Flight of fancy takes off in a big way in India
Rising affluence in the country is now spilling onto aviation with more and more Indians buying aircraft- some for work, others just for kicks. Fly your way to work
By Vishakha Talreja, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Vikas Kothari, a 34-year-old Delhi-based businessman, plans to buy a Cirrus aircraft or a used Turboprop. He could then visit his factories in Jammu, Kota and Baroda on the same day. But Mr Kothari’s more excited about his Private Pilot Licence (PPL), which will allow him to fly his dream machine.
Similarly, 47-year-old Surendra Sonik took his PPL training just for the thrill of flying. “I run a company that manufactures equipment for adventure sports. I wanted to experience all kind of adventure sports, including flying myself,” he says.
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.
Similarly, 47-year-old Surendra Sonik took his PPL training just for the thrill of flying. “I run a company that manufactures equipment for adventure sports. I wanted to experience all kind of adventure sports, including flying myself,” he says.
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.
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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. The club will see an investment of around Rs 12-13 crore.
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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.”
And if you thought only men wanted to fly planes for that adrenaline rush, think again. “We get more enquiries from women,” says Mr Thapar.
Incidentally, the Bangalore Aero Club is owned by Audrey Maben, who started hobby flying when she was 15. Mrs Maben, 31, runs the club with her husband, training hobby fliers interested in PPLs. “Our aviation school is run by three pilots, two of which are women,” says Mrs Maben.
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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. As for a CPL, one has to dish out around Rs 16-25 lakh to complete 200 hours of flying. A person needs to be a matriculate, at least 17 years of age and has to clear four Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) exams to get his PPL. The DGCA is in charge of crew training in India.
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“Hobby flying is still perceived to be very expensive in India. For instance, we train people on microlights, which are not only easy to operate but also cheaper to own. Cost of a microlight, with three to four different models available in the country, ranges between Rs 20-25 lakh,” says Mrs Maben. According to CAPA, there are around 208 general aviation aircraft in the country. “Just like the US, the trend of hobby flying will catch up here too though infrastructure is a bottleneck,” says Mr Thapar. Go fly a plane, all you need is a PPL.
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