DGCA’s Uturn on trainer aircraft leaves trainee pilots in the lurch
As many as 40 student pilots of the Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) in Odisha stare at an uncertain future as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has withdrawn its approval for the Pipistrel SW121 aircraft for the purpose of training commercial pilots.
This comes 18 months after the aviation safety regulator gave the green light to the trainer aircraft.
A DGCA official, later suspended over corruption charges, had also been flown to Slovenia to conduct test flights.
Three students, who have paid up to ₹40 lakh, and the flying school have moved the Delhi High Court against the DGCA’s “arbitrary and illegal” notification of February 26.
The notification revised the aircraft’s categorisation, which effectively pro
Aviation regulator has withdrawn its approval for Pipistrel SW121 aircraft for the purpose of training commercial pilots
hibits its use for training commercial pilots. The DGCA also refused to grant a commercial pilot licence to the first three students who completed training on the Pipistrel aircraft.
The petitioners demand clarity on what the new classification will mean for those students who have completed their training on the Pipisteral aircraft and those who are currently under training on it.
On February 26, an official of the Directorate of Flying Training of the DGCA informed GATI that its committee of experts had concluded that the Pipistrel SW121 aircraft was a light sport aircraft (LSA).
Such a classification makes the aircraft unsuitable for training commercial pilots. The DGCA, however, had earlier categorised it as a “normal” aircraft. It had also granted a “Certificate of Airworthiness” for the two Pipistrel aircraft purchased by GATI in 2022. Such a certification is a valid criterion for recognition of flying experience of a student pilot.
On the other hand, an LSA is only granted a “Special Certificate of Airworthiness”, says the petition.
While there are questions being raised in the industry over how a 600kg aircraft was allowed for CPL training in the first place, the DGCA’s Uturn has befuddled many. The DGCA defines LSA as a fixedwing aircraft with maximum certificated take off mass exceeding 450 kg but not exceeding 600 kg “and” stalling speed not exceeding 45 knots.
Industry sources say that the former head of Directorate of Flying and Training, Anil Gill, who is now suspended, also carried out seven hours of flying in Slovenia to approve the aircraft for the purpose of CPL training. They also ask why the regulator granted a flying school a noobjection certificate (NOC) for importing the training aircraft knowing fully well that most of the training was carried out for aspiring commercial pilots, and only a limited training was for private pilots’ licence sought by hobbyists.
“Why was the DGCA sleeping until now. Every flying school logs in daily hours of flying by each trainee on the specific kind of aircraft. How could then CPL training on a Pipistrel aircraft escape their attention for so long. What about audits and surveillance carried out by DGCA,” asked another owner of a flying school.