Best Pilots Story

Monday, September 20, 2010

Index

$100 Hamburger

Aerial Photography

AeroShell Aerobatic Team

Airshows

AirVenture

AOPA

ASF Seminars

Aviation Adventures

Aviation Advocacy

Aviation Gifts

Aviation Movies

Aviation on the Web

Aviation Podcasts

Aviation Products

B-17 Flying Fortress

Biennial Flight Review

Boeing 747

Careers in Aviation

Cessna 152

Cessna 172

Cessna 172 SP

Chicago Air and Water Show

Chicago Aviation Meetup Group

Continuing Education

Cross Country Flying

De Havilland Beaver

Diamond Eclipse

Diamond Katana

Diamond Star

Door County

EAA AirVenture

Extra 300

Flight Experiences

Flight Lesson

Flight Planning

Flight School

Flight Simulators

Flight Time

Fly-in

Flying Destinations

G1000

General

Glass Cockpit

Ground School

IFR Training

In the News

iPhone

Jerrie Mock

Kids

Light Sport Aircraft

Light Sport Aircraft (LSA)

Lima Lima Flight Team

Mooney M20F

Mountain Flying

MyFlightBlog in the Press

Non Sequitur

Online Resources

Project Pilot Program

Remos GX

Roger Wilco Wear Aviation T-Shirts

Sport Pilot License

Stearman

T-34

T-6 Texan

Team Oracle

TFR

Turf Runways

Waco Biplane

Sunday, September 19, 2010

We are very much thankfull for all their support all the possible ways they could.

Dear Fellow Pilots,
Thanks a lot for wonderfull feedback we are getting from all of you.

Thanks a lot to Amazon in trusting us and in our writing.

If you'd like to help us tell this story and continue our quest to create our vision of the finished Book " Be an Aviator Not a Pilot" ,  you can do so by contributing to this project. Please use the email id this page. We greatly appreciate your support.

Read more about our production on the "Be an Aviator Not a Pilot" Blog.

The story of flight is a sweeping saga that has exceeded the imaginations of even those  who first dreamed it. And yet it unfolds (as all truly special stories do) in moments, places . . . and people. Always and ever in people.

Just above the heads of most of our brothers, sisters, coworkers, and neighbors there hang gossamer cathedrals of piled cotton below the cobalt dome of a perfect sky. But  fewer than one in 500 will ever experience this through the front window of a flying machine.

A Be an Aviator Not a Pilot Story seeks out the special few who have answered the call of the skies, those with the discipline, aptitude, and courage to become pilots.

Be an Aviator Not a Pilot in hangars and homes, at restaurants and on ramps,
A Pilot's Story tells the story of flight in the words of pilots themselves. What it means to fly an airplane all alone for the first time. What it means to fly an airplane for the last time. The easy rapport one can have with a person who is a complete stranger but for the shared experience of flying.

And the excitement that consumes pilots at the opportunity to share this world of
aviation with non-pilots, airport communities, community leaders, and anyone else  who will listen.

A Pilot's Story is a film for anyone who has sat all alone in an aircraft, firewalled the  throttle, charged down the runway, and rotated. And especially for those who might if given the chance. For most people, the sky is the limit. For a pilot, the sky is home.
We would like to Thanks Captain Azam Khan, Captain Richard [ Dick ], Captain
Ranil Busbus, Captain Claud, Captain Sushil Kumar, Captain Sonia, Captain Raghav, Captain Monica, Captain Ankit Rawat, Captain Nitin, Captain Prashant, Captain Bilal, Captain Nishant, Captain Harries, Captain Hari Om Chaudhary [ Jet Airways ] to share your experience with us. Also we are very much thankfull to Manisha, Rohit, Vishal, Mrunal, Tithi, Andrina, Angel, Akriti for all their support all the possible ways they could.

Guys Please come out of your airplane, Airport, hanger and please do send us
some more feedback to motivate us.

This is the story of the journey home. Be an Aviator Not a Pilot.

Capt. Ankisha Blog
http://captainankishaawasthi.blogspot.com/

Capt. Shekhar Blog
http://www.captainshekhargupta.blogspot.com/

Give your feed back
feedback@beanaviatornotapilot.in

http://beanaviatornotapilot.blogspot.com/

Capt Hari Om Chaudhary

So i cam back from sailing in 2006 and my Bro...Chetan choudhary...he
suggested why don't u try for aviation...well my dad had helped him earlier
for converting his US license...and else also he was very much attached to
me and my dad...
I asked him all the details and procedure ..he also completed his flying
from US in 1996..
wel then i started searching for school...Through Capt.. Surinder singh"s
classes...I met Capt prashant...
I checked few others but this one suited my budget...and time frame...
Now i started arranging for money...most of my savings from merchant navy
was locked in PPF..which u cannot break till some time frame...
only thing that we had was some 4.5lacs as fixed deposit...due to some good
will with the bank..we could get 7.5lacs..from the bank on that
FD...remaining i tried here and there ..but to no avail...it was really
getting tough for me..finally i dared to ask some of my relatives..and to my
surprise...some of them helped a lot...i owe all to them...

