How is a commercial pilot different from an IAF pilot? What is the difference in training, responsibilities and overall growth trajectory?

That's an interesting question. An airforce pilot is trained by the services to cater their requirements may it be fighters or career or cargo or rescue or choppers etc. In defense services, no license is required to fly an aircraft because they are exempted from it. Whereas in civil aviation a license is a must to fly an aircraft. A commercial pilot learns to fly various routes as per Jepesson Charts across the globe. Responsibilities differ in both the sectors. In defence, you fly for the missions assigned to you by your command. And in civil aviation, you fly to transport passengers or cargo. The transition from defense to commercial aviation is possible if you clear DGCA exams and get your licenses issued through proper channel. CPL holders are also welcomed in ICG and IAF with certain age limitations. Growth in both the sectors are well organised. In services, your needs are taken care by the government and in commercial aviation you are paid well to cater for your own needs. This topic although requires a lot of discussions but as of now, the basics are what I have explained. Any further query is most welcome.

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In defense services, no license is required to fly an aircraft because they are exempted from it. Whereas in civil aviation a license is a must to fly an aircraft. A commercial pilot learns to fly various routes as per Jepesson Charts across the globe. Responsibilities differ in both the sectors. In defence, you fly for the missions assigned to you by your command. And in civil aviation, you fly to transport passengers or cargo. The transition from defense to commercial aviation is possible if you clear DGCA exams and get your licenses issued through proper channel. CPL holders are also welcomed in ICG and IAF with certain age limitations. Growth in both the sectors are well organised. In services, your needs are taken care by the government and in commercial aviation you are paid well to cater for your own needs. All the best.

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Like their names suggest, a Commercial Pilot flies for commercial reasons & an IAF pilot in the defense of the country. A Commercial Pilot has no responsibilities related to security (other than complying with the security regulations) & similarly the IAF pilot would not have any commercial interests in flying his aircraft. Having said that, with the exception of fighter jets & combat helicopters which only the IAF pilots would fly, the types & variants of aircrafts being used in both defense & civil aviation, broadly remain the same. As a consequence of their roles, the responsibilities & training of the defense & commercial pilots differ greatly.

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As the name suggests commercial pilots are involved in civil operations and IAF pilots are engaged in Military operations. An IAF pilot is an officer and an asset to the Indian Government. He should survive in all type adverse and harsh condition. He has to be more physically and mentally active than a commercial pilot. Fighter Pilots have to experience G-forces on regular basis. So an IAF pilot gets trained for all of that, which makes him all total a better person also. On the other hand, Commercial Pilots get's trained to be sophisticated and control a totally different type of flying machines. Responsibility wise both the pilots are same. The overall growth trajectory of both the pilots is different on only the last part of the graph. If anyone gets's inducted in IAF in Short Service Commission(SSC) and join Civil Airlines after his service in IAF without an extension then the trajectory path is same. Otherwise in case if Permanent commission in IAF, rank wise he will grow but salary wise commercial pilot will grow bigger.

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There is a vast difference not only in the Training and Responsibilities of the pilots flying commercially and the pilots from the Indian Air force, but also in the path they have to choose towards achieving their goals. To begin with, to become a commercial pilot and fly for an airline in India in today's age, a candidate has to shell out upwards of Rs. 55 lakh for training. Whereas, an Air Force pilot would be spending almost no money at all. Talking about training, a CPL candidate would only require a 10+2 with maths and physics from a recognized board, whereas an IAF aspirant has to qualify in the National Defence Academy through its entrance exams. Only after completion of three years of rigorous training at the NDA, he/she will be sent for specialized training at an Air Force establishment and later will be commissioned as a Pilot. Also, the fitness levels required by an Air force pilot is far higher than that for a Commercial pilot. A commercial pilot usually trains and flies the aircraft his company operates on fixed routes at fixed rosters. Their flights are either a single long haul or several short haul routes and they follow a strict working hour limitation. On the other hand, an IAF pilot would be flying a wide variety of planes ranging from a huge cargo plane, to smaller transport category aircrafts to fighter jets, depending on the flying branch he is assigned with. He would have no fixed working hours and would have to be available almost 24/7 depending on the nature of their missions. They would usually be positioned at a Base and most of the times would be staying away from family and their leaves are very minimum. It is overall a very stressful job and a huge responsibility to be a Pilot and protect the nation. A Commercial Pilot, apart from one flying for Air India, would have a private job. He can work upto an age of 65 years. He would be offered higher paying jobs from other companies as he grows as a Pilot and gains more experience. The salary of a Commercial pilot can go up to Rs. 15-17 lakh a month, based on his profile. On the other hand, IAF pilots have a government job. The maximum they would earn is a lakh rupees a month while in service. Nevertheless, being in the armed forces is a matter of pride and dignity and he gets to sleep proudly knowing he has the nation's back.

