NEW DELHI: To ensure enhanced safety for flyers and meet the expected demand for pilots in the future, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to give the green light to an internationally recognised pilot training programme. The process of introducing Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) training with advanced flight simulators is under way. Speaking to this newspaper, the DGCA director general Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said, “MPL, recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, differs from the traditional Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) Training based on single pilot operations.This will focus on the development of pilot competencies required to operate in multi-crew environments right from the start. It will integrate theory and simulator training to ensure that pilots are better prepared for the commercial aviation industry.” The hours spent on the flight simulators would be added to the required flying hours of the pilots, he added.Loss of control in flight is reported as the leading cause of fatal accidents in airlines. “In MPL, entry-level first officers will benefit through a specially-designed programme that imparts lessons on managing and mitigation of airline-specific operations and threats that have been collated over decades,” Kidwai said.There are over 38 simulators presently in India and a good number would be purchased for use in MPL, he added.The booming Indian aviation sector will need over 1,700 new pilots annually. “MPL training will ensure fewer training disruptions that are caused in the traditional method due to bad flying weather and shortage of instructors,” the official said, adding that the new module would also result in a reduced reliance on foreign pilots.By switching to modern simulators, it reduces the exposure of students to the risks of serious and often fatal accidents that happen during the primary flight training phase in the traditional system, he added.Another major benefit is that because of reduced hours spent on the aircraft in MPL training, more cadets would be able to train at Flying Training Organisations, he said.
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