Jakkur Aerodrome is a Flying School located in Jakkur, a suburb of

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is the only dedicated

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

field in Bangalore. The airfield is the site of the Government Flying Training School (GFTS), the only flying school in the state.Patil, Ramu (7 August 2014)
"Some Hope Still for Jakkur Flying School"
''The New Indian Express''. Retrieved 8 March 2016. The aerodrome is spread over . The premises include facilities for flight training, area leased to private parties for hangars and maintenance activities and other common facilities (airstrip, fuel station etc.).

History

The

Maharaja of Mysore The maharaja of Mysore was the king and principal ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore and briefly of Mysore State in the Indian Dominion roughly between the mid- to late-1300s and 1950. The maharaja's consort was called the maharani of Mysore. In ...

acquired over of land to build Jakkur Aerodrome, which opened in 1948. The airfield was then transferred to the

Government of Karnataka The Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as GoK or GoKA, formerly known as Government of Mysore (1956–1974), is a democratically elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka ...

on the condition that the latter would only build a flying school at Jakkur. The Government Flying Training School (GFTS) was established on 26 March 1949. It operated smoothly until 1997, when it faced a shortage of aircraft, fuel, maintenance engineers and flying instructors. The school has operated sporadically since then. In January 2014, a flyover was completed over

NH 44 National Highway 44 (NH 44) is a major north–south National Highway in India and is the longest in the country. It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh ...

to improve connectivity between the city centre and the far-away

Kempegowda International Airport Kempegowda International Airport is an international airport serving Bengaluru, the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Spread over , it is located about north of the city near the suburb of Devanahalli. It is owned and operated by ...

. The flyover, over high and constructed immediately west of the runway at Jakkur, presents an obstruction to aircraft landing at the aerodrome. Although the western half of the runway had already been closed off to accommodate, the government closed Jakkur Aerodrome on 8 June. The GFTS was forced to relocate, with 18 students still undergoing training. The school continued students' training at the airports in

Hubli Hubli (officially Hubballi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad district of ...

and

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

. However, by October 2014 the school had resumed operations. The western portion of the runway remains closed, but a extension is planned.

Runway

Jakkur Aerodrome has a single runway, oriented 08/26 with dimensions . However, the runway threshold on the 08 side has been displaced to the east because of the obstructing flyover on the western side of the airfield. A taxiway runs parallel to the runway on its north side.

Government Flying Training School

The Government of Karnataka has been operating a flying school at Jakkur Aerodrome since 1949. The Government Flying Training School (GFTS) houses

aircraft maintenance Aircraft maintenance is the performance of tasks required to ensure the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft or aircraft part, including overhaul, inspection, replacement, defect rectification, and the embodiment of modifications, compliance ...

facilities, an aircraft and storage

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

, a library and other facilities. It has a fleet of two

Cessna 152 The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed- tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightl ...

s and two

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The school also operates

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

at the airfield.

1 (Kar) Air Squadron NCC

1 (

) Air Squadron NCC is a premier NCC Air Squadron of

and operates from Jakkur Aerodrome. The Unit was raised on 1 June 1954 as 1 (Mysore) Air Sqn NCC and in 1973 was designated 1 (

) Air Sqn NCC. This Unit imparts flying and institutional training to Air Wing Cadets of the NCC. 1 Kar Air Sqn NCC - Flypast

Other operators

Jakkur serves as a base for several private aviation companies, including Confident Airlines, Jupiter Aviation Services, Agni Aviation and Bangalore Aerosports, which have popularised microlight flying from the airfield.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Government Flying Training School official website
Airports in Karnataka Airports in Bengaluru 1948 establishments in India Airports established in 1948 20th-century architecture in India