Wednesday, August 17, 2011

INDIA: Strict license norms to crack whip on ‘fake’ pilots. The procedure to obtain a pilot’s license will get tougher.

A government committee has recommended among other things biometrics to prevent impersonation, an entry test for aspirants to weed out non-serious candidates and online monitoring of training of all flying schools in India.

The panel, comprising eminent aviation professionals and the DGCA, was set up after the shocking ‘fake’ pilot scam where it emerged that some untrained or inadequately trained pilots were putting passengers’ lives at risk.

Not only has the panel suggested sweeping changes in the way pilot licensing examinations are conducted in India by aviation regulator DGCA, it has made it mandatory for the entire licensing process to be online.

Now, there are manual examinations at various stages.

So for the first time, the Airline Transport Pilot Licence examination, for pilots who want to become commanders, held in July was entirely online.

In a further attempt to prevent impersonation, the DGCA has made it mandatory for all licence aspirants to come with their Aadhar UID numbers from January next year.

For pilots who train abroad and want their licences converted in India, the DGCA has begun to conduct extensive verification checks - asking the foreign authority concerned on the applicant’s veracity.

Many pilots were found to have fudged flying hours at training schools abroad.

Once the veracity is established, the aspirant also has to undergo a mandatory skill test — proving that his flying experience is not merely on paper — in India. DGCA chief EK Bharatbhushan told DNA, “If the pilot does not meet the recency requirement at the time of submission of application for conversion, he would be required to comply with the recency requirement in India.”

Recency means the aspirant should have flown the particular aircraft (for which he has licence from abroad) at least six months before submission of conversion application.

“These are welcome suggestions but a lot remains to be done. First, results should be instantaneous for all pilot exams. The DGCA should either reduce the number of authorised flying schools or should begin a stricter check on these,” said aviation security expert Captain Ranganathan.


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