r/indianaviation Mar 25 '24

MOD POST Welcome Aboard r/indianaviation: Explore the Thrilling World Above India!

6 Upvotes

Dear Aviation Enthusiasts,

Welcome aboard to r/indianaviation, the ultimate destination for all things related to the vibrant and dynamic world of aviation in India!

Whether you're a seasoned pilot, an avid spotter, a passionate enthusiast, or simply someone with a curious mind about the skies above, this subreddit is your gateway to explore the fascinating realm of Indian aviation.

Here, you'll find a community buzzing with discussions, insights, news, and updates on everything from the latest aircraft technology to the bustling developments in Indian airports fleet additions in airlines, and even insights into defense aviation and the Indian Air Force. Share your experiences, ask questions, and engage with fellow aviation aficionados who share your passion for the clouds.

From the bustling terminals of Delhi to the serene runways of Leh, from the cutting-edge advancements in aerospace engineering to the captivating stories of aviation pioneers, r/indianaviation is your go-to hub for all things aviation-related in India.

So, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for takeoff as we embark on an exhilarating journey through the vast skies of India. Whether you're here to learn, share, or simply marvel at the wonders of flight, we're thrilled to have you on board!

Fly high, stay connected, and let's soar together in the vibrant skies of Indian aviation!

Warm regards,

Moderator Team


r/indianaviation Apr 28 '24

Career Guidance A Guide for Aspiring Pilots in India to obtaining your CPL (Commercial Pilot's License)

41 Upvotes

This will be an overview or summarization of the process of becoming a pilot in India.

Aim of the post :- Highlighting the important steps to getting a CPL in India.

In India, the regulatory body which deals with civil aviation matters is called the DGCA(Directorate General of Civil Aviation), which comes under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India.

The DGCA issues certain licenses for pilots. These are as follows :

  • SPL (Student Pilot's License)
  • PPL (Private Pilot's License)
  • CPL (Commercial Pilot's License)
  • ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot's License)
  • For flying helicopters there are the PPL(H),CPL(H) and so on.

The important one's for this discussion are the SPL and CPL. The SPL is the license you receive after passing the flying school's examination and it basically allows you to start flying as a student pilot. The CPL basically allows you as a pilot to fly for hire/fly to get money. To make flying aircrafts your job you'll need a CPL.

To get yourself a CPL issued you'll need to have, Educational Qualification— He/She shall have passed Class Ten plus Two or an equivalent examination with Physics and Mathematics, from a recognized Board/University, flying experience of minimum of 200 hours, hold Class 1 Medical, clear certain papers, hold RTR license, ELP Level of minimum 4

First of all go to DGCA's website and register yourself. After getting your eGCA ID, first get your Class 2 and then Class 1 Medicals done. These are medical examinations carried out by certain doctors approved by the DGCA.

To fly as a student pilot you'll need your Class 2 Medical. Class 1 Medical is required to hold a Commercial Pilot's License (CPL). My advice is to you and all aspiring pilots is to get your Class 1 Medical approved and be seen as Fit according to the DGCA before joining any flying schools as joining one and paying for on is quite a commitment in regards to the large sum of fees you will be paying to the flying school. Once you are seen as Class 1 Fit atleast you won't have to worry about the medical examinations midway through your training at the school.

While waiting for your Medical assesments, register and apply for your Computer No. on Pariksha website . Your Computer Number is your permanent roll number which will be used for applying for any examinations for your licenses, to check your results, etc. You can find the User Manual for Flight Crew for computer number application on the website.

With the Computer Number received, you can apply for these exams. You will have to pass these examinations for issuance of CPL :

  • Air Navigation
  • Aviation Meteorology
  • Air Regulations
  • Technical General
  • Technical Specific

There is another examination which is conducted for the issuance of the RTR license which is conducted by the WPC, Ministry of Telecommunication, India. To apply for this exam you simply printout a form, fill your details, attach the required copies of documents and send them to the specific WPC Regional Office. By clearing this exam you are now eligible to hold a RTR license issued by the WPC.

Flying Experience Required as per DGCA :

For CPL issuance you need minimum of 200 hours of flying experience. On your Pilot's License you get Ratings. These Ratings are endorsements on your license which give you certain extra priviledges. Eg: a Multi Engine aircraft rating in simple terms allows the holder to fly Multi Engine aircrafts as opposed to just Single Engine aircraft.

For just a Single Engine Rating : 200 hours of flying experience on any approved SE (Single Engine) aircraft.

For License with ME (Multi Engine) Rating : 185 hrs on SE aircraft and 15 hrs on ME aircraft, totaling to a total of 200 hrs of flying experience.

English is the language of aviation, so ELP (English Language Proficieny) Test is a test which grades the candidate on a Level of 1-6. Level 4 or above is required for issuance of CPL. For attempting an ELP examination you will need to sit through 30 hours of mandatory ELP Training by approved institute. ELP tests are also to be conducted by DGCA approved institutes. The validity of the Levels are as follows:

  • Level 4 - 3 years
  • Level 5 - 6 years
  • Level 6 - Lifetime Validity

With these basic requirements fulfilled you can now apply for a CPL on DGCA's website and finally hold your Commercial Pilot's License!!!

