In India, pilot training to get a commercial pilot license is extremely tedious and expensive for students.
It costs about rupees twenty-five to forty lakhs to complete pilot training in India. This amount includes the cost of completing training from flying schools. It is quite a large chunk of money for any student belonging to middle-class or upper-middle-class families.
In addtion, families also have to shell out or keep aside an extra five to six lakh rupees to buy training gear and books. If they also have to attend training at an outstation flying school, accommodation and food are also incurred.
For many, shelling out almost fifty lakh rupees is not possible. To subsidize the expenditure, students avail loans to complete their pilot training. They can get low-interest loans if they have scored good marks in their 12th-grade examinations.
However, sometimes, banks do want collaterals to give loans. This may not be possible for the students.
Therefore, they need Pilot training scholarships to pursue their dream of becoming a commercial pilot.
Pilot training scholarships in India are offered to aviation academies and private donors. These scholarships are prestigious and coveted by lakhs of students who want to start their careers in the aviation sector. These highly competitive scholarships are only offered to the best and most qualified candidates.
The pilot training scholarships in India help to subsidize or cover a part of the training cost. Hence, it reduces the students’ financial burden and ensures they only focus on completing their training successfully.
To retain these pilot training scholarships, students have to clear tests and interview rounds and clear all the papers prescribed in DGCA examinations.
Let us look at some of the prestigious pilot training scholarships in India:
All India Pilot Challenge Scholarship for aspiring Pilots
This is a national contest conducted by Delta Flight Schools that offer scholarships for 120 students.
Students clearing their 12th-grade examinations are eligible to apply; they have to appear for a written aptitude test held in seven major cities of India until the end of July. .
The student who tops gets sponsored with a scholarship of Rs 25 lakhs.
The rest of the 120 students are also lauded with other awards and scholarships.
Scholarship by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
Pilot training scholarships in India are available for women candidates who are aspiring to get their CPL.
The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation offers two prestigious scholarships of Rs 3 lakhs each to women candidates.
Scholarship by Ministry of Tribal Affairs
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs offers scholarships and grants of Rs 2 lakhs each to SC/ST students whose yearly family incomes are less than Rs 45000.
SC/ST students trained at their also avail scholarships from their respective state governments.
Scholarship by Indian Airlines
Indian Airlines also offer scholarships of Rs 4 lakhs each to qualified and meritorious candidates.
However, students must have good marks in physics and maths in their grade 12 examinations before applying.
SAM Scholarship For Ground Training
This scholarship is provided by Hercules Aviation Training School in honor of Wing Commander Sunil Agnihotri. It is a platform to provide equal opportunity to deserving students to ace their dream of becoming a pilot.
The scholarship is provided twice a year. Interested applicants have to clear an entrance examination, followed by an interview.
Santosh Babu Memorial Scholarship for Flying Training
This scholarship is provided by Hercules Aviation Training School in the honor of Santosh Babu, who served in the Indian Army.
The scholarship award of Rs 35 lakhs is distributed bi-annually to ten deserving students after clearing the entrance examination and interview round.
This scholarship is non-transferable.
With the help of these scholarships, students interested in becoming commercial pilots can give wings to their dreams. The grants and scholarships reduce the financial burden so that the student does not drop out on their destined career path in civil aviation.
