Flying into the future

SOME of the next generation of Indian commercial pilots are being trained at one of Australia's oldest and most prestigious schools of aviation, Melbourne's Schutt Flying Academy.

Sathya Balaraman, a 21-year-old from Chennai, has the distinction of being one of the first Indians to undertake an intense course of instruction at the well known and highly regarded institute hangared at Melbourne's south suburban Moorabbin Airpot. Sathya's interest in flying began, at the age of six when his parents bought him a toy glider. Over the years his attraction to flying intensified and evolved into a dedicated desire to become a pilot. After completing studies at Krishnaswamy Higher Secondary School, he decided to go to Australia for flight training. His decision was based on word of mouth: a family friend had recommended Australia highly, citing advanced training resources and a friendly and calm setting. Sathya was so convinced of the merits of training in Australia that he obtained an educational visa, a bank loan to cover his tuition and expenses and headed 'Down Under'.

With nearly two years of lectures, exams and practical training at Schutt behind him now, he has since obtained his Australian commercial pilot's licence and is well advanced in course work towards securing his instructor rating. Training for the needed instrument rating has also commenced.

The soft-spoken student is not the only Indian at Schutt looking forward to closing text books and taking to the skies next year. There is another student from Chennai, two from Punjab and one from Karnataka, he noted.

These five are among an estimated 200-300 Indians currently studying aviation and flying in Australia, according to Stan van de Wiel, Managing Director, Schutt Flying Academy.

The academy's chief executive is keen to ensure that more Indian students in the future will receive their flight training at Schutt. "If you look at Australian Government agencies promoting education overseas, they all recommend that India is the place at this stage," he said.

Right now, Schutt's main source of advertising and promotion in India is word of mouth. In the future, though, the company intends to advertise in various regional and local papers in India,to be followed at a later stage with their own seminars. "We already have an offshore screening system in place," he said.

While other countries in Asia are affected by recession, India not only has great potential as a source market for students but also an expanding aviation industry and a need for well qualified air crew, according to Mr. Van de Wiel.

The training provided at Schutt is promoted as being of "European quality in an Australian environment". The emphasis, he noted, is on more one-on-one practical - rather than pure theoretical - training in a small class-size setting utilising certified senior instructors, each with a very high number of flight hours. Eight flying instructors form the core instruction team for the academy's current enrolment of 60 students.

In addition to the five from India, there is a student from Hong Kong and another from Korea. Van de Wiel anticipates that the introduction of two scholarships this year will be of interest to Indian students as well as those in Australia. While there will be age and educational requirements, a major factor in selecting the pair of scholarship recipients will be their aptitude to flying, he said.

Such an aptitude coupled with a steadfast devotion to enter professional aviation has helped Sathya Balaraman succeed in his challenging endeavour.

But the young pilot will not be able to step out of Australia straight into a job in India when he graduates. A theory exam awaits in India followed by the formalities involved with converting his Australian pilot's licence into an Indian pilot's licence and another flight test.

Only after all this is completed, and only then, can he apply for a job with the carrier of his choice, Air-India. Further training, including hands-on experience behind a Boeing 747 simulator in Mumbai, will be required before he flies with the national carrier.

At the earliest, it could be two years before Sathya gets his wings denoting a first officer. This is a stepping stone which he devoutly intends will lead to the position of co-pilot and eventually an Air-India captain.

On the day that happens, a long and cherished dream will come true for an enthusiastic Indian who will always have sky-high ambitions.

Text and pictures by

THOMAS E. KING

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