A vintage flying training school’s desperate battle for survival

Battling for survival on multiple fronts, the Jakkur-based Government Flying Training School (GFTS) has had to deal with a Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) problem for months. Its training has been halted since 2019 when the last CFI’s contract ended and the school could not find a replacement. But finally, when all doors appeared shut, they have found one.

Taking off in 1949 on a 214-acre plot granted by the then Mysore Maharaja, GFTS had launched a thousand aviation dreams.

Armed with the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) earned from this school, they had spread their wings, building impressive careers in the sky. But this did not help the CFI escape the turbulence that followed.

Three interviews, three CFI candidates over the last few months, but none turned up to join.

“The issue was salary. Their demand was in excess of Rs 3 lakh, while the offer was Rs 1.8 lakh,” a school insider told DH.

Eventually, an exemption granted under Rule 160 of the Aircraft Rules has allowed GFTS to zero in on a former IAF pilot. “The process is on and flight training should restart in six months once the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gives the go-ahead. The government approval for the CFI has come in.”

The delay in appointing a new CFI led to the lapse of the school’s Flight Training Organisation (FTO) licence as mandated by the DGCA. The licence has not been renewed since December 2020.

But even if the flying school restarts with a new CFI, its long-term sustainability will depend a lot on how the legal battle with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) pans out. In September 2020, the high court had restrained the BMRCL from starting construction of the elevated line on the stretch.

GFTS wants the metro line to be underground or at ground level to allow landing aircraft to safely touch down without overshooting the runway.

While the case proceeds, the airfield is used by state government VVIPs, MPs and MLAs for helicopter landings and take-offs. But this mandates that the airfield is well maintained, the grass cut and all safety equipment in order.

Re-carpeting the runway is the way out. GFTS officials say the matter has been taken up with the government. However, the state wants to take this up simultaneously with another, bigger proposal: To extend the runway length on the eastern side by about 110 metres and raise the overall height.

The land is available although privately owned. But, as a source points out, the landowner is ready to sell only if the entire 10 acres is taken. Parting with only the narrow strip for the runway would leave the parcels on either side unusable. The owner is also open to swap land, but the government is reportedly not keen.

Land and legal issues, shortage of flying instructors — a nationwide problem — and budget constraints have all led to a state where the full potential of one of India’s oldest flying schools could not be realised. But aviation buffs and other stakeholders keen to save the airfield from being gobbled up by land sharks are desperate that safety of trainees is not compromised at any cost.

Currently, the GFTS campus hosts the Air Squadron of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) unit, imparting flying and institutional training to the cadets. Private aviation firms Jupiter Aviation Services, Agni Aviation and Deccan Charters also have their facilities.