INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, MAY 22A massive scam brewing in Nepal's aviation involving the critical area for pilot licensing has been
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Pilot licensing remains one
of the most heavily regulated areas in international aviation, for obvious reasons
Historically, Nepali pilots have earned their wings from foreign shores for decades, mostly from the US,Canada and then later from
countries like South Africa and Philippines
Dearth of reputed flying schools in and around Nepal with attractive placement opportunities has resulted in trainees making a beeline to
the distant destinations.
The international civil aviation organization, with headquarters in Montreal, and the apex body
for benchmarking civil aviation standards has provided the basis of recognition of pilot license across borders
ICAO's technical provisions allow the member states (Nepal is one) that do not have capabilities to issue licenses to convert foreign
licenses to Nepali equivalents for allowing foreign-trained pilots to operate Nepal-registered aircraft
The ICAO defines pilot licence types based on the fineness of flying skills, breadth of knowledge in increasing order, so as to operate
complex aircraft safely for remuneration
While the commercial pilot license allows the bearer to act as a co-pilot for aircraft types operated by Nepali carriers after undergoing
type-specific training, the airline transport pilot licence is needed to assume command of the aircraft.For graduating from the CPL to the
ATPL license, apart from clearing written examinations administered by the aviation regulator, the pilot needs to amass certain flight hours
under different flight conditions spread over years before demonstrating his mastery of flying skills to the regulator's flight examiner
"The flight examiner assesses the applicant's proficiency on satisfactory knowledge, risk management, and adequacy of skills in-flight on
topics approved by the regulator," an ATPL holder from the FAA explained.Nepal's aviation industry size hasn't sufficed to sustain a flying
school for CPL training, as history shows, as it takes a long incubation period to garner the reputation for earning a steady stream of
pilot trainees- domestic and abroad
And, it is only the success of the school products in the industry down the line that will draw students, a classic "chicken and the egg
story," another Nepali pilot trained in the US explained.Why Nepal has been allowing the issuance of ATP license, without ensuring the
presence of requisite underlying components, i.e., in-status flight examiners, examiner's handbook, testing standards, etc
in a robust manner, is any body's guess
This situation would be similar to the scenario of TU offering Ph.D
courses in nuclear engineering without first a nuclear engineering department."Merely citing problems being faced by Nepali pilots' in
obtaining western visa as well as the expensive training and tougher testing environments that result in higher failure rates is a sure
recipe for disasters down the line," a Nepal pilot flying for a reputed foreign carrier added.This home-made remedy for ATPL issuance may be
cheaper for the Nepali airlines and pilots in the short run, but is all but certain to invite scrutiny from foreign entities like the ICAO
and EASA for sure with ignominious results for the country
An official at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, however, said that the aviation regulator has now stopped issuance of ATPL for a month
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com