Nagpur: The State administration, which has been overseeing the operations of the Nagpur Flying Club (NFC), is learnt to have suggested handing over of the NFC management to Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) or any other aviation-related entity including airlines, a report in a local daily said.
A letter to this effect was sent from the office of the Divisional Commissioner a few weeks ago to the senior officers looking after civil aviation matters in the State Government. In the said letter, it is learnt, it was suggested that the management of the NFC be handed over to MADC or any other aviation-related entity, the report added.
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As administrative officers, the staff at Nagpur Divisional Commissionerate manages the NFC with their managerial and administrative understanding. However, when technical things relating to aircraft come up in discussions or meetings, need is felt for having on-board experts in the aviation sector with sound technical knowledge. Hence, it was suggested that the management of NFC should be handed over to MADC that was created for aviation purposes or any airline having operations covering Nagpur airport, said sources.
Meanwhile, in another related development, the flying training operations of NFC are likely to be moved to Chandrapur Airport soon. Due to lack of availability of the requisite number of hours for flying the trainer aircraft, the trainee pilots of the NFC are finding it difficult to complete the mandatory flying hours. This delays their prospects of getting private pilot licence and commercial pilot licence.
Since the Nagpur Airport is busy with a number of flights operating daily, it is unable to provide specific time-slots for NFC flying. Besides, NFC cannot complete the requisite flying training during summers due to extreme heat, during monsoon due to rainfall, and some duration of winter due to fog. Hence, NFC thought of the option of Morwa airport in Chandrapur. MADC had given its nod for the purpose.
Accordingly, recarpeting of the runway has been done at Morwa. Recently, a team of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also visited Morwa. The NFC is expecting a go-ahead from the DGCA in a month or so. The NFC administrators did not think about Birsi Airport in Gondia as it has its own flying club.
Presently, the post of Chief Flying Instructor is reportedly lying vacant in NFC. According to sources, if someone appointed to the position at NFC gets a better offer someplace else, he quits NFC. Since there are ample opportunities in the aviation sector, sources added, it is becoming difficult to retain talent at the position of Chief Flying Instructor in NFC. The long-pending acquisition of a flying simulator for assisting the trainee pilots to complete mandatory flying hours, also is ‘in the process’.
