Bangalore is about to lose its prime basic flight training school, Government Flying Training School at Jakkur off Bellary Road, which is the stepping stone for aspiring commercial pilots.
The city is about to lose its prime basic flight training school, Government Flying Training School at Jakkur off Bellary Road, which is the stepping stone for aspiring commercial pilots.
The school is facing closure as a significant portion of its premises falls in the path of two major road projects that are proposed by the Karnataka government – the six-lane elevated highway (between Hebbal and Bengaluru International Airport) and the high-speed rail link (between MG Road and BIA).
The flying school is now looking at relocating to any of the existing airstrips in Mysore, Hubli, Belgaum or Chikmagalur.
“There is a threat to the future flying operations (at Jakkur) as the proposed alignment of the six-lane elevated highway and the high speed rail link to the BIA runs through flying school premises. If the government approves the proposed alignment the runway will shorten by 1,000ft from the existing 3,000ft. With a shortened runway, flight training would not be possible,” BN Suresh, director of the flying school told DNA.
Inaugurated by India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1948, the flying school trains pilots for private pilot licences (PPL) and commercial pilots licence (CPL). Re-opened on March 21after a five-year hiatus, 10 students had enrolled for the current 18-month CPL course.
The present options facing the flying school are to acquire more land outside the periphery of the school to extend its runway, or shift operations altogether to another airstrip. The flying school officials said the second option was more feasible as the threat to flying operations would continue to exist due to infrastructure projects in its vicinity.
Suresh said Mysore is the most ideal as they could buy a couple of extra acres from the Karnataka Industrial Development Board (KIADB) for aircraft hangars and an existing school there could be used for theory classes.
Meanwhile, night flying training would continue at HAL airport as the present airstrip is not conducive for it.
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