No more special exams for pilots: DGCA

14 May 2011

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Mumbai: As it goes about setting its house in order, India's civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has scrapped the practice of holding special exams for aspiring pilots and has decreed that all license related examinations shall be cleared only during regular sessions held once every three months.

The new changes have been incorporated into the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) pertaining to Flight Crew Standards.

Earlier, it had to come to light that the daughter of the joint director, DGCA, AK Sharan had cleared three out of the five commercial pilots license (CPL) subjects in special exams, even though she was not eligible to sit for a single special exam session.

Special exams are held in between the regular exam sessions, which are conducted once every three months. A candidate is eligible to sit in for a special exam, only if they fulfill eligibility criteria. For instance, special exams are allowed in case the student has cleared all subjects, except one and cannot afford to wait for a regular exam session as the validity of their flying hours or other exam results are likely to expire by then.

Special exams are not as transparent as regular exams, which are held for over 2,000 candidates across India. Special exams are held for 10-15 candidates at a go and results are conveyed to the candidate only a few days after they exams. Candidates sitting for regular exams may access their results online on the DGCA website.

It has now emerged that as against just 10-15 per cent of the students managing to clear their regular exams, more than 90 per cent of the candidates clear the special exams.

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