I WONDER : PLEASE ALSO READ YESTERDAY'S YSR's CHOPPER PILOT NEWS TO GET A BETTER FEEL. http://soldierscorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/airforce-pilots-planning-to-go-on.html
AHMEDABAD: There is a hint of a scam in Gujarat government’s aviation department, one which should alert VVIPs who fly the Dauphin-N3 chopper purchased by the Gujarat government two years ago.
An inquiry by the state vigilance department has, however, brushed the issue under the carpet. Director of aviation Ajay Chauhan has himself admitted in response to an application filed under Right To Information (RTI) Act that his pilot training in Manila, Philippines, was entirely sponsored by Eurocopter, France, the firm which makes Dauphin helicopters. It was on Chauhan’s recommendation that Rs 42 crores of tax-payers’ money was spent on this flying machine meant for senior government functionaries.
The training, according to Chauhan, was done at Master Flying School, Manila. Chauhan has evaded a reply to related queries about expenses involved in this training, the types of aircraft he flew, for what duration etc. He has replied to the RTI application by saying “for exact details, you may contact (a) Master Flying School, Manila, Philippines, (b) M/s Eurocopter, France”. In the reply to the application filed by a former helicopter pilot of the Gujarat government, Lt Col D Hingorani, Chauhan has also declined to give details of the terms of the contract between Eurocopter and Gujarat government.
It was on the basis of the certificate provided by Master Flying School that Chauhan, a former Indian Air Force pilot, got a commercial pilot’s licence from Philippines. But he hasn’t been able to get a licence from the Director General of Civil Aviation which would enable him to fly planes in India. Chauhan later went to France for pilot training at Eurocopter, as was agreed upon in the agreement for purchase of the Dauphin-N3.
He now claims that he had gone there as an “administrator and technical hand” and that his job as director of aviation was not to fly aircraft. It is another matter even after the training in France and Philippines, even if he wishes so he still can’t fly the helicopter — a job now outsourced to Pawan Hans pilots under another expensive contract. Questions can be raised on why Eurocopter would spend huge amounts of money on the training of an Indian pilot in Manila when the company’s training facilities are based in France.
Besides, a search of the website of Master Flying School shows that the centre is involved mainly in training pilots to fly fixedwing aircraft. Out of its fleet of seven aircraft, only one is a single-engine helicopter. Strangely, even this is not a Eurocopter Dauphin. Chauhan had already logged several hours of flying singleengine choppers like Chetak and Cheetah during his IAF days.
When contacted by TOI on Saturday, Chauhan said, “A vigilance inquiry conducted into various aspects of the purchase of the chopper and training found no discrepancies”.
An inquiry by the state vigilance department has, however, brushed the issue under the carpet. Director of aviation Ajay Chauhan has himself admitted in response to an application filed under Right To Information (RTI) Act that his pilot training in Manila, Philippines, was entirely sponsored by Eurocopter, France, the firm which makes Dauphin helicopters. It was on Chauhan’s recommendation that Rs 42 crores of tax-payers’ money was spent on this flying machine meant for senior government functionaries.
The training, according to Chauhan, was done at Master Flying School, Manila. Chauhan has evaded a reply to related queries about expenses involved in this training, the types of aircraft he flew, for what duration etc. He has replied to the RTI application by saying “for exact details, you may contact (a) Master Flying School, Manila, Philippines, (b) M/s Eurocopter, France”. In the reply to the application filed by a former helicopter pilot of the Gujarat government, Lt Col D Hingorani, Chauhan has also declined to give details of the terms of the contract between Eurocopter and Gujarat government.
It was on the basis of the certificate provided by Master Flying School that Chauhan, a former Indian Air Force pilot, got a commercial pilot’s licence from Philippines. But he hasn’t been able to get a licence from the Director General of Civil Aviation which would enable him to fly planes in India. Chauhan later went to France for pilot training at Eurocopter, as was agreed upon in the agreement for purchase of the Dauphin-N3.
He now claims that he had gone there as an “administrator and technical hand” and that his job as director of aviation was not to fly aircraft. It is another matter even after the training in France and Philippines, even if he wishes so he still can’t fly the helicopter — a job now outsourced to Pawan Hans pilots under another expensive contract. Questions can be raised on why Eurocopter would spend huge amounts of money on the training of an Indian pilot in Manila when the company’s training facilities are based in France.
Besides, a search of the website of Master Flying School shows that the centre is involved mainly in training pilots to fly fixedwing aircraft. Out of its fleet of seven aircraft, only one is a single-engine helicopter. Strangely, even this is not a Eurocopter Dauphin. Chauhan had already logged several hours of flying singleengine choppers like Chetak and Cheetah during his IAF days.
When contacted by TOI on Saturday, Chauhan said, “A vigilance inquiry conducted into various aspects of the purchase of the chopper and training found no discrepancies”.
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