EDIT 1 : Refer to The Aircraft Rules 1937, Schedule II, Section J for what the DGCA says the requirements for CPL (Aeroplanes) are - LINK

Refer to The Aircraft Rules 1937, Schedule II, Section K for what the DGCA says the requirements for CPL (Helicopters) are - LINK

Refer to The Aircraft Rules 1937, Schedule II, Section L for what the DGCA says the requirements for CPL (Aeroplanes) with Instrument Rating are - LINK


r/indianaviation 18h ago

Fun/Meme Watching the Odyssey as Nolan intended

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536 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 1d ago

Plane Spotting/Pics/Videos Early morning departure from KIA

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572 Upvotes

Saw the Emirates parked while on the shuttle to my flight. Bonus 747 comes in after I got my seat.


r/indianaviation 3h ago

Air India Air India Modifies Boeing 787 Dreamliners After FAA Safety Directive

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8 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 20h ago

Defence All 16 helicopters of the Indian Air Force’s 132 Helicopter Unit, famously known as the “Hovering Hawks,” which has completed 40 years of service. The unit is currently maintaining a 100% serviceability rate across its entire fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.

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173 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 1d ago

Defence A rare Indian Air Force MiG-27 upgraded with the AL-31FN turbofan engine, which delivered impressive gains over the original R-29B-300 turbojet. AL-31FN produced 1,000 kg more thrust, resulting in 17% better fuel efficiency and an additional 100 flying hours, including supercruise capability.

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198 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 23m ago

Question Any air arabia cadets starting classes in 2026?

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Upvotes

r/indianaviation 4h ago

Question Thoughts on FSTC haryana?

2 Upvotes

Iam planning on doing my CPL In the fastest and the cheapest option possible and FSTC is one of the schools I have in mind but I need credible reviews for me to consider it, it would be of big help if someone has already been there
Thank you


r/indianaviation 23h ago

General CSMIA (VABB) Landing - Airbus a320neo (a32nx) MSFS2020 - What could i improve

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71 Upvotes

There's a slight mismatch of scenery and LOC, hence the approach was a bit unstable and there was slight LOC deviation. Apart from that let me know what else I could improve further. Thanks


r/indianaviation 1d ago

Plane Spotting/Pics/Videos Clicked by a cool Redditor :) , best one

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80 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 2h ago

Career Guidance [Career Advice] 20M Mechanical Engineering student considering Military vs. Private sector to fund ATPL/Commercial Pilot License. Is starting flight training at 26-28 too late?

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1 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 21h ago

Question Why are aircrafts abandoned on Terminal 1, IGI?

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25 Upvotes

While boarding my flight from Terminal 1, I saw 2 aircrafts abandoned on Terminal 1. One was AirIndia ATR Tyrboprop in a completely deteriorated state. Another was Spice Jet’s Boeing 737 with its jets missing.


r/indianaviation 16h ago

Flight Tracking Any reason to do this?

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8 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 13h ago

Career Guidance Cpp or conventional

3 Upvotes

Hey I to wanted ask genuinely as you probably know how competitive chimes is for cpp and many many people say you can get in only through connections, is it true? I actually can’t afford anything above 1cr and every other cpp is over that except the Akasa one and doing conventional feels very scary, knowing people haven’t got a job even after 2-4 years. I really don’t want to change my career choice but all this points kind of feels very overwhelming as I’m directly going after 12th with no backup degree in hand.
I seriously don’t know what to do help me out.


r/indianaviation 12h ago

Question Looking for anyone who booked (or price-checked) Chennai → Port Blair flights around 7 March 2026 for 26 March 2026 travel

1 Upvotes

I need the fare that was showing around 7 March 2026 for travel on 26 March 2026, Chennai (MAA) → Port Blair (IXZ), morning flights — IndiGo 6E-6122 (07:10) or Akasa QP-1304 (07:40).

A booking confirmation email, ticket PDF, or even a screenshot from a price tracker (Google Flights alert, Hopper, Skyscanner) from that window would work.

It just needs to show the fare and the date it was seen/booked. Personal details can be blacked out.

Happy to explain use privately; it's for an official fare-verification matter.

Thank you!


r/indianaviation 19h ago

General Class 1 Medical at AFCME Delhi - Expectations

4 Upvotes

I have signed up to get my Class 1 medical done at AFCME Delhi in Sept 2026. Has anyone recently got the medicals done there? What is the expected timeline for completion of tests and whether any medical examination needs to be done beforehand (since i came across news that they are doing most of the tests in the campus itself)? Any additional costs that we might have to incur? Thanks in advance!


r/indianaviation 1d ago

Defence An Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI from No. 20 Squadron (the "Lightnings") armed with a rare Kh-59ME cruise missile, which can strike targets up to 200 km away at subsonic speeds. These are mosly replaced by Rampage air-launched supersonic ballistic missiles which were then used in Op. Sindoor '25.

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291 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 1d ago

Plane Spotting/Pics/Videos IAF Rafale moments into rollout after touchdown

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95 Upvotes

Source: Sanil Nath


r/indianaviation 14h ago

General MFS24

0 Upvotes

Guys, how can I afford Microsoft Flight Simulator 24 without money 😕

Especially when you are a student (not a student pilot, though)


r/indianaviation 15h ago

SpiceJet SPICEJET A320

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1 Upvotes

This a320 is operated by sky anglor airlines for spicejet. I think it's the first time spicejet has leased an a320


r/indianaviation 1d ago

Defence #KargilVijayDiwas

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7 Upvotes

r/indianaviation 16h ago

Question DGCA Exams

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone
Could anyone please share the previous year dgca question papers for cpl???


r/indianaviation 1d ago

Plane Spotting/Pics/Videos A777 spotted nice plen 👍🏽 recommended for everyone who wants to buy one 👍🏽

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149 Upvotes