Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) located at Dhana airport, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh is India’s premier & largest private sector pilot training academy.
Set up in 2008, to train students to become successful commercial pilots, CAA offers DGCA approved Commercial Pilot License (CPL) & Private Pilot License (PPL) fully integrated pilot training courses, supported with a fleet of Single and Multi engine aircraft. An ISO 9001:2015 certified pilot training institute with over 52,000 hours of flying training experience, it offers a large fleet of modern glass cockpit training aircraft.
CAA has one the youngest fleet of aircraft in India and Asia. The aircrafts include Single Engine Cessna 172R & Multi Engine Diamond DA42 (Both with Garmin 1000 Glass Cockpit) and Multi Engine Piper Seneca IV.
Equipped with two state of the art simulators, IT-enabled classrooms, a well stocked library, in-house aircraft maintenance facilities and comfortable hostels for boys and girls, CAA seems well geared to offer exceptional pilot training in India.
Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) has its own airfield for flying operation with self-managed ATC Tower and enjoys unrestricted local air space. It provides an on-campus complete air- conditioned boarding and lodging hostel with a capacity of 100 students.
Chimes Aviation is successfully educating aspiring pilots to “Train in India” and get employed. This focused effort has enabled their graduates to get jobs in all major airlines including Air India, Spicejet, Indigo, Vistara, Trujet, Air Asia and Goair.
It’s exceptional quality has also been recognised internationally. In 2010, Chimes Aviation Academy was mentioned in the Limca Book of Records for being the largest pilot training institute in India with the capacity to train up to 120 pilots annually. In 2017, Norway’s Pilot Flight Academy (PFA) collaborated with Chimes Aviation to educate India’s future airline pilots. In 2019, budget airline IndiGo partnered with Chimes Aviation Academy to select and train “ab-initio” pilots as future junior first officers under the airline’s flagship training programme – Cadet Pilot Programme.
Website : https://www.caaindia.com/
Established in 2007, CAE Gondia, also known as National Flying Training Institute (NFTI) is a joint venture between CAE and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
CAE Gondia’s pilot training programs provide high quality and focused ‘ab initio’ training to aspiring airline pilots. Their programs combine premier ground school courses with high quality flying instruction delivered in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) standards.
Training resources include a modern training fleet, advanced flight simulation training devices, well-equipped classrooms, extensive online training materials, and a highly experienced and dedicated instructional staff and academy management team.
CAE is well known in the aviation industry for creating simulators. Backed by a 70-year record of industry firsts, they have the broadest global presence in the industry, with more than 9,000 employees, 160 sites and training locations in over 35 countries. Each year, they train more than 220,000 pilots in 50 training centers worldwide that include simulator training locations and pilot training academies.
Website: https://www.cae.com/civil- aviation/locations/cae-gondia-nfti/
Considered by some as one of the most prestigious pilot training institutes in country, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Academy (IGRUA) has the reputation of training some of the best pilots in the country.
Formed in 1985, it is located at Fursatganj District, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. The academy functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Govt. of India (GOI) through its Governing Council (GC). The entrance exam to this institute is considered by some to be be very competitive. Entrance assessments consists of written entrance examination at various centres all over India, pilot aptitude test, followed by an interview by a panel which consists of representatives from Air India, DGCA, a psychologist and IGRUA examiners.
Air India and Indian Airlines have traditionally hired from this institute. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard selected IGRUA for training their pilots due higher quality of training. Some Oil and Gas and Shipping sector industries also hire from here.
With excellent placement record, exceptional instructors and high quality in training, IGRUA has carved itself a niche in pilot training in India.
The academy has residential facilities with hostel availability, a well stocked library, promotes sports, and is close to New Delhi. The aircrafts used for training at this institute are TB-20, Zlin, DA-40 and DA-42.
Website : http://igrua.gov.in/
Established in 1994, Ahmedabad Aviation & Aeronautics (AAA) flying school operates from its own hangars at SV Patel International Airport Ahmedabad and Mehsana airfield. It currently has 4 single engine aircraft and one single / multi-engine flight simulator.
It is also one of the oldest and functional pilot training centers in India with more than 70 years of heritage and has trained over 400 pilots.
The aircrafts used for training at this institute are Multi Engine Piper Seneca – PA-34 3, Cessna 172 S, 2 Cessna 172 R and Cessna 152.
Website : http://www.aaa.co.in/
Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) was set up in 1946 in Bhubaneswar, Orissa to bring about a quantum improvement in the standards of flying and ground training of commercial pilots in the country as Orissa Flying Club. It was merged with the Orissa government Aviation Department in 1974 and Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) came into being. Since then, the institute has trained a large number of commercial pilots.
It has a fleet of six aircrafts that include two Cessna 152 , one Cessna 172 – P, one Cessna 172 – R Glass Cockpit , one Cessna 172 -S and a Piper Seneca V (P.A 34) full Glass Cockpit Multi Engine Aircraft. This institute has a unique advantage of having two airstrip runways at different location for flying operations. The main airstrips are at Bhubaneswar and Birasal.
It conducts most of the training on Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar. GATI has an exclusive institute building with a well equipped library, class rooms and, up-to-date audio visual training aids and other facilities for effective ground training. It is manned by highly qualified flying and ground instructors, with long experience in the field of aviation and flying training. The institute has a well equipped hangar with complete technical setup for maintenance of its aircrafts, ably supported by certified and highly experienced team of engineers.
Website : http://www.flywithgati.com/
Established in the year of 1928, The Bombay Flying Club is the oldest flying club in India. Late J.R.D.Tata was first to obtain the pilots licence in February 1929 from The Bombay Flying Club. Based in Mumbai at the western end of Juhu aerodrome, this club is considered by some as iconic.
The club has a fleet of PIPER PA18, Cessna 152A, Cessna 172, Cessna172R (Glass Cockpit-like Airlines aircraft cockpit)-Single Engine & Seneca (Twin Engine) Aircraft
Website : https://thebombayflyingclub.com/
Some of the other institutes in India that offer Pilot Training
Carver Aviation Academy, Baramati, Maharashtra
Orient Flight School, Pondicherry (Mysore)
Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy
Hyderabad Flytech Aviation Academy, Hyderabad
