Guide To ATPL License

Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence is the next License one has to obtain after obtaining CPL. ATPL is a must for a pilot to be in Command of any aircraft weighing more than 5700 kgs. As such to fly in command for any commercial airlines one has to get ATPL.

  The requirement for obtaining ATPL are as follows-

1 Age- Minimum 21 year on the date of application

2 Knowledge- One has to pass written and oral exam in Navigation & Radio Aids. Both these papers are having 90 questions and one has to obtain 63 marks. After one gets minimum of 63 then one has to appear for a viva and obtain a minimum of 7 out of 10 to pass the subject. Viva is conducted by a team comprising of a Designated Examiner’s along with personnel from DGCA. In this viva one is checked for their practical knowledge along with their confidence in tackling the questions.3 attempts are given to individual’s after clearing the written exam. Viva’s are held after written exam results are published. Viva are held in Delhi/ Mumbai/ Kolkata/ Chennai. If an individual is unable to clear the viva in three attempts, then one has to reappear in the written exam. Viva’s are held separately for Navigation & Radio Aids.  Metrology subject also has to be cleared, but this subject is not having any viva. In Meteorology one has to obtain 70/100.

3 Experience-  Total of 1500 flying hours of which 150 hours should have been done in the preceding 12 months. Details of requirements is given in www.dgca.gov.in in the CAR Section 7, Series B.

The validity of the written papers are 5 years. Hence one should try to clear their ATPL papers ASAP after obtaining CPL. 5 years is a good enough time to get 1500 hours and other requirements. The written exam of ATPL is just an extension of the CPL subjects. Hence it is easier to clear the papers if one tries for the same soon after obtaining their CPL. In many cases individual struggle to clear ATPL after getting into any commercial flying since the mind now gets oriented more towards the practical aspects of flying & also trying to get more knowledge of the aircraft one has started to fly.