Karnataka’s Prestigious Flying School to `Fly’ Again

Bangalore: Karnataka’s prestigious flying school, started way back in 1948 by the then Mysore Government soon after Indepedence and closed down since 2006 following a legal hurdle, is set to take wings yet again.
The flying school is located at Jakkur, near Yelahanka about 20 kms from the city and very near to the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) at Devanahalli in the city outskirts, would be reopened soon and a fresh batch of training programme would commence from the ensuing academic year 2009-10 itself, according to Youth Services and Textiles Minister Gulihatti D Shekar.
Youngsters dreaming of learning flying have more reasons to cheer with the minister’s announcement regarding the Union Civil Aviation Ministry’s consent to offer to aircrafts to the flying school.
The flying school had been closed down in 1997 till November 2003. It was revived again in November 2003 and functioned for a brief while till 2006, without being able to do much as it had barely any staff except a flying instructor. The government sought enlist the help of private sector to run the school but the private-public partnership agreement ran into the rough weather leading to its closure in 2006.
The minister said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had given the green signal for reopening the flying school, which also received the support of the UPA regime.
Disclosing that a newly constructed building at the Jakkur would be inaugurated in a few days, he said a panel of experts would be consulted to fix intake of students per batch and the fee.
With the change in the civil aviation scenario, the minister said the demand for pilots was likely to go up.
The school had sufficient infrastructure to commence the classes The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation’s permission has been sought for renewal of licence and appointment of aircraft trainers, he said.
18/06/09 Daijiworld.com