Date:18/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/08/18/stories/2005081800321000.htm

Back Flight safety

This refers to the article, "Fighter pilots don't fit the bill to land airline jobs," (Business Line, August 16).

The report quotes Deccan Airways Managing Director, Captain G. R. Gopinath, as saying: "What is important is that the pilot should have the required clearances from DGCA and other bodies. Beyond that, whether he has logged 1,500 hours or 8,000 hours is of little relevance."

If the statement is true, it reflects the disregard that our aviation system has for flight safety. You cannot replace experience. As it is, India has the lowest experience level for Captains required to fly high performance airline jets. It is only a third of the experience level required by world standards.

If Captain Gopinath, in his statement, is referring to pilots flying turbo-props in his fleet, it is acceptable. But, if he is referring to the experience level of pilots required to fly jet airliners, it is rather irresponsible. One major difference between an ex-Air Force pilot and a pilot with the same experience level in an airline is that fighter pilots never fly in adverse weather conditions, while an airline pilot is trained to fly in all weather conditions, right from the beginning. That is not to say that ex-Air Force pilots cannot fly in bad weather conditions, it is just that they lack that experience.

Captain A. Ranganathan

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