While there have been several efforts to revive the Assam Flying Club, there has been zero enthusiasm as the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is set to auction a Pilatus PC-12/45 aircraft in Guwahati.
Sources said the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has announced the auction of an abandoned Air Deccan Aircraft Flight No – VT-DAR at the Guwahati airport.
The online auction for the aircraft will open on September 10, the sources said, adding that the Pilatus PC-12/45 is a single-engine turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland.
A lot of young aspiring pilots from Assam need to go all the way to Australia or to the US to get a Commercial Pilot License (CPL).
Some people, who came to know about the Airport Authority of India’s auction of the aircraft in Guwahati said, the Assam Flying Club should have been the first to show a lot of interest in the auction.
According to them, the Pilatus PC-12/45 is the best-selling pressurized single-engine turbine-powered aircraft in the world with over 1,900 deliveries till date.
The Pilatus PC-12/45 aircraft is perfect for training and corporate transport, the sources said, adding that the aircraft could have played a great role in the revival of the Assam Flying Club.
The Assam Flying Club was established in 1958 at Shillong, and was fully operational till the end of December 2003. It produced 150 Private Pilots License and 32 Commercial Pilots License holders.
The prestigious Assam Flying Club was under the Department of Education till 1978, and was transferred under the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare.
The Assam Flying Club also has its own hangar at the Lokopriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati. It also owned one CESSNA 152-A and one PUSPAK MK-1 aircrafts, which were sold a few years back.