Finally i came to US with ...not even 500dollars with me..can u believe..all
7.5 had gone to the school...
I went to my sis's place first and she could manage to give me 1000
dollars...

when i came to texas...in camden...all the money was paid initially by DJ
..thanks to him...which i gave him back later...But if he wud not have been
there...it wud have been very difficult...i only had some 700-800 dollars
with me...

Anyways ...thanks to god ..flying started well..and all was looking
good...till i started feeling air sick...prashant ..told me if ur not able
to control this..u might have to go back...he suggested me a anti nausea
wrist band...which i bought at 100dollars...it worked well and
Thanks to god..i finished PPL well in time...
the hour building was gr8..I had started connecting with flying...i felt
gr8...
The max that i have flown in a day ...is some 11 hrs..don't quote this....

But nearing completion ...it was getting crazy again...as there was no multi
pilot....u know the stuff...and eventually who had come before me...their
training started and i was stopped...I was under immense pressure..as i had
only one chance to reach back and finish my papers...or else my hours wud
start expiring...
in the meantime...money was a big big problem...though i did not say this to
my mom...but she arranged to send me some money...by putting whatever
jewellery she had...

Anyways all finished and i was on my way back..god's grace again...was able
to do my Class 1 medical and exams right away/...

the wait for results was too too long and i used to get dreams...what if i
fail....anyways again by god's grace i passed...now getting the license was
very very crazy...u knw the DGCA guys...it was just tooo....tough ..i will
send u an extract of that..as i wrote it don when i was in DGCA...

But ,i wud say god has been really very kind on me...all u guys are much
better and gr8 in all aspects...I was very lucky to get a call for jet
written in 20days after my license..and a week after i had cleared all my
tests...it was an awesome feeling...

then for medical..i mean Jet medical...It was a hiccup agn..yhey found some
high bilirubin in my blood..which is called GILBERT'S SYNDROME..it was again
a stressful week...I was like ...bas aab sab theek kar do...but finally all
well...and started our strenuous endorsement training...it was all gr8 and
good after that...

come mar,2008 we finished our dgca exams and ..now again we waited for 6
months for our SIM slot...my partner was Deepak kalia and one more capt..we
used to sit more than 6 hrs in sim alone...it was a bit stressful...
during these times when i was in delhi ..I met my wud be wife....and i swear
..she has been immensely lucky for me...everything has been falling in
slot...and everything looks and feels gr8...all has been working out well
now,....
thanks to god...

When we were shifted to hyderabad..that time we were feeling ..NO...but all
has been gr8 since...it is really nice out here...
flying has been going gr8...i have started for my ATPL...and all is gr8
now...

flying is so so nice...I never feel tired of flying...I am telling u..it
does not feel like work...privileged to work were u enjoy...

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Only 1 out of 1000 pilots becomes an airline pilot. But this book is about the remaining 999 pilots!

Fact: Only 1 out of 1000 pilots becomes an airline pilot. But
this book is about the remaining 999 pilots!

Captain Imran Khan

I boarded my first ever international flight, all alone,
from Bangalore to Colombo Airlanka [Now Srilankan]
Flt # UL 342 with the aim of being a Pilot. Though I was a
frequent flyer with dad & mom, especially across the country,
this was my first ever flight alone – across international borders.
Wearing a blue t shirt teamed with my black jeans and my
favourite pair of Nike, my nervousness and enthusiasm
gripped the better of me and as I walked towards the airplane,
and the thought of being a future airline pilot soon engulfed
me.

My admission letter from Asian School of Aviation
(one of Asia’s reputed flight school) was securely placed in
my cabin bag, just in case the authorities wanted to check.
When we landed safely on Colombo International Airport’s
Runway 27 and I felt a step closer to my dreams.

Colombo Airport

As I collected my luggage I was happy to see my flight school representative holding
up a placard with my name to welcome me. Relief!
The next thing I did was to hop in to the school’s van and we drove down all the way
to the South of the city to Mt. Lavinia.
I was thrilled by the beauty of the place. Mt. Lavinia is typically a tourist place with
more foreigners than locals.

