Are you someone who doesn’t like to stay in one place? Always wanted to dream of traveling around the world? Hence, you don’t like the old desk job where you have to sit in one place and work.
That is why I always dream of making a career where you can travel and earn money at the same time.
So, what if I told you there’s one profession where you may not only travel but also earn money in lakhs every month? It suddenly sounds intriguing, and you’re also reading the correct thing.
All of these benefits come with a job as a pilot, but it doesn’t end there. As a pilot, you will have the opportunity to go to other countries and stay in 4- or 5-star hotels without spending a dime.
All of your expenses during your travels as a pilot are taken by the airlines themselves.
But at the same time, the question will also arise whether a career as a pilot is worth it. Does this career path have a good future in the coming years?
Let us clarify this ambiguity: according to the most recent projections, demand for air travel will rise by an average of 4.3 percent each year over the next 20 years.
If we focus just on India, it is predicted that the aviation sector will increase by roughly 10% over the next decade. From 2015 to 2020, it has expanded by 20.3%. It is the highest aviation industry growth rate recorded in any country.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) predicts that growth will double every five years for the next 15 years.
Aside from that, India will construct 100 new airports throughout the country in the following year to improve airport connectivity. The preceding facts should put your mind at ease about the pilot’s scope.
Despite this many perks and good future scope, in India, many students don’t think about making a career as a pilot or don’t pursue it because of a lack of information.
So, in this article, we will discuss how to become a pilot, eligibility, qualifications, and, most significantly, income. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Types of Pilot:-
So, before we get into the processes and qualifying requirements, let’s have a look at the different sorts of pilots to help you determine which one is right for you.
So, in general, there are two sorts of pilot employment obtainable. The first is a civil aviation pilot, and the second is an air force pilot.
Let us take a closer look at them.
1) Civil Aviation:-
The civil aviation pilot category encompasses all non-military and non-state aviation employment, including private and commercial professions. In simple words, they have no connection with the state or the country’s military.
In civil aviation, there are also more than different categories. These areas mentioned below
- Airline Pilot
- Regional or Commercial Pilot
- Corporate Pilot
- Corporate Pilot
2) Indian air force
The second category of the pilot is joining the Indian Airforce. If you want to become a pilot but at the same time want to sever your country and is willing to go through a hardcore training process, then joining the Indian airforce is a very good option for you.
In the later section of the blog, I will explain more about joining the air force in much detail.
Steps to become a pilot in India:-
1) Meet the Eligibility criteria:-
To become a pilot, you must be a citizen of the nation in which you wish to operate your aircraft.
For example, if you wish to become a pilot in India, you must be an Indian citizen with a legitimate POF to back it up.
2) Qualification:-
The second important thing is to meet the qualification criteria. A person who wants to become a pilot needs to have a 12th pass from a recognized board with physics, chemistry, maths, and English as compulsory subjects.
If you are a science stream student, then you are easily qualified, but if you are an art or commerce student, then it will be quite harder for you as Physics and Chemistry are not present in your syllabus.
But then again, if you are willing to become a pilot, you have to put in the extra effort. For physics and chemistry, you need to give exams through NIOS. You are all qualified to become pilots if you pass these exams.
3) Medical Test:-
After you’ve satisfied the eligibility and qualification requirements, you’ll need to apply for a medical test.
A medical test is a significant step in the process of becoming a pilot. It is crucial because, as a pilot, you will be flying at a higher altitude during that time, and you are responsible for the passengers’ safety.
As a result, you must be medically healthy to avoid altitude sickness while traveling at higher altitudes.
The medical test is conducted in two stages, known as Class 2 and Class 1 medical testing. Let’s go over them one by one.
Class 2 test:-
Class 2 medical is the first medical test that a candidate has to undergo. Class 2 medical licenses are a mandate before anyone applies for a class 1 medical license.
In class 2 medical tests, your eyesight and physical tests happen. In an eyesight checkup, your distance vision, near vision, color vision, and eye function tests happen.
Here is a major doubt that candidates ask whether contact lenses are allowed and whether candidates with contact glasses are eligible. The answer to this question is yes.
You are eligible to wear glasses during your medical checkup only during near-vision tests when your contact lenses are removed.
In the physical tests, your hearing capability, lung function, hemoglobin ratio, and urine test happen.
Doctors who have been confirmed and whose names are listed as medical checkup doctors on the DGCA website can do this examination. This list of doctors may be found on the official website or by clicking here.
These medical test fees roughly cost around 5 thousand on average.
Class 1 test:-
Once you have passed the class 2 medical checkup test, you are all eligible to apply for the class 1 medical test.
