City flying club on cloud nine

The Ahmedabad Aviation Academy (AAA) is on a roll. For, the city’s very own flying club is the ultimate destination for wannabe pilots and every year, the academy enrolls 80-90 per cent students from outside the State. With three aircraft - other flying clubs have merely one or at the most, two - and 24-hour flying hours for students, the AAA has been soaring high.

Of the 200-odd students who have passed out from the academy since 1994, 80-90 per cent have been outsiders. This year too, of the 25 students, only three students are from Ahmedabad while the rest belong to Jammu, Chennai and Lucknow.

For one, the academy boasts of the best aircraft. ‘‘Most flying clubs have one aircraft which is usually a two-seater Cessna 152. Here we have a Cessna 152, a Cessna 172 which is a four-seater and a Canadian aircraft C H 2000,’’ says administrative officer Sudhir Mulchandani. ‘‘Other institutes don’t have many aircraft due to which one can’t log many flying hours. Here, there are three aircraft and, hence, one can easily log in more flying time,’’ says Nisha Bagaria who has come from Mumbai to learn flying. The students get a commercial pilot’s license after 250 hours of flying time.

Secondly, there is a facility for 24-hour flying. ‘‘With an international airport, we have a 24-hour air traffic controller and, hence, students can fly even in the night,’’ adds the officer.

‘‘The best thing about this academy is that one fly anytime you like,’’ says Ankit Shah, 20, who has come from Chennai. Shah finished his B.Com from Chennai, packed his bags and came straight to Ahmedabad.

‘‘After my graduation, I took some time off and studied all the flying clubs in the country. I visited a few but found AAA to be the best,’’ says Shah who will finish his training within a month and get his license.

Mulchandani adds that if the student can clear the theoretical exams, he can finish his flying hours - which is a minimum of 250 hours - in as short a time as six months. The price tag for the licence - Rs. 9 to 9.25 lakh - though that’s no deterrent since the pay packet that follows is hefty.

AAA, unlike other flying clubs, also offers theoretical training due to which the students get an exposure to both - practical learning and theoretical knowledge. ‘‘In most other flying clubs, you have to rely on private tutors but at AAA there are theory classes and examination,’’ adds Bagaria.

Kumar Pal from Gandhidham said he joined AAA because of the number and condition of the aircrafts. ‘‘Moreover, the weather is dry and good for flying,’’ says Pal.

Republished from The Indian Express