State-owned Flying Clubs in India

Kundan Mishra
|
12 Feb 23

At the cost of not sounding stereotypical, bikes, cars, tanks and aircraft are generally perceived as boys’ toys in India. Or at least, they were perceived as such until a while ago. We could probably attribute that to the fact that the means or access to such things was not only difficult, but reserved for a select lot. Those with money, and who were, of course, boys!
 
But thanks to the government and the mavericks who popularized these (sports?) for the common public. Did you know that Rajiv Gandhi was a co-pilot with Indian Airlines before joining politics? Media too, has a role to play to popularize these sports. Now, who can forget Tom Cruise as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell flying an F-14A Tomcat off USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in Top Gun? Or R Mahadevan, as Ajay Singh Rathod, a flight lieutenant in the Indian Air Force in Rang De Basanti?
 
Yes, we often derive the Mc Dreamy version of these cool professions and all of a sudden, we all hope to be one or be married to one! But a lot of precision goes into choosing the right candidate and the selection process to become a Pilot is ostensibly tedious. But the good news is that there are a whole lot of ‘licensed’ flying clubs in India today. Anybody wanting to become a Pilot – Commercial Pilot, Private Pilot or Student Pilot will need to go through different stages of qualification before they acquire their Pilot Licenses. 
 
 

The minimum educational qualification to obtain a Pilot’s License are: 

  • Successful completion of Class 10 + 2/ equivalent with 50% marks in Mathematics & Physics. 
  • Should have completed 17 years of age
  • Acquirement of Student Pilot License (SPL)
  • Then train to acquire Private Pilot License (PPL). This includes 60 hours of flying comprising 20 hours of dual flying, 20 hours of solo flying and 5 hours cross country flying. Theoretical examinations have to be passed in subjects like Air Regulation, Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Aircraft and Engines
  • Candidate can then acquire a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) after another 190 hours of flying training, i.e., a consolidated 250 hours of flying training.
  • To obtain a CPL, candidate has to also acquire a flight radio telephone operator’s license (FRTPL) 
 
It should be noted that in order to obtain a CPL, the candidate should have exposure to a range of aircraft and fulfill other conditions like specified hours of solo flying, cross country flying and height flying.
 
Usually, it takes 2 to 3 years to attain the required flying hours and classroom learning. Students can take admission to the PPL course through an entrance test based on subjects like English, General Knowledge, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
 

Here, we list out the State-Owned Flying Institutes in India:

 

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi, Rae Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh (IGRUA)

Andhra Pradesh Aviation Academy, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Amritsar Aviation Club, Amritsar, Punjab

Bihar Flying Institute, Patna, Bihar

Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Gujarat Flying Club, Vadodara, Gujarat  

Government Flying Training Institute, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa

Government Flying Training Institute, Kolkata, West Bengal

Government Flying Training School, Bangalore, Karnataka

Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Karnal, Haryana

Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Hissar, Haryana

Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation, Pinjore, Haryana

Ludhiana Aviation Club, Ludhiana, Punjab

Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Flying Club, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (MPFC)

Madras Flying Club, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Northern India Flying Club, Jallandhar, Punjab

Patiala Aviation Club, Patiala, Punjab

Rajasthan State Flying School, Jaipur, Rajasthan

UP State Flying Training Institute, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Andaman & Nicobar Flying Training Institute, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Assam Flying Club, Guwahati, Assam

Banasthali Vidyapith Gliding and Flying Club, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Aviation Training Academy, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Delhi Flying Club, New Delhi

Kerala Aviation Training Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Nagpur Flying Club, Nagpur, Maharashtra

Jamshedpur Cooperative Flying Club, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

 

So, if you are like a bird and wish to soar through the sky feeling the adrenaline rush through your veins, Pilot Training is definitely the course for you to become a licensed Pilot.