Bipin Shah   Self Employed
The directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) is contemplating on replacing the pen and paper with online testing methods for pilots to curb fraudulent methods of securing pilot licenses. The aviation regulator wants to implement the computerised system of examination as early as possible.

“What we are looking at is an general online exam, but it is very much on the drawing board and we hope it will be implemented soon,” said DGCA E.K. Bharat Bhushan, who spoke to Deccan Chronicle from Aura-ngabad, where an expert committee met on Friday to discuss the subject.

The DGCA is expected to move all its written examinations to online mode, where the computer will generate the exam paper and result sheets can be printed as soon as the aspirant has finished taking the exam. “It will put an end to large scale manipulation of results,” said aviation expert captain A. Ranganathan.

Indian commercial pilots association (ICPA) general secretary captain Rishabh Kapur said it was time the DGCA shifted to online mode of examination. “We have to replicate the examination format used in other countries, where it takes just 30 seconds to get the results,” he added.

He said the examinations should be conducted at regular intervals and not just once in three months, that too, on a date decided by DGCA. “The aspirants sho-uld be provided with the option to take the exam on any day they prefer, as everything will be available in the database and there would be no man-made interferences,” he added.

It maybe recalled that the DGCA had recently cracked down on a few pilots for forging their marksheets to obtain airline transport pilot licenses, which allowed them to command aircrafts. The DGCA probe began following the verification of the license of a commander with a private airline, who’s documents were forged.
Apr 1st 2011 23:32