I flew out of Canada in a hurry, so here's an update on the events surrounding my trip. Back in Canada, I had decided to head back to India for the winter, to prepare for and to write the Indian CPL exams. For the preparation, I was going to attend the ground training at United Aviation Consultants (UAC). UAC is located in Gurgaon (Delhi NCR), is setup by airline professionals, and is one of the premier airline pilot training institutes of India. They are the training partners of SpiceJet, and will provide ground training for SpiceJet cadet pilots. The details of the cadet program and about the institute are available on UAC website http://unitedaviation.in.

A batch of ground school had started on Monday 6th November, and the earliest tickets I could get were on 9th November. I got to Delhi on the 11th, and attended classes starting 13th. I found that the instructors at UAC were very experienced aviators, had an exemplary record, and very effective methods of teaching. The instructors are very approachable, even after class hours. The classes are equipped with modern equipment and offer the best to the students. Although their total fees looked steep, I found that their offerings were worth every rupee spent. The batch of students was mostly youngsters, ages 18 to 25, and me at 29. But compared to the young students I met in Canada, these were more professional, competent, and dedicated. This batch of students would make the best pilots ever.

I attended a week of classes at UAC. Through the week, I understood the difference between the syllabus of the Canadian and Indian examinations. In an over-simplified way, given a ceiling fan, the Canadian syllabus requires one to know

• How to use the switch of the ceiling fan


• The speed of the rotor inside the fan


• The operating voltage and power requirement


• The problems that occur due to voltage fluctuations

The Indian syllabus requires one to know, in addition to the Canadian syllabus,

• What kind of wiring is used


• How the switch works


• What material the blades are made of


• How many screws are used to fix each blade to the rotor


• The problems that can occur if there is 1 less blade

At a point through the week, I had started to feel that the Indian syllabus requires the pilot to be an engineer as well. The instructors did clarify that the pilot doesn't have to be an engineer, but should know how every part of the aircraft functions, so he can make optimal use, make the best decisions, and know every possible evasive action he can take in case of emergencies.

Anyways, I found that I was not making the best use of time by sitting in the classes. I had already studied the Canadian syllabus. The foundation was already laid. In class, I was learning something new less than half the time. A more cost beneficial and efficient way of using my time would be to prepare for the exams by doing self study. In comparison, the other students were finding the going tough, as they were completely new to the subjects, and some of the concepts are truly difficult to assimilate the first time. The next best thing to do was to relieve myself from the classes, buy the recommended books, and do self study. With time running out, I moved as fast as I could, flew home to Bangalore, and in a day, I'm settled down and studying hard.

Cheers
Mayur Poddar