The examination is more rigorous and difficult to pass than the class 2 test. Blood, urine, BMI (body mass index), ECG, blood pressure, chest X-ray, eye exam, and hearing test are all performed here.
This test also costs around 5000 rupees on average.
4) Apply for computer Number:-
Once you’ve passed your medical exam and received your class 1 and class 2 fit certifications, you’re ready to go on to the next phase, which is obtaining a computer number.
What is the Computer number?
A computer number is a unique number that can be obtained by a pilot aspirant. This number is approved and provided by the CEO (Central Examination Organization).
This number is necessary to take the DGCA Test or any other airline-specific related exam.
How to apply for a computer Number?
To apply for a computer number, you need to visit the official site at https://www.pariksha.dgca.gov.in/
After that, you must go to the flight crew area and register as a new applicant there.
Following that, you must submit and upload the relevant paperwork shown on the website. The documents that must be submitted are listed below.
- Photographs of the applicant’s passport size
- Signature of the applicant
- Proof of identification
- Proof of Address Verification
Send Documents for Verification:-
After you have uploaded all the documents, you will now get an acknowledgment form which you have to take a printout of and fill in with your signature in the required area.
Then, with the acknowledgment form, attach the hard copy of all the documents that you have uploaded and send the document for verification at the verification center through the post, or make it yourself if it’s close by.
A detailed application procedure manual is already present on the official site of DGCA. you can also download it by clicking here
If all of your documents are correct and legitimate, your document verification will be completed, and you will be provided with a computer number. This procedure might take anywhere from 20 to 30 days to complete.
Ways to become a civil aviation pilot:-
From here, there are two ways to become a civil aviation pilot. The first one is
- Applying to aviation colleges through the DGCA Exam.
- Joining the cadet pilot program, which is offered by different airlines,
Each of these paths has its own benefits. Let’s go through them one by one.
Applying to aviation colleges through the DGCA Exam:-
Admission to aviation school happens in two steps: one is applying for the DGCA exam and step two is the interview round. The candidate has to undergo both selection processes to get admission to an aviation college
1) Applying for the DGCA Examination:-
The DGCA is a nationwide entrance test for anyone interested in becoming a pilot and enrolling in aviation schools.
To take the DGCA test, you must first register and apply for the exam, which requires a little cost.
With the help of a computer number obtained by the candidate through the CEO, your registration would happen.
The DGCA test is a multiple-choice exam in which you must score at least 70 points in each subject. The following is a list of the DGCA exam syllabus.
- Meteorology
- Air Navigation
- Air Regulation
- Technical General
If you pass the exam, you will be able to apply for admission to an aviation school.
2) Interview Round:-
If you pass the DGCA Exam, you’ve completed the first step toward admission to an aviation school.
You can submit an application to an aviation school using the DGCA exam scorecard.
If your application is accepted, you will be interviewed by the aviation school. You need to just qualify for this interview to get admission to it.
Don’t miss:-
Top Aviation Colleges in India:-
Here is the list of the top aviation college in India
- Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academi, Raebareli.
- Rajiv Gandhi Academy of Aviation Technology, Kerala.
- National Flying Training Institute, Gondia, Maharashtra.
- Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai.
- Ahmedabad Aviation and Aeronautics Ltd., Ahmedabad.
- Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Indore.
- CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, Gondia, Maharashtra.
- blue diamond aviation, Pune.
- International School of Aviation, New Delhi.
- Indian Aviation Academy, Mumbai
After successfully passing both steps, you are all set to join an aviation school. You need to just pay admission and yearly college fees to start your studies.
Fees of Aviation College of India:-
For a full-course competition, aviation institutions charge roughly 30 lakhs on average, with some costing as little as 25 lakhs and as much as 35 lakhs.
Note:- The aforesaid charge solely applies to college expenses; it does not include fees for total rating point fees.
You will learn both theoretical and practical skills at an aviation school. Theoretical, you will learn subjects like aircraft navigation, aircraft physics, meteorology, etc.
As practical as it sounds, you will obviously learn to fly, but this practical training happens in 3 ways, or we can say 3 licenses. They are as follows:
Once you get admission to aviation college you will get a student pilot degree.
Different types of Pilot License:-
There are three different types of Pilot licenses they are as follows:
1) Student Pilot License:-
As soon you get admission to the college you will obtain your first license i.e Student Pilot license.
It is a learner license that a student gets and the only eligibility person required is to be 16 years and above.
2) Private Pilot license:-
As soon as you complete your 60 hours of flying you get a Private Pilot license. It is the second type of license that pilot students can obtain.
Age criteria for the Private Pilot Licence are that you should be 18 & above.
