India - Country Requirements

Country Requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have a high school diploma or equivalency.
• Be able to obtain an FAA medical certificate.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Hold a valid passport with at least 6 months before expiration.
• You will need to apply for and receive an M1 visa.
• Must be available to be a full-time student 5 days per week.

Requirements for the Indian DGCA During Training:

The DGCA requires a total of 200 hours within the last 5 Years. This includes:
1) 100 Hrs Solo
2) 50 Solo cross-country
3) 10 Hrs of Instrument time, of which at least 5 hours must be in an aircraft
4) Instruments 40 Hours

The DGCA also requires the following within 6 months (which can be included in the 200-hour course):
1) 15 Hrs as PIC
2) 5 Hrs as PIC by Night, with at least 10 take off & 10 landings
3) A general flying test by Day, with three solo(unassisted) take-offs and landings
4) A general flying test Night, with three solo (unassisted) take-offs and landings
5) A 250 NM cross-country test by Day with one full stop landing at other aerodrome
6) A 120 NM cross-country test by Night (returning to point of departure without landing)
7) One 300NM cross-country with 2 full stop landings
9) A signal reception test report

Note: We recommend that you maintain 2 logbooks. Keep one to record flights and training as per FAA standards. Also, keep one to submit to the DGCA as per their standards. Both should be submitted to Spartan College for verification and certification. You should also collect attested documents/statements of respective flights with regard to the preceding 5 years, 6 months, as well as the respective Day & Night checks and special cross-country flights.

Depending on the airline, they may require additional hours of time building. Generally, Indian airlines require a total minimum of 200 hours. Therefore, our students typically need an additional *60 hours time building if they finish their commercial training within the estimated 140 hours.

*Pilot-In-Command Time Building: 60 Hours

DGCA Pilot Conversion Process:

Once Indian students complete their FAA pilot training, they will need to follow the steps below to receive a “File Number” and a “Computer Number” to officially convert their licenses to DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation). To clarify, the DGCA requires:

• First, candidates are assigned a File Number after passing the DGCA Class II Medical Exam. Fortunately, this can be completed with doctor or medical facility that is authorized by the DGCA. The DGCA File Number pertains to all of your aviation medical information in India and is required in order to schedule the DGCA Class I Medical test.
• Next, the DGCA Computer Number pertains to all of a candidate’s information regarding examinations and licensing throughout their aviation career in India. Once the DGCA has examined and verified a candidate’s educational documents, a DGCA Computer Number will be assigned. For those that underwent standard schooling in India, the Graduation Marks Card from 10th and 12th grade must be submitted to the DGCA. If your education was conducted outside of India, or with an academic board/academic organization that does not originate in India, you are required to apply for an “Equivalence Certificate” from the Association of Indian Universities. Additionally, the Equivalence Certificate may be submitted to the DGCA, in lieu of Graduation Marks Cards from India online.
• Lastly, using their DGCA Computer Number, students can apply for their DGCA Knowledge-Based Conversion Examinations online. Therefore, candidates are advised to study and prepare for these exams from the subject material and exam question banks used by the JAA and EASA. The required exams are as follows:
  • Navigation-Meteorology Composite (Must earn 70% or above)
  • Air Regulations (Must earn 70% or above)
  • Radio-Telephony Restricted (AERONAUTICAL) / RTR(A) (Pass or Fail)

List of Indian Airlines:

• AirAsia India
• Air India and Air India Express
• Alliance Air
• Air Odisha
• Blue Dart Aviation
• Club One Air
• IndiGo
• Pinnacle Air
• Quikjet Airlines
• SpiceJet
• Spirit Air
• Supreme Airlines
• Taj Air
• Titan Aviation
• Ventura AirConnect
• Vistara

Interested in becoming a Spartan International Student?