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Career Guide
Career as Pilot and Cabin Crew
The aviation industry involves all aspects of aviation, including airlines and training centers, vendors, and regulatory authorities. Its purpose and objective are to transport people and goods throughout the world.
India aspires to be the third-largest aviation market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. These predictions have increased the number of low-cost airlines, and the international aviation industry has opened its doors to lucrative salaries in both Indian and international sectors. Owing to a general rise in living standards, new private airlines, falling airfares, and increased demand, air travel is finding more takers.
The aviation industry is huge and requires people with varied skills in its different departments. Therefore, you have several choices for courses in this sector. Pilot training, cabin crew training, and aeronautical engineering are some of the popular courses in aviation. With the industry expanding rapidly, a large and highly skilled workforce will be needed to ensure its steady growth.
Commercial Pilot
Have you ever dreamt of flying to far-away lands, waking up in exotic surroundings, and leading an adventurous life? Being a commercial pilot can fulfill all your dreams and earn you a good salary while you are at it. A globe-trotting career, office at 30,000 feet above the ground, and a challenging life are a few of the perks of being a commercial pilot.
However, do not be misled by the glamour of being a pilot. Apart from being a good career, a pilot needs to be a highly trained and skilled professional, as the job is tough and demanding. A pilot needs to fly various aircraft, including helicopters. Flying may not require much physical effort, but the mental stress of being responsible for a safe flight of an aircraft full of passengers in all kinds of weather is demanding. To this, you can add irregular hours and a day-to-day life that is difficult to plan.
Pilots need to be physically and mentally fit, with good eyesight and color vision. Every year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducts pilot license examinations in several cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Patna, Guwahati, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi, and IGRUA.
Career opportunities:
- Commercial flying has high salaries and a large number of perks and benefits.
- Job opportunities are varied, such as corporate aviation (flying company airplanes), agricultural flying (crop dusting), or flying full-time in the armed forces.
- You can work for any of the domestic and international airlines like Air India, Spice Jet, Lufthansa, Jet Airways, AirAsia, IndiGo, etc.
Who can become a Pilot:
- Candidates whose age is above 18 years.
- 12th class with Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. OR candidates with a diploma in any engineering discipline.
Training Cost:
- India: Rs 15 to 20 lakh.
Licenses to become a Commercial Pilot:
- Student Pilot License (SPL): The first step towards becoming a Commercial Pilot, requiring a 16+ age and 10+2 qualification with Physics, Chemistry, and Maths.
- Private Pilot License (PPL): A basic license required to take up flying as recreation or private sport, requiring a total of 60 hours of flying exercises.
- Commercial Pilot License (CPL): The final step requiring 250 hours of flying and passing DGCA exams.
Top Indian Institutes for Aviation:
- Government Aviation Training Institute, Bhubaneswar
- Coimbatore Flying Club, Coimbatore
- Indian Aviation Academy, Mumbai
- Jamshedpur Co-operative Flying Club Ltd, Jamshedpur
- All India Institute of Aeronautics, Dehradun
- Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy, Secunderabad
- Aviation and Aeronautics, Ahmedabad
- Government Flying Training School, Bangalore
- Indira Gandhi Institute of Aeronautics (IGRUA), Bareilly
- West Bengal Flying Training Institute, Kolkata
Cabin Crew
The staff on an airplane can generally be divided into two groups: the flight crew and the cabin crew. The first group includes those who fly the plane, while the cabin crew work in the passenger area and are referred to as flight attendants, stewards or stewardesses, or air hosts/hostesses.
Airline cabin crew is responsible for the comfort, safety, and welfare of passengers traveling on aircraft during flights.
Working as a flight attendant for a major airline is often perceived as a glamorous and exciting job. However, the duties are mundane and down-to-earth, including:
- Greeting passengers as they board and exit the plane.
- Showing passengers to their seats and providing special attention to certain passengers, such as the elderly or disabled.
- Serving meals and refreshments.
- Checking the condition and provision of emergency equipment and information for passengers.
- Demonstrating emergency equipment and safety procedures.
- Administering first aid.
- Dealing with emergencies.
- Supplying passengers with newspapers, magazines, and in-flight entertainment.
- Selling duty-free commercial goods and pursuing sales targets.
- Producing written flight reports after completing a journey.
The role can be physically and emotionally demanding; there is a high degree of responsibility involved, and cabin crew are expected to deal with all passengers diplomatically, even when feeling the effects of traveling through time zones and spending extended periods of time on their feet.
Many airlines require cabin staff to live within close proximity of a particular airport, since crew members may be called at short notice. Working hours may involve long shifts and unsociable hours, and it may be necessary to work during public holidays.
Qualifications required:
- Graduate degree from a recognized university, or Plus Two/Equivalent with a 3-year diploma in Hotel Management and Catering from a recognized institution.
- Knowledge of the national language and at least one international language (English) is generally essential.
- The applicant should be physically fit with a pleasing personality and clear complexion.
- Age: Below 25 years.
- Height: Minimum height should be 170-180 cms (barefoot).
- Weight: Proportionate to height as per the company standards.
- Status (Marital): Unmarried.
- Vision: Preferably normal eyesight without glasses; or minimum uncorrected vision (distant) should be 6/24 in each eye.
- Visible tattoos and piercings are strongly discouraged, and staff is required to look smart, often involving wearing a uniform.
Air cabin crew members have multiple career options. They can seek job opportunities in public sector airlines, like Air India. However, most cabin crew members prefer private airlines operating on domestic and international routes. Private airlines like Jet Airways, Spice Jet, IndiGo Airlines are some favored firms for cabin crews. With experience, they can become supervisors and oversee the work of junior cabin crew members. Most airlines allow crew members to opt for other jobs within the airline, depending on their suitability for the positions available. Some airlines allocate routine administrative and other ground duties to senior flight staff members.