3) Commercial Pilot License:-
It is the third and last license available to students. It is the most important license among all three licenses. After obtaining this license, you will be able to apply for a pilot position with any airline.
To earn these licenses, you must first complete 210 hours of flight time. In addition, you must be 21 years old or older to meet the age eligibility requirements.
You will be formally certified as a professional pilot once you have obtained your CPL. You may now apply for available job vacancies on several airlines. However, you must first obtain a type training certificate.
Type Rating Point:-
A type rating certificate is a certificate where an airplane pilot is trained to fly certain aircraft beyond the basic licenses that they earn in aviation college.
Type rating points offered by each airline and for getting a job in that airline you need to go into this process.
The total fees that airlines take to train you and certify you are around 18-24 lakhs. The fees are different from airline to airline.
Joint Cadet Pilot Programme:-
The second method of becoming a pilot is to apply for a joint cadet pilot program. This program is offered by different airlines themselves.
The eligibility and qualifying requirements are the same as those stated at the beginning of this blog section.
The only thing that matters most in qualification is that not only should your English aggregate be above 60, but also you should be very fluent in English conversation.
The medical test is also the same where you have to undergo in class 2 and class 1 medical exams
Here the difference only comes from the entrance exam. Different airlines have their own computer-based admission examinations. To take this test, you must first register on their website and check the exam syllabus.
After the qualifying exam, your interview and group discussion process will happen. If you qualify for these steps, you will get admission to this program.
Fees of Joint Cadet Program:-
You need to pay their course fees to start to study. The fees are quite higher. It costs anything between 65 and 75 lakhs of rupees in India.
However, the advantage of this program is that if you are admitted, you will be guaranteed a pilot job as soon as you earn a Commercial pilot license. You don’t have to rush to apply for a job vacancy or type of rating certificate.
Hence, despite the higher fees, you will get a job here, guaranteed, which you won’t get in the previous category.
Salary of a pilot:-
In India, a fresher may expect to earn between 1.5 and 2.5 lakhs per month as a beginning income. After a few years of expertise, the income might reach Rs. 8-9 lakh per month. Your income climbs to 15-17 lakh per month if you have more than 10 years of expertise.
How to become a Pilot in the Indian Air Force?
Those who join the Indian Airforce then should read this section. Here I have provided a step-by-step guide for it.
It’s not simple to join the AirForce as a pilot. Accepting this difficult yet rewarding work takes a high amount of commitment, willpower, and courage.
A pilot in the IAF must go through extensive training, which includes air-to-air combat while flying a fighter jet.
But if you are enthusiastic about serving your country and are willing to go through a hard-core training process, then joining the Indian Air Force is a very good option for you.
To become a pilot after 12th in the IAF, a candidate needs to give an NDA Exam.
Eligibility:-
This is a very basic requirement: you must be an Indian citizen with appropriate evidence of citizenship. For example, a birth certificate, a certificate of residency, an Indian passport, and so on.
Qualification:-
The student should pass 12th grade from a recognized board with physics and maths as compulsory subjects.
NDA Entrance Exam:-
Once you are eligible and you meet the qualification then the next is to apply for the NDA exam. You can apply for the NDA exam on the official site https://nda.nic.in/
The exam is mainly based on maths, physics, and general abilities. The general ability subjects include English, Geography, History, General Knowledge, Physics, Maths, Chemistry, and Current Events.
Medical and Physical Test:-
After being shortlisted for the NDA exam, applicants are invited to medical and physical efficiency testing.
Your height, weight, bodily condition, vision, and other characteristics are evaluated during a medical examination. Candidates who pass this medical exam will be eligible to take the physical efficiency test in the future.
Your physical fitness is examined during the physical efficiency test, and if you pass this round as well, you will be practically qualified for IAF Pilot.
Interview Round:-
In this round, your general interview happens. Apart from that, candidate documents are checked in this phase. As a result, candidates should provide all relevant original papers.
If you qualify for this phase as well, you will be able to work as an Indian Airforce pilot. But first, you must go through the training procedure.
Candidates who complete the rigorous admissions procedure are trained for three years at the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla.
Conclusion:-
Finally, I want to say that a career as a pilot is one of the best and most rewarding fields in the world. Not only do you earn a very nice wage here, but you also get a lot of job satisfaction.
It is one of the professions where competition is less as compared to other professions which provide the same salary. In a pilot’s career, at the start, you get to earn a really good amount.
I’ve attempted to explain everything about a pilot’s job in detail, from eligibility to the processes to become a pilot in both civil aviation and the air force, and I hope I’ve addressed all of your questions about this career.
However, if you have any questions about the pilot, please leave them in the comments section and we will do our best to answer them.
Thanks for your blog, nice to read. Do not stop.