No road block for Jakkur school

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The uncertainty about whether the Government Flying Training School (GFTS), Jakkur, will continue to operate or not ended on Friday with the state government giving an assurance that GFTS will neither shut down nor shift out of the city.

The construction of the elevated highway of 60 metres in front of the aerodrome had threatened the existence of the air field as it prevented flights from landing safely.

The government will now construct an additional runway of 2,000 feet and also revive the first flying club of the country (founded in 1948).

The decision to extend the runway from 3,000 ft to 5,000 ft was taken at a meeting called by the government with the stake holders of GFTS.

Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath and principal secretaries of concerned government departments presided.

Besides the runway expansion, the government also said that no tall structures like advertisement boards and electric poles will be erected in the flight path of the Jakkur airfield.

“The government has taken a decision to help revive the flying school in Jakkur which is already operational.

Since the construction of the elevated highway was affecting the flying we have decided to extend the runway.

The area required for the additional runway will be acquired by the Revenue Department and the runway construction will be taken up by the Public Works Department and the National Highway Authority of India,” a senior government official told Deccan Chronicle.

Aviation enthusiasts and members of GFTS have been trying to convince the government for the past 12 years not to shut down or shift the Jakkur airfield because of the road and the high speed rail link.

Air Commodore (retd) M K Chandrashekar said that more than the economical viability of Jakkur airfield, it is important to revive it for the youth of Bengaluru. “The Jakkur is a heritage structure. We are happy that the government has agreed to extend the runway.

The subsidised flying here will help aviation enthusiasts to take up a career in aviation,” said Mr Chandrashekar.

HSRL poses next hurdle for club?

The elevated highway was one problem for the Government Flying Training School (GFTS), Jakkur. But another is the High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) along the NH7 which may eat into the GFTS runway.

The HSRL is currently planned to come up at an elevation of 50 to 60 meters, same as the elevated road being built by the NHAI.

An elevated structure close to the runway comes in the flight path and leaves an aircraft less space to make the descent.

This increases the glideslope (or angle of descent with respect to the horizontal plane at which the aircraft hits the ground).

At airfields where there are obstacles on the approach path to the runway, a steeper glideslope angle - above three degrees, which is considered standard - is necessary for a safe landing. “A glideslope steeper than three degrees is not safe for trainee pilots.

To maintain three degree glideslope, the touchdown point on the runway has to move further away,” said Wing Commander Julian D’Souza.

“If the height of the HSRL structure is not reduced, GFTS may need more land on the other side to move touchdown point,” he said. However, N Sivasailam, MD, BMRCL, refuted the claim that the HSRL will affect operations at GFTS.