Future Of Civil Aviation Is Bright: Rama Rao

TRS working president and IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao asserted that the future of civil aviation in the country is bright despite temporary setbacks and that investments in partnerships will hold the industry in good stead.

Inaugurating the 8-bay pilot training facility at the Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC), a premier aviation training establishment offering high-quality training endorsed by DGCA and EASA, Rama Rao said, “This facility is a great opportunity for Hyderabad and will result in a lot of business and training opportunities for the region.”

Top officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and airline partners participated in the function. Three bays of the facility are already occupied by an A320neo, Bombardier Dash-8, and ATR72-600 simulator and with 5 simulators already positioned at the Gurugram facility, the total number of simulators with FSTC as on date is eight.

Rama Rao states that FSTC was one of the preferred training partners for various Indian and International airlines based out of the South East Asia region.

“The control and management of the Gujarat Flying Club in 2018 helped us to mature and reach a stage where we can provide end-to-end high-quality training to the cadets. This includes imparting Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training followed by ab-initio type rating training on A320/B737/ATR 72-600 /Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 in a time-bound and cost-effective manner,” he said.

The Minister, stating that journey started back in 2011 with a dream to establish India as a regional training hub for aviation, said the first two simulators – Airbus A320 and Boeing B737 were inducted in 2012 and that by itself brought in quite a relief to airlines in India as an industry was experiencing a conservative growth at that time.

“Due to our commitment, we were able to secure TRTO qualification from DGCA, and in 2014 we signed a contract with Boeing & MDS to position C-17 simulator at the premise adding value to the country’s defense capabilities,” Rama Rao said. Soon after, in July 2015, the facility achieved another milestone by securing EASA qualification, thereby expanding its footprint globally.

The year 2018 was a landmark year with FSTC laying the foundation stone for an 8 bay Hyderabad facility, securing EASA ATO certification and getting the management rights of the Gujarat Flying Club.

Keeping the commitment to the industry and serve the training needs of pilots based out of the South India region, within a short time, the facility inducted India’s first Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, A320 neo and ATR72-600 simulator at the Hyderabad facility.

In the last 8 years, FSTC has clocked more than 100,000 simulator hours training above 1,100 pilots and the majority of them are successfully soaring high with airlines in India and abroad.

“We focus on procuring both quality devices and personnel to provide topnotch training solutions that are the key to our success. This even reduces the maintenance requirement. The adherence to strict SOPs and culture of self-testing and self-monitoring of the systems ensures that the maintenance activity is preventative rather than reactive,” Rama Rao said.