New Delhi: Nearly a month after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) withdrew its approval for Pipistrel SW121 aircraft for the purpose of training commercial pilots, the future of as many as 40 student trainee pilots at Odisha’s Government Aviation Training Institute (GATI) hangs in the balance.
The institute views this as a "punishment" for exposing "arbitrary and corrupt practices" of the previous Director of Flight Training. Speaking to ETV Bharat on why DGCA has withdrawn its approval, Captain Jati Dhillon, CEO of GATI and a former Naval Commander and Aviator, said: "Competitor aircraft manufacturer distributors see the Pipistrel Virus SW121 eating into their market because of its extremely superior capability and low price of acquisition and operation and Competitor Flying School sees us as a threat to their business which is quite strange because the Indian Pilot Training Industry accounts for only 20-30 per cent of the current requirement."
"I cannot but see this as a punishment for being a whistleblower to the arbitrary and corrupt practices of the previous Director of Flight Training through my complaint to the Honorable Minister of Civil Aviation in October 2023," Dhillon said referring to Captain Anil Gill who was suspended last year due to allegations of corrupt practices.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had suspended Captain Gill over corruption allegations in November 2023. In October 2023, Gill was transferred to the aerosports department after an inquiry was ordered against him following a complaint. A month later, the ministry ordered his suspension.
It was alleged that Gill as Director of the Flying and Training Division at the DGCA had misused his authority to obtain three aircraft as bribes from flying schools. Subsequently, he is said to have leased these aircraft to other flying schools in exchange for more favourable audit outcomes.
This withdrawal of approval for Pipistrel SW121 aircraft by the DGCA comes nearly 18 months after it gave the green light to the trainer aircraft. The impacted students have now moved to the Delhi High Court against the DGCA's February 26 notification. The notification revised the aircraft’s categorisation, which effectively prohibits its use to train commercial pilots.
Captain Dhillon said that DGCA has refused to grant a commercial pilot’s licence to the first three students who completed their training on the Pipistrel aircraft, leaving them in uncertainty.
One of the three students awaiting the licence told ETV Bharat that the DGCA diktat turned his career plans upside down. "This notification hit me and my family like a bolt. I am from a middle class background and my parents had taken a good amount of loan so that I can pursue my passion. When this notification came, my parents broke down, but they haven't given up hope. We all are waiting that DGCA/MoCA will soon alter their decision," the student said.
Another student who too did not wish to be named said: "We have been facing the wrath for the past few weeks. Our future is uncertain and we do not know whether we'll be given the CPL [Commercial Pilot Licence] as we have done our training on this particular aircraft which now has been disapproved. We don't know what will happen. We can only hope that the Ministry will think about the concerned students."
It is pertinent to note that on February 26, DGCA informed GATI that its committee of experts had concluded that the Pipistrel SW121 aircraft was a Light Sport Aeroplane (LSA).
People aware of the matter said that DGCA had not quoted any rules under which they took the action to re-classify the aircraft as LSA from NORMAL category. They quoted a committee of experts whereas the initial certificate was issued by the competent department -- Aircraft Engineering Department (AED) and the Directorate of Airworthiness (DAW) -- in DGCA after following due process.
According to published rules, Light Sport Aircraft are only issued "Special Certificate of Airworthiness" under a Rule 49I of the Indian Aircraft Rules whereas Pipistrel SW121 possesses a "Certificate of Airworthiness" issued under Rule 49E. It is pertinent to mention that this aircraft is used unrestricted for flight training across Europe.
"The irony is that a pilot gets a CPL while flying the Pipistrel SW121 in Europe and then DGCA converts it to Indian CPL, whereas the same aircraft cannot be used in India. This is encouraging students to go abroad for CPL at cheaper rates, effectively putting Indian FTOs at disadvantage", they said.
According to DGCA rules, LSA should weigh more than 450 kg but not exceed 600 kg and its speed should not exceed 45 knots. But, SW121 aircraft has a weight of 600 kg and a maximum speed of 53 knots. Officials from the DGCA declined to comment.
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