Nagpur Flying Club likely to get new wings

CM to do something about it. The CM wrote back to him and assured that steps would be initiated in this direction.

On May 21, a letter from the General Administration Department of the Maharashtra Government informed Hassonjee that the Government was considering privatising the club so that some interested entrepreneur would revive it.

The club started out as a limited company and was run privately by a managing committee during the British rule. Some years after Independence, the Government began subsidising the club which offered training at concessional rates to NCC cadets and backward classcandidates.

Hundreds of youngsters earned their wings here and went on to join commercial airlines or the Indian Air Force as pilots. The club was recognised by the Director General of Civil Aviation DGCA and would offer trainees the Student Pilot Licence and the Private Pilot Licence.

In the early eighties, the State Government increased its participation in the club8217;s activities and appointed an Officer on Special Duty under the Nagpur Divisional Commissioner. The State Government took over the club lock, stock and barrel.

However, after the retirement of Chief Flying Instructor Captain V Ramamurthy, flying activities came to a standstill, about six years ago. The major hurdle the club faced was finance besides the State Government could not afford to match the high salaries paid by private clubs to engineers and flight instructors.

If run privately, the club would be able to afford the salaries and other expenses of engineers and other staffers but would not require to offer concessions to NCCcadets and backward classes candidates. It would then charge the students Rs 3,500 per hour for training like any other private clubs.

Then about a week back, the Divisional Commissioner called a meeting of the past office-bearers of the club. Deputy Secretary S V Bijur, representing the State Government, and some officials of the Bombay Flying Club also attended the meeting.