit the number of books on each subject. There is also no question bank, a norm followed globally.

At least 15 people, including five pilots and three DGCA officials, have been arrested as part of the investigation in the fake pilot case that was unearthed in February during an enquiry into a rough landing by a commander of an IndiGo flight.

The DGCA has also introduced a skill test for commercial pilot licence (CPL) holders from abroad. A person needs to have an experience of 250 flying hours to secure a CPL. Currently, CPL holders from abroad are not subject to any tests. Airlines, however, test pilots before inducting them and also train them after their recruitment.

The regulator is also introducing norms to allow type rating of pilots abroad, only if an aircraft is not available in India. A pilot has to go for the type rating process to fly a particular type of aircraft that requires additional training.