Flight School

At the flight school I was greeted by Captain Ravi Silva, our Chief Flight Instructor
[ CFI ] and the owner of the flight school. He is also a holder of an ATPL from
Europe and is type rated on Boeing 747 from USA.

When my ground classes commenced for my Student Pilot License (SPL) course I
met fellow students from different parts of the world. We were lucky to have Capt.
Namal as our ground instructor – a fantastic young man with in depth insight to
the aviation world.

When my I started my flying lessons for Private Pilot License [ PPL ] under my
instructor Capt. Sanjiva, I was amazed by his flying skills and knowledge that
he imparted on ground and in air.

Aircrafts, hangers, fuel, tower, flight planning were now a part of my life and the
high risk of flying a plane became my second nature.

On my second solo cross country flight I planned my flight to Merode Castle, about
four miles from the town of Gale on the Gale Harber Roer River.
The castle is said to have been built in the Middle Ages. It is surrounded by a moat,
and had several staircases leading up the circular towers to the ramparts, which the
archers used to defended the castle. I had flown in the vicinity a few times earlier
with my instructor but flying solo has its own thrill.

Time was closing in for my PPL exam and I was feeling more confident with each
flight. A Private Pilot License would certify me to fly as the Pilot In Command.

The study involved a whole lot of aerodynamics, aeronautical decision making,
preflight/ post flight techniques and procedures, weather conditions, performance
of airplane, aircraft systems, instruments, basic maneuvers, emergency operations,
night operations and a whole lot of interesting theoretical knowledge as well as
practical training.

And soon, after undergoing the written exam, the oral test and the flight test I found
myself holding my first license to fly – my PPL!!!
What followed soon after was a line-up of parties and sorties and the thrill of flying
around at odd hours (as per schedule of course!) and lots of celebrations around.
The sky soon became my second home. Given the fact that I was up there for most
part of the day!

But this was just the beginning towards obtaining the Commercial Pilot License.
And the day I cleared the Commercial Flight Test, my joy knew no bounds.

Back home, it was a celebration of sorts when I returned as a certified Commercial
Pilot. Friends and family welcomed me with open arms and lots of cheer.

I was soon looked up to by everyone, especially my family. My opinion was valued,
though I was just a young lad of 20. I definitely had earned the respect of all.

I started helping dad with his business but kept my flying current in order to
keep my license valid. I enrolled with the Bangalore Flying Club [ BFC ]
to keep myself updated and current with the flying. This gave me a good opportunity
to fly the Cessna around for short business trips too.

But joining the airlines was still a distant dream. There were not many vacancies.

In 2001 when the boom began I was selected by ModiLuft to fly the Airbus 320.
The sim training was to be done in Tulus, France. But unfortunately I could not
clear the sim training and got back home disappointed. Thankfully I had my dad’s
business to look after.

In 2006, when Paramount Airways launched in India they were operating the ERJ’s.
I got myself the type rating of the ERJ in a few months and sent my log book and
license for certification from the DGCA. But instead of endorsing the ERJ they,
by mistake, endorsed me for the CRJ!

What followed was almost seven weeks of grief to get the thing corrected.

After undergoing all the trouble when I approached the airlines (Paramount) I was told
that due to the shortage of aircrafts we were “on standby” (hold) and they assured us
that soon we would hear from them regarding the joining. It’s been a couple of years
and there is still no news. Last I heard was that the airline was on ventilator.

So the only flying is do now is on the Cessna 172 of BFC [ Yes thanks to Aero Club of India
BFC has a new Brand SkyHawk C `172 now ] with the engineers and managers of my company!
or may be with my house maker and my 7 yrs old kid on holidays.

Be an Aviator Not a Pilot
by
Shekhar Gupta
Capt Ankisha Awasthi

» Synopsis

Be an Aviator Not a Pilot is a story of Pilots in Aviation who are unable to cope.

This is not a book to teach you how to get into an Aviation School or even how to live like a Pilot. In fact, it describes how one can become a Successfull Aviator not just an Airplane Driver [ So called Pilot ] with very small changes in life.

Also Why abroad trained Pilots are better Aviator and Why FAA, CASA, CAAP, CAA are better civil Aviation Authority then DGCA.

Capt. Ankisha Blog
http://captainankishaawasthi.blogspot.com/

Capt. Shekhar Blog
http://www.captainshekhargupta.blogspot.com/

Give your feed back
feedback@beanaviatornotapilot.in