CFI Feature: Wing Commander (retd) Srikrishna, GMR-APFT

The CFI Feature series profiled the Chief Flying Instructors of four Indian flight schools: IGRUA, NFTI, Chimes Aviation Academy and GMR-APFT, in no particular order. The first two were managed by CAE, NFTI more so because CAE owned 49% of it. The last two were academies with more flexibility, and both offered a stand alone PPL. All of the schools except Chimes had some foreign involvement, and all were mainly Diamond Aircraft operators (DA-40 and DA-42), except Chimes, which flew Cessna 172s and a Piper Seneca IV. GMR-APFT flew diesel engined Diamond DA-40s, and IGRUA was about to become a full aviation university, the first of its kind. NFTI was known for its IndiGo Cadet Pilot Programme.

About the CFI

This week we focused on the CFI of GMR-APFT, who retired from the Indian Air Force as a Wing Commander after more than 24 years of service.

Srikrishna's father worked at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and brought home magazines such as Flight and Interavia. As a boy he was drawn to those glossy pages full of aircraft. After his 10+2 he joined the Air Wing of the NCC, where he was lucky enough to get about 40 glider launches and powered flying on the Pushpak and Aeronca. After school he went to the National Defence Academy and from there into the Indian Air Force.

In the IAF he was a Qualified Flying Instructor on the Kiran jet trainer, Mk I, Mk IA and Mk II. With more than 3,900 instructional hours out of 6,000 total hours, he was Chief Flying Instructor at GMR-APFT in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. GMR-APFT had started operations only in June 2013.

1. What traits must a flight instructor show?

Srikrishna listed patience, punctuality, professionalism, integrity and empathy, among others. An instructor also had to be mature and understanding, with a calm temperament and plenty of patience. His own flying had to be good enough to demonstrate every manoeuvre to the required accuracy.

2. Are there natural, born instructors, or can anyone learn it?

In his view there were neither born instructors nor was it something anyone could pick up. Some pilots had a flair for teaching and could become good instructors if they were put through proper instructor training. But a good pilot did not automatically make a good instructor unless the aptitude was there. The job itself could be taught; a natural flair simply made teaching more pleasant.

3. Your take on General Aviation in India?

Aviation, he said, had always moved in cycles: demand rose, levelled off, fell and rose again. He felt General Aviation in India was ready to take off. The middle class had a fair amount of spare money, and air travel, though costlier than in South East Asia, was affordable and in growing demand. Many companies were buying business aircraft, and people were taking up flying for pleasure. The outlook, he said, was bright.

4. Your opinion on fixed wing flying training in the country?

Fixed wing training in India needed a considerable overhaul. Many institutes offering CPL training had only basic infrastructure and marginal facilities.

5. If you could change one thing in Indian aviation?

Training had to meet world standards. The DGCA needed more pilots in its Flying Training Directorate, and the Airworthiness Directorates needed people who had actually worked on aircraft.

Note: the CFI's views were personal and did not necessarily reflect those of the flight school.