Monday, November 10, 2014

Tasting life in the raw at ATTI


My joining the Air Technical Training Institute ATTI was a major change in my life and it presented me with hundreds of chances of tasting life in the raw. It was a world of reality, a world where no one yielded an inch, a world where everyone had to fight and struggle to get a foothold, or at least a toe grip.
Within a few days of my joining ATTI, it dawned on me that the field that I had chosen was one that was riddled with thorns. I would get a certificate from the Institute and for employment, I would have to pass the AME License exams – if I tried hard enough, I could get at least an X-license on Direct Reading (DR) Compass. That would be the easiest, because for other AME Licenses in the A, B, C, and D category, I would have to get experience in working physically on aircraft and on their engines.
That is what ground engineering was all about, it was engineering related to aircraft on the ground and was the certification that had to be given by the engineer before the aircraft could take off. A major responsibility where experience mattered most.
And – it was here that I was stumped because, as per the terms of the Institute, they would arrange for me to join a flying club or a small airline company after completion of my 3-year course to gain six months experience. After that I would be on my own.
Of course, I also had the option to appear for examinations conducted by the Aeronautical Society of India and a pass in that would make me equivalent to a graduate in aeronautical engineering. That was the only bright light at the end of an otherwise dark tunnel for me. (to be continued …)

No comments:

Post a Comment