A Mouthful of Sky

Since childhood,whenever he would run outdoor to stare at planes flying overhead,Delhi-based Hemant Sahai dreamed of travelling through the sky in his own aircraft.

Since childhood,whenever he would run outdoor to stare at planes flying overhead,Delhi-based Hemant Sahai dreamed of travelling through the sky in his own aircraft. But he grew up and became a corporate lawyer. He would still look up occasionally at flying planes but his own dream had died,almost. Flying institutes across the country offer private pilot licence (PPL) but one is required to spend three months at a stretch in training. My job did not allow me this time. It seemed impossible that I would ever pilot a plane, he says. Today,however,he can do just that. As can many others like him,who are on a tight time frame but want to become pilots.

Sahai enrolled at Chimes Aviation Academys Private Pilot Licence programme,customised for corporates and high net worth individuals (HNIs). Situated in Dhana (Madhya Pradesh),the programme was started in January and already has eight students who form the Cruiser Club. Gurgaon-based Flying School,Zara Aviation,which has air strips in Aligarh and Jaunpur,has trained more than 12 corporates since mid-2009. A three-hour drive from Delhi,the Aligarh-based Ambitions Aviation Academy will soon start a PPL programme for corporates. Officials at the Hyderabad-based Flytech Aviation Academy say these tailor-made packages are popular among well-heeled individuals. Last year,we had software engineers lining up for flying courses, says Capt Mamatha,director,Flytech.

For these flying institutes which provide commercial pilot training as well as regular three-month PPL courses customising courses for corporates and the well-heeled makes sense financially. While the routine programme costs Rs 6.5 lakh for 55 flying hours,the corporate package is priced at Rs 12 lakh at Chimes and Rs 5 lakh at Zara. It is mostly MNCs who enroll their employees with us.We have three to four companies with us at present, says Capt Varun Yadav,an instructor with Zara Aviation,while Raj Chakraborty,GM,Operations,Chimes,adds,Our course is by invitation only. The fee also includes boarding,lodging and pick-and-drop facilities.

Story continues below this ad

The students learn how to pilot a plane at their own convenient time schedule,including weekends. While the conventional time frame for acquiring a PPL is two to three months,with students working for five hours hours everyday through the week,these flexible programmes can be stretched from anywhere between three to six months,with convenient class timings.

Though a course at Chimes can be completed over nine weekends,many students have extended it. After acquiring a Student Pilot Licence,students are taught theory before they accompany a Chief Flying Instructor on their flights on a four-seater Cessna-172 aircraft. A solo sortie follows soon after.

Abhay Pokhrana,a Tirupati-based diamond merchant who has enrolled for a flexible PPL course,says he hasnt been going for training since April due to work pressure. I have a flight simulator software installed at home where I practise when I am not at the academy so my skills dont get rusted. This programme helps me fly a plane for real. Pokhrana has completed 20 hours of flying.

Sahai,on the other hand, managed to squeeze in two weekends every month since February,he flies down to Bhopal,from where he is picked up in his Cessna-172 for training. Sahai has completed 30 hours of flying,squeezing in two weekends every month since February. I complete four to five hours of flying over the weekend and catch a flight back to Delhi on Monday evening, says Sahai.

Story continues below this ad

A PPL allows only hobby flying and not commercial activities. Most corporates,who have enrolled at these academies,plan to buy a personal aircraft and fly around the country for business or pleasure. Mahesh Yadav,a Gurgaon-based businessman,says,Since there is a problem of flying permissions and finding parking bays in most city airports across India,I visit my friends in the Philippines and Miami twice a year and fly their fleet of personal aircraft.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Mumbai
talk