Flight of fancy takes off in a big way in India

New Delhi: Welcome to the world of hobby flying, the new buzzword in Indian skies. Rising affluence in the country is now spilling onto aviation with more and more Indians buying aircraft—some for practical purposes, others just for kicks.
And mushrooming aviation institutes are busy tapping the sector’s potential, boosted by this trend. Around 50 new private aircraft have been added in the country in the last one year, as per Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) estimates.
For instance, Rajasthan Aero Sports Club is scheduled to start operations by this month end. “Built in a resort-type setup, the academy will train people for PPL, besides starting training for commercial pilot licences (CPL) in May this year,” says club director Anil Thapar.
Ditto for other flying schools. “We, as a company, are encouraging people to buy their own aircraft and go for a PPL to fly planes. A Cessna 172 is ideal to fly for a hobby flier,” says Randeep Panag, director, United Aviation, a Delhi-based flying school.
Travel company Bird Group too has similar plans. Says executive director Ankur Bhatia, “We will be starting our pilot training school this year in north India. Besides imparting training for CPL, we will be targeting those who want to go for a PPL as well.”
To obtain a PPL, one needs to complete at least 40 hours of flying. The training costs around Rs 3-4 lakh, which can be completed in around 6 months.
03/01/08 Economic Times