RTR(A) exam guide 2026: how it works now DGCA runs it

RTR(A) is the licence that lets you legally operate an aircraft's radiotelephony equipment in Indian airspace. For a DGCA Commercial Pilot Licence it is not optional: the five ground papers, 200 hours of flying and a Class 1 medical do not get you a CPL on their own. Without RTR(A) in hand, the licence application sits incomplete.

It is also the part of the licensing route where the rules moved most recently, and where a lot of the advice online still points you at the wrong government portal. This guide covers how it works in 2026, in the order you actually deal with it.

What RTR(A) actually is

RTR(A) certifies two things: that you know the radio regulations and standard phraseology, and that you can actually run an R/T exchange under pressure. It is examined as a written paper and a practical, and it sits alongside the pilot licence rather than inside it, the same certificate is used whether you go on to fly privately or commercially.

The "Restricted" in the name means it authorises operation of the radiotelephony equipment fitted to an aircraft. It is the aeronautical equivalent of the restricted radio operator certificates issued for other radio services.

What changed in 2025-26

For years RTR(A) was administered by the WPC (Wireless Planning and Coordination) wing of the Department of Telecommunications, and candidates booked exams through the WPC / Saral Sanchar system. That is the single biggest source of outdated guidance.

• November 2025: the DGCA took over conduct of the RTR(A) examination.
• 1 January 2026: booking of the RTR(A) practical moved to the eGCA portal, in line with the rest of DGCA licensing.

If a blog, coaching centre or video tells you to register on the WPC site for RTR(A), it has not been updated for the transfer. Check the DGCA notices and eGCA for the current process before you follow any step-by-step written before late 2025.

The two parts

You must pass both. They can usually be attempted separately, and a pass in one part is held for a limited validity window while you clear the other, confirm the current carry-over period on the DGCA notice, because this detail has moved with the handover.

How to apply

1. Have a valid DGCA Computer Number. This is your permanent identity with the DGCA, generated on the Pariksha portal. See the Computer Number guide if you do not have one yet.
2. Register on eGCA and generate the identifiers it asks for. eGCA is a separate portal and account from Pariksha.
3. Apply for the RTR(A) examination through the eGCA services menu, pay the fee, and book a practical slot when the schedule opens.
4. Carry the required originals to the exam centre: photo ID, your Computer Number, the application printout and anything the admit instructions list.

Because the administration moved recently, treat the exact screen-by-screen path on eGCA as something to confirm live rather than memorise from a guide. The sequence above is stable; the menu labels may not be.

Fees, attempts and the gap between them

Published RTR(A) fees have historically been small next to flying costs, on the order of a few hundred to a couple of thousand rupees per attempt, per part. The figure and the payment channel are set by the DGCA, so read them off eGCA at the time of applying.

There is no hard cap on attempts, but there is a minimum gap between consecutive attempts of the same part, and popular centres carry waiting lists that add more delay than the rule itself. Plan RTR(A) to run in parallel with your ground exams and flying, not as a last item , a failed Part 2 with a booked-out centre can hold up an otherwise complete CPL file by weeks. The same "confirm it live" caution applies here as to the DGCA ground-exam attempt gap.

How to prepare

Part 1 rewards exactly the kind of preparation a question bank gives you: the regulation and procedure content is finite and it repeats. Work through it question by question until the distress and urgency procedures, the Q-codes and the licensing provisions are automatic.

Part 2 is a performance. The content is not hard; the failure mode is hesitation, poor readback discipline and non-standard phraseology under the pressure of the microphone. Read transmissions aloud daily, script the standard calls for each phase of flight, and rehearse the viva answers for engine failure, radio failure and a diversion. Our Part 2 viva guide works through the scenarios examiners use, and why people fail Part 2 covers the specific mistakes to drill out.

FAQ

AviationGrade editorial team

Written from DGCA notices, eGCA and CAR Section 7 · checked against the current licensing route

We build DGCA question banks and study notes, and write these guides from the same source documents. Corrections are welcome and credited.