Copters calling pilots as plane dreams wane

Madhumathi D.S. Bangalore, July 5 Is the helicopter gaining where the aeroplane is losing? In what seems like one more backlash of the aviation boom, flying aspirants are said to be rushing to turn helicopter pilots. Until three to five years ago, the goal was to get a commercial pilot licence (CPL) to fly the fixed-wing planes and land an airline job. As airlines duck costs and ground planes and pilots, the rotary wing (the chopper) is the flavour (of the season), according to Wing Commander (Retd) Mr C.D. Upadhyay, IAF veteran, who heads the Rotary Wing Academy (RWA), the only civilian helicopter training school this side of the world. For the first time in its eight years, the RWA, run by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, is seeing an unprecedented rise in the number of enquiries. Some are from commercial pilots wanting to... [read full story]