Chimes Aviation Academy

Mired in debate and dubious claims, pilot training in India was rendered credible with the establishment of Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy. It was launched at a time when national airlines ruled the roost and, hence, training capacity was determined by the limited demand. The scenario underwent a drastic makeover with the boom in the aviation industry that triggered the mushrooming of a variety of flying institutes.

Drawn to the promise of a flourishing career, aspirants flocked in droves to gain entry to these organisations only to be disillusioned with the poor quality of training, shoddy curriculum and inflated claims of profession-oriented licenced courses when all they were taught was merely how to fly. Since the industry was booming and salaries were high, students still enrolled, but world-class training in India was still a far cry.

Comprehensive Training
In response to felt need, in June 2008 Chimes Aviation Academy (CAA) was formally launched at Dhana, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. Following a three-pronged strategy, the company adopted the following policies categorised under Chimes Evaluation Grid:

• Product had to add value and had to be innovative.
• Had to provide opportunity for growth.
• Should have a capable team with strong belief in the product

India’s largest, fully integrated aviation training academy, CAA today flaunts the latest fleet of trainer aircraft, a comprehensive curriculum and renowned faculty comprising aviation specialists with global exposure to deliver comprehensive training for civil pilots in India. CAA, a division of Chimes Aviation Private Ltd (CAPL), is part of the Chimes Group, a multi-venture organisation with international footprint and key interests in aviation, technology, education and business services, among others.

Offering comprehensive training for civil pilots in India, CAA has arranged courses approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, including Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and Private Pilot Licence (PPL), in addition to type rating and licence endorsements. Further, CAA plans to seek Joint Aviation Authorities certifications in 2009 to impart training on multiple global licences and would also be moving up the value chain by offering Advanced Simulator Training. Key factors that make the CAA a preferred choice for those aspiring for CPL are:

Location: Location is critical for a flying school as it determines the quantum of flying possible per day or in other words, the maximum limit to which the installed capacity can be utilised. Locations with proximity to hilly terrain, the sea and in areas affected by unfavourable weather are not suitable. CAA at Dhana enjoys close to 320 days of clear flying weather.

Scale or capacity: A large fleet ensures better delivery on committed time frame as it caters for redundancy or bad weather. A venture on a large scale ensures better sustainability and economy of scale.

New equipment: New aircraft with fewer maintenance demands ensure better utilization rate and new equipment of the latest technology provides enhanced safety.

Focus on Safety & Quality: CAA’s ethical practises, latest equipment, efficient processes and documentation have been acknowledeged by M/s Det Norske Veritas AS (DNV) of Netherlands by according the Academy the latest ISO 9001:2008 International Standard certification. In addition, CAA has recently been appointed as a Cessna Pilot Centre (CPC).

Faculty: Investment in quality infrastructure is supported by a team that operates on the basis of a pre-determined value system. CAA’s focus has been to build a faculty consisting of people with impressive credentials, are ethical, efficient and quality consciousness in their delivery. Several of the ground instructors are considered icons in this field and flying instructors come with many years of civil/defence/training experience across the globe.

CAA’s academy at Dhana was established with an investment of Rs 30 crore and a capacity train up to 100 students to CPL level every year. It commenced operations with brand new aircraft comprising the Cessna-172 Garmin 1000 Glass Cockpit version and have added the multi-engine Piper Seneca-IV. The academy follows a rigorous evaluation and selection process for enrolment in flying training courses.