Bokaro: Enjoy the thrill and excitement of flying, hovering over the steel city, and get an aerial view of the city. A joy ride about 1000 feet above the city is an unforgettable way to experience the breathtaking beauty of Bokaro Steel City and its surrounding areas.
The state civil aviation department on Saturday flagged off a glider flying training facility under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-approved glider flight license course at Bokaro Steel City airstrip here.
Enthusiasts can book a ten-minute trip some 1,000ft into the azure skies for Rs 800, informed Mukesh Kumar Deputy Commissioner Bokaro.
A short-term aviation training facility, which is the third of its kind in Jharkhand after Dumkia and Dhanbad, is now available for all selected aspirants who have cleared Plus Two with physics, chemistry and maths, and are at least 16 years of age along with a medical certificate of fitness. The course fee has been kept at Rs 50,000 (for 20 hours) for general category trainees while there are relaxations in fees for the reserved candidates.
On Saturday, the facility took off at the airstrip in the presence of a large number of officials, including trainer Captain J P Singh, Balwant Singh instructor, trainees, media persons and visitors.
Talking with the media persons at Bokaro airstrip, Singh said “These training facilities have been launched with the aim of activating the abandoned or unused airstrips. Here, all interested candidates can use the facility to get trained on glider flying.”
“We will initially conduct the training with the available single-engine ultra-light motor glider Pipistrel Sinus 912 – a light-sport aircraft. We will gradually expand the training facility to include more students with the arrival of one more glider,” said an instructor.
One of the instructors informed that the Sinus 912 is manufactured by the Slovenian giant Pipistrel. In May 2019, Mumbai’s Aarohi Pandit became the world’s first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in a Sinus 912.
Besides others, Bokaro SP P Murugun, BSL and district administration officials were present on the inaugural eve.
Bokaro DC Mukesh Kumar said, he is also a member of a flying club, had taken some training earlier. “I love the fact that Bokaro has a glider flying training facility. I am happy that now I can complete my training here.”