BENGALURU: Karnataka’s Government Flying Training School (GFTS) at Jakkur Aerodrome, having been through talks of a potential and complete shutdown, is gearing up after approximately three years of slumber, to open its doors for flight training again. If all goes well, according to the school’s director Basavarajendra H, who himself is a commercial pilot, complete resumption is only a matter of weeks away, with further developments planned.
“Before the school closed, we had about 50 students in total. We have started notifying them [to come back], and about 13 of them have appeared. The students have not been flying for three years, so we have to get them up to speed, including their medical checks. Whenever they’re ready, we can start,” said Basavarajendra.
Amongst the developments in store for the GFTS is the possibility of extending its existing runway; announcing on July 24 the school’s licence renewal by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – to be valid till July 7, 2031 – Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G Parameshwara had revealed that a proposal was being prepared to acquire 10 acres of land hugging the aerodrome and extend the runway, whose current length is 954 metres, by 160 metres more.
If the extension materialises, as Basavarajendra explained, Jakkur Aerodrome could be an able alternative to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport for the operations of private flights carrying very important persons (VIPs), including ministerial flights. “Aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air family can easily take off from the airport; ministers can drive in and take off to places like Vijayapura or Gulbarga with no issues,” he stressed.
A Cessna 172P, a Cessna 172S and a Tecnam P2006T are currently operational and a Tecnam P2010 and a Cessna 152 are due to be in flying condition soon. The DGCA held a couple of rounds of assessment and inspection, with the entire renewal process taking about a year. The simulator currently at the GFTS is also scheduled to undergo repairs.
Apart from the aforementioned aircraft, those of Indian origin are planned to be brought into the fold as well. “We are exploring the possibility of engaging in an agreement with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research - National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) for the Hansa family of aircraft,” said Basavarajendra.
Since the GFTS runway at Jakkur Aerodrome runs almost at a right angle with the Bellary Road flyover, the fact that the airfield still operates only by visual flight rules (VFR) will remain a hurdle and a safety concern, until an instrument landing system (ILS) is established. “We do not operate in foggy weather or low visibility conditions, still. Absolutely no flights are conducted under conditions of limited visibility,” said Basavarajendra.