Government Flying School licence in Karnataka’s Jakkur renewed; training to resume soon

With the licence of Government Flying Training School (GFTS) at Jakkur renewed by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Friday inspected its facilities and reviewed the institution’s activities.

“GFTS licence had earlier been cancelled. It has now been renewed by the DGCA for the next five years,” said Dr. Parameshwara, who is also the Sports Minister.

Since 1940

He added that the GFTS was established in 1940 and trained thousands of pilots over the years, many of them are now working with commercial airlines. “This institution has been a boon for students from middle-class and economically-disadvantaged families who dream of becoming pilots. The government has preserved and developed this training institution over the years,” he added.

Additional aircrafts

GFTS currently has five aircrafts and a proposal has been submitted to purchase two more. The GFTS’s existing runway is 954-metres long and a proposal has been prepared to acquire 10 acres of land to extend it by 160 metres.

High rises around

“However, residential buildings have come up around the institution. Buildings exceeding a height of 45 metres cannot be permitted within a 2.7-km radius, and we will not allow any violation of this restriction. Some people are demanding that the training school itself be closed, but we will not permit that. We will not shut down an institution that can create employment opportunities for thousands of people,” he said.

Centres in Mysuru, Hassan

Dr. Parameshwara said that the government was considering establishing a satellite training base in Mysuru. “Aircraft taking off from Jakkur can land in Mysuru and return. This training procedure is known as touch and go. Mysuru has the required facilities, and the possibility of using them is being examined. We also intend to establish a satellite training base in Hassan,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that a trainee must complete 40 hours of flying to obtain a private pilot licence (PPL) and 180 hours to qualify for a commercial pilot licence (CPL). “The institution provides the necessary training to meet these requirements,” he said.

The fee for PPL training is ₹10 lakh for candidates from Karnataka and ₹15 lakh for those outside the State. CPL training costs ₹37 lakh for Karnataka candidates and ₹42 lakh for those from other States.

Dr. Parameshwara said that around 850 aircrafts operate in India every day, employing nearly 7,000 to 8,000 pilots. “IndiGo has decided to purchase a significant number of additional aircraft over the next five years. Considering this expansion, the country is expected to require approximately 35,000 pilots. As the sector offers strong employment prospects, more training opportunities will be provided to those interested in becoming pilots,” he said.

Vertical take-off aircrafts

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that in metropolitan cities across the world, conventional aircraft are increasingly facing difficulties while taking off and landing at airports. “We have proposed introducing training for vertical take-off aircraft,” he said.