This Gurugram-based institute trains pilots to aim for the sky

Flight Simulation Training Center (FSTC) in Gurugram hopes to be the first private hub for pilot training in the subcontinent

In 2011 two pilots — Captain Sanjay Mandavia and Captain Dilawer Singh Basraon — noticed a growing gap in India’s aviation market. The country had no shortage of commercial pilot licence (CPL) holders poised to join an airline or an air operator, but there was an acute shortage of skilled, type-rated pilots with the certification to operate a particular type of aircraft.

Apart from the simulator-training programme run by Canadian firm CAE Inc in Bangalore, CPL holders had few options to get type-rated in India. The training at CAE was quite expensive as well. So most pilots headed abroad to get the certification.

However, the problem of obtaining an overseas type-rating was that when they came back, the pilots often didn’t get the final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA ) as the body was unconvinced of the quality of training they had received. Sometimes the airlines too were not fully satisfied with the skills of these newbie pilots. In such cases, DGCA mandates further training. 

Mandavia and Basraon felt that setting up a domestic training facility for pilots to get type-rated made sense. First, its credentials could easily be verified by both the DGCA and the airlines. Second, given the rapid growth in India’s aviation market, the demand for skilled, type-rated pilots would only go up. Besides, another captive segment was waiting to be tapped. A large number of pilots from the Indian Air Force come into the commercial sector, and there was a growing need to train them to operate civilian aircraft.

In 2012, the duo took the plunge and set up the Flight Simulation Training Center (FSTC), the country’s first privately held simulator training centre. They acquired two simulators — one for the B737 NG and another for the A320. They took a one-acre plot on the Delhi-Gurugram national highway and 50,000 square foot was built up to house the simulators. 

A year later, another private simulator facility came up in Greater Noida — a tie up between IndiGo and CAE, which now has five A320 simulators. But when it started, FSTC was a trailblazer of sorts.

Today, FSTC has five simulators (a sixth is on its way) at its Gurugram centre. This includes one each for the B787, the ATR 72-500 and the ATR 72-600. Some of the ATRs may be replaced by A320, depending on the market situation and demand. The centre also trains some Navy pilots and a portion of the space is leased to Mahindra Defence to train Air Force pilots in conjunction with Boeing. 

FSTC is now building a second training facility in Hyderabad with eight bays for simulators. A Q400 simulator and a new A320Neo simulator are expected to be installed there soon. 

The Q400 simulator is likely to train pilots from neighbouring countries such as Nepal who would otherwise go to Canada for training. The Hyderabad facility, located near the airport, will be fully functional by the middle of this year, and new simulators will be added to it based on the perceived demand. Currently, 200 pilots are being trained in Gurugram annually. Once the Hyderabad centre is in operation, a total of 350 pilots would be trained at the two centres every year. The total capacity of FSTC will be taken up to 14 aircraft.

FSTC recently put out an advertisement inviting CPL holders to apply for its type-rating training. It received 1300 applications within a month. “This gives you an idea of the extent of the shortage of training facilities,” says Jati Dhillon, a former commander and now a trainer with FSTC. 

A year-long training course at FSTC typically costs between Rs 18 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. Mandavia and Basraon say that their training is cost-effective and hence attractive for pilots from the entire region. 

Until a few years ago, the US, Europe and Middle East were witnessing a glut of pilots and commanders. But the situation is now changing, says Basraon, who expects more Indian pilots to seek opportunities overseas in the future. “Instead of people leaving India to go abroad to train, we want to set up a hub of training here in India which attracts pilots from overseas,” he says. “The Prime Minister says ‘Make in India’ and FSTC says ‘Train in India’,” he adds. 

Part I: Like flying, piloting is also becoming the preserve of the rich

Although the initial equity was brought in by the two founders, the company now has some private equity funding and has been supported by a couple of Indian banks as well. FSTC hopes to go public at some stage to meet its funding requirements.

FSTC has also gone in for backward integration recently. In 2018 it acquired a defunct flying school in Vadodara, which will produce its first batch of CPL holders this year. 

One of the problems of the aviation sector in India is that although the country has 30-odd small flying schools, there are very few quality schools with highly trained instructors. “Finding aircraft is the easy part. The real challenge is finding the right instructors and retaining them,” remarks Basraon. 

Basraon and Mandavia seem to be doing a fine job of that — and of training pilots to claim the skies.

The series is concluded