CPL Flight Training in India: The Flying Half of the Licence

Ground school and flying school are not the same institution

Flying Star Aviator is a ground-training institute. We teach the DGCA theory subjects and prepare candidates for the examinations. We do not own aircraft and we do not log your hours — that happens at a Flying Training Organisation approved by DGCA.

Saying so matters, because the single most common budgeting mistake is treating a ground-school fee as though it covered flying. It does not, anywhere. The flying hours are almost always the larger cost by a wide margin.

What DGCA requires for the theory papers

Source: DGCA CAR Section 7, Series 'B', Part I (Issue III, Rev 2, 13 February 2019).

Are ground classes compulsory?

No. DGCA does not list ground-school attendance as an eligibility condition for sitting the CPL theory papers. What it requires is the computer number and the 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics.

We say this on a page that sells ground classes because it is true, and because the honest question is not whether classes are mandatory but whether you clear four papers faster with structure or without it. That depends on you, and we have written about it separately rather than answering it for you here.

How the two halves fit together

1. Get a computer number from the Central Examination Organization, DGCA.
2. Complete a Class 2 medical to begin flying training, and a Class 1 medical, which a CPL requires.
3. Begin flying training at a DGCA-approved FTO, working toward the 200-hour minimum.
4. Clear the DGCA theory papers — before, during or after the flying. Each pass is valid five years, so clearing early is usually the cheaper sequencing.
5. Complete RTR(A), the radio telephony licence, which is separate from the DGCA theory papers and is administered by the WPC Wing.
6. Apply for licence issue once flying hours, papers, medical and RTR(A) are all in place.