The CPL course is offered to aspirants who desire to take up a career as a pilot. The license training is carried out in the Piper Seneca II and Cessna 172 aircrafts. By the time of completion of this course, aspirants will have finished almost 200 hours of flying. Their training is done on basis of the commercial pilot standards of the Directorate General of civil Aviation (DGCA).

A commercial pilot will have many career opportunities jobs which will be available for them with private and public sector firms.

There are many levels to achieve this license. They are:

• Procure the Student Pilot License (SPL): This examination is carried out by flying clubs of all states.
• Get the Private Pilot License (PPL): Once a person gets the SPL, the candidate shall be eligible for flying.

The last step is to get trained for 190 hours. This will enable a person to finally get the Commercial Pilot License (CPL).

Advantages or Benefits of Commercial Pilot License

One will be able to explore the skies with the possession of the CPL. The career scope is huge; aspirants will get a very good remuneration and the field is considered to be glamorous. Besides this an aspirant can look for a very bright career ahead.

A person must get hold of a private pilot license (PPL) as well as an instrument rating (IR) certification prior to their commencement of the CPL training.

Eligibility Criteria for CPL

Applicants will be considered eligible to get the CPL if:

• They have a pass in class 12 with Mathematics and Physics.
• They have passed the medical test for basic health fitness.
• They also need to have good skills in the English language.

Admission Procedure for CPL

The admission form that is procured from any of the academies must be filled in and submitted to the institution concerned. Once the application has been submitted, it will be evaluated and reviewed thoroughly. Applicants who are accepted shall get the preliminary approval letter from the institution within 5 days (working).

Aspirants will have to pay the admission fee and they must also submit all the proper certificates.  In case anyone get gets rejected, the reason for rejection will be provided by the institutions and applicants will get the chance to apply again.

These are the documents that are to be submitted alongside the admission form:

• Attested copies of your academic certificates
• Proof of Address
• Proof of date of birth (SSLC)
• Medical Certificate
• Copies of flight training records (if any)

Medical Certificate

A medical certificate is to be submitted by the applicants to prove that they are eligible to become a pilot. Those who have any health problems must ensure to obtain the medical certification before they go ahead with their training.

How to Pursue?

The first step for a person to acquire the CPL is to get the Student Pilot License. The eligibility needed to join this course is a pass in class 10. Applicants need to be above 16 years while applying for admission. They can next apply for the Private Pilot License. Here the minimum age requirement is 17 years. Students need to pass the written test and also spend time in training themselves in solo and dual flights.

Individuals who are applying for the Commercial Pilot license must be in-between the age of 18-30 years. License will be issued to them on basis of their performance in the written exam and the medical test. Practical training sessions include 190 hours of cross country flying and flying within the country.

The Commercial Helicopter Pilot License can also be got by aspirants as well. They will have to appear for the entrance test in addition to the 60 hours of flying training. Out of this, 15 hours will be solo flying.

Top CPL Colleges in India

These are a few of the top CPL colleges within India:

• Academy of Carver Aviation Pvt. Ltd
• Andhra Pradesh Flying Club
• Assam Flying Club, Guwahati Airport
• CoiCPL tore Flying Club, Civil Aerodrome, CoiCPL tore
• Flying Club, Civil Aerodrome, Indore
• Flytech Aviation Academy
• Government Aviation Training Institute, Civil Aerodrome, Bhubaneshwar
• Government Flying Training School, Jakkur Aerodrome, Bangalore
• Gujarat Flying Club, Civil Aerodrome, Baroda
• Jamshedpur Co-operative Flying Club Ltd. Sonari Aerodrome, Jamshedpur
• Ludhiana Aviation Club, Civil Aerodrome, Ludhiana

CPL course curriculum

The CPL course needs almost 200 – 250 hours of flying. This 18 months course offers aspirants with a thorough study about subjects such as:

• Aerodynamics
• Weight And Balance Control
• Advanced Aircraft Systems
• Aviation Regulation
• Maneuvers
• High Performance Aircraft Training

A CPL licensee can become the Captain of a Single or Multi Engine Aircraft within time. When the issued license is valid globally, one can get jobs with airlines of foreign nations. It is also possible for one to get a job within the Ministry of Civil Aviation in addition to a host of other employment opportunities.

The CPL course comprises of:

• 185 hours on Cessna 172
• 15 Hrs. on Piper Seneca II
• 350 hours ground school – This is according to the program that has an approval from the DGCA

The Professional Pilot Course will enable one to play the role of a Commercial Pilot.  In this program, special stress is given to cross-country flying, terminals airspace and advanced commercial maneuvers.

Ground Subjects

Here aspirants shall be given training for the DGCA Examination in the topics mentioned below.

• Air Regulations
• Air Navigation
• Air Meteorology

Air Meteorology will include

• Airframe and Engines
• Radio Telephony (F.R.T)

Job and Career options for CPL

Once a candidate has accomplished his training, he can commence his job as a trainee pilot. Within time they will be able to rise to the position of first officer or Pilot on base of their seniority. With more experience on this field, they will get promoted to positions such as Commander, Captain and at last, the most prestigious position within the air force, as Senior Commander.

The armed forces take in experienced professionals from the aviation industry. Besides this, the Air India and the Indian Airlines are the two major players in the aviation industry. They provide the majority of the career opportunities for aspirants. Job opportunities are available for applicants with airlines from countries like Australia, the UK and other countries as well.

Personality Attributes

The person attributes that are needed by pilots are mentioned below:

Aspirants need to be:

• Responsible
• Healthy and physically fit
• A calm and composed behavior
• Brave and daring
• The spatial orientation must be high
• Good skills in communication

One other quality all aspirants need to have is Punctuality. Without Punctuality and Responsibility, it will never be possible for one to reach anywhere in this profession.

Challenges

The aviation industry is very much challenging and people who have an adventurous spirit can join this field. The main thing that is to be remembered by all aspirants is to keep their composure calm. They must also have the ability to face any kind of situation calmly. The main reason behind this is that in emergency situations if the pilot panics out, there are no way the passengers and the other crew can remain calm and composed.

Remuneration after CPL

The remuneration of this field will be depended on the grade level of a pilot. It is also depended upon the sector where he is employed. The incentives of this field are quite high and very much lucrative. Pilots as well as their families will get allowances and good facilities. Commercial pilots will be able to make as much as Rs. 40,000/- to Rs. 50,000/- a month on basis of their experience and the airline they are working with.