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As the name suggests commercial pilots are involved in civil operations and IAF pilots are engaged in Military operations. An IAF pilot is an officer and an asset to the Indian Government. He should survive in all type adverse and harsh condition. He has to be more physically and mentally active than a commercial pilot. Fighter Pilots have to experience G-forces on regular basis. So an IAF pilot gets trained for all of that, which makes him all total a better person also. On the other hand, Commercial Pilots gets trained to be sophisticated and control a totally different type of flying machines. Responsibility wise both the pilots are same. The overall growth trajectory of both the pilots is different on only the last part of the graph. If anyone gets's inducted in IAF in Short Service Commission (SSC) and join Civil Airlines after his service in IAF without an extension then the trajectory path is same. Otherwise in case if Permanent commission in IAF, rank wise he will grow but salary wise commercial pilot will grow bigger.

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Hello, A very interesting question. IAF pilot and Commercial Pilot.Let us begin with pilot with IAF. Here, the entry is via a very vigorous process at 10+2 level where in out of almost 4-5 lakhs candidates who take the NDA entrance, only handful are selected. Once the training is completed, he /she is put through another tough process. From a simple pilot, progression is to leader of formation, flight commander, squadron commander, base commander and so on. Besides flying, he has to perform many other functions and hence there is overall growth as a person. For a commercial pilot, it's only flying and flying. Of course, he will become commander in due course of time. But, there is hardly any growth as a human in activities other than flying. This is so, since airlines are paying good salary and they want to extract maximum benefit perhaps.To conclude, it can be said that there is a set career progression as well as development as a human being in case of IAF pilot while commercial pilot remains in that role throughout his lifetime.

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Commercial Pilot are poles apart from Fighter Pilots. You can understand this in a way that commercial pilots are like drivers who pick and drop the passengers from one place to another. And in return, you pay the fare charges. But, when it comes to Fighter Pilots, they are warriors who fight against the enemies. Sometimes, they also act as rescue team in the case of natural calamity. Based on their roles and responsibilities, their training is also different from each other. The IAF's Fighter Pilots are trained in extreme conditions. Their subject matter of training is to protect the nation from enemies. Their fitness level, flying hours, flight designing etc. are far different from commercial Pilots. Because, commercial pilots are all trained for passenger’s safety and security. It is very hard to say that which one is best over other. Because, the growth trajectory of both the fields are ascending. It completely depends upon your interest that how you make your career and in which field you want to make your career. Choose your career wisely, with planning

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Indian Air Force (IAF) has three types of Pilots i.e. Fighter pilot or a Helicopter pilot or a Transport pilot to operate various peace and wartime missions. One can join Indian Air Force Flying branch by appearing for NDA after class 12th with Science (PCM) stream or CDS/ AFCAT after Science graduation degree. IAF trains their pilot at it’s cost. Commercial Pilots have to obtain their CPL license and it is very costly. CPL eligibility criteria is as follows: (a) The candidate must pass class XII under the 10+2 system or it is equivalent with a minimum of 50% marks in Mathematics and Physics. (b) Minimum 16 year of age is eligible for a Private Pilot License and 17 years for a Commercial Pilot License. (c) Vision in one eye must be perfect. In general medical terminology, it is called 6/6 eyesight. In the other eye, you could have an imperfection of 6/9, which must be correctable to 6/6. (d) General physical fitness as approved by DGCA is mandatory. Basic flying skills requires to be a Pilot in IAF and CPL are similar, but Pilots in IAF require mandatory Military services Officer Like Qualities (OLQ). IAF Pilots fly military aircraft under adverse conditions for nation’s defense, where Commercial Pilot responsibilities is safe transportation of passengers and cargo. IAF Pilots grow from the rank of Flying Officer to Chief of Air Staff. Commercial Pilots grow from Pilot to commander to airlines management roles. Pay and perks of Commercial Pilots are much higher in comparison to IAF pilots because of business reasons.

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