IA pilot training centre to go hi-tech

By Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI, MARCH 28. After a break of nearly nine years when Indian Airlines had put a virtual freeze on recruitment of pilots, the airline's Hyderabad- based Central Training Establishment (CTE) is back doing brisk business. It is training 19 pilots in the first phase and will take on about 50 more in the second and third phases.

However, it is not as if the Indian Airlines owned CTE was out in the cold during the period pilot recruitment was on hold. The establishment, which was declared a profit centre in 1995, and has four flight simulators, went ahead and took assignments for training personnel of foreign airlines. Trans Asia, Sri Lanka Airlines, Region Air, Air India, Blue Dart, Sahara India and even the Indian Air Force are some of its clients. On the other hand, some private airlines have to send their pilots and crew for training to Malaysia, which is an expensive affair.

Now the establishment has declared plans to go hi- tech with introduction of online computer-based training of pilots and other aviation experts. A pilot's training takes upto a year and costs upto Rs. 20 lakh.

The centre has also sought the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to start an Air University for specialised training of aviation personnel. The Director (Training) of the establishment, Capt. R.K. Dutta, told visiting mediapersons that ICAO experts had already visited the centre once to evaluate its wherewithal and capacity to start a full- fledged university. They are expected to visit the place again next month. ``With the introduction of IT specialised, computer- based training, the centre will become the first institution in South Asia to offer remote access mode training for flight crew. The facilities will combine self-briefing and self-evaluation and ofcourse we will charge for it,'' Capt. Dutta said.

Already 15 per cent of the centre's profits (Rs. 4.2 crores in 1999-2000) come from utilisation of facilities by foreign and private airlines. In 2000-2001, the centre earned a revenue of Rs. 378.80 lakhs and in earlier years more than Rs. 400 lakhs. If there was a slight dip this year it was because airlines such as British Airways, Zambia Airways, Royal Nepal Airlines and Biman Bangladesh have moved away. ``Our first priority is in-house training of staff,'' Capt. Dutta said.

The centre is popular for operations training, refreshers and endorsement training of pilots, flight engineers and the flight crew. Safety and efficiency are the motto. After the hijacking of IC-814 to Kandahar, CTE ran special courses for handling of hijack situations for the entire crew. It helped in decoding the black box of the Boeing 737-200 involved in the Patna air crash. Recently, the centre conducted studies on fuel economy.

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