Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Wednesday, May 31, 2006 |
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Logistics
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Human Resources Bell plans pilot training facility in India Ashwini Phadnis
The proposed facility could become a hub for training helicopter pilots not only in India but the South Asian region.
Dallas, Fort Worth (US), May 30 The US-based helicopter manufacturer, Bell, is keen to set up a pilot training facility in India. "We are keen to set up the training centre through the joint venture route partnering with someone who has a facility at the airport. We have started talking with some people for the facility and hope to be able to select a partner by the third or fourth quarter of this year," said Mr Max E. Wiley, Vice-President (Asia-Pacific Sales). Besides training pilots, the facility will conduct refresher courses, he added. The decision to set up the facility follows discussions with the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a variety of issues including the need for more helicopter pilots in India and whether existing pilots are up to the standards. The proposed facility would not only have a Bell helicopter but trainers and instruction material from the company. The proposed facility could become a hub for training helicopter pilots not only in India but the South Asian region, Bell officials indicated. In addition, Bell plans to start a pilot training course in India later this summer. The company had planned to start a training programme for pilots sometime back but the plan could not take off since most of the pilots were busy operating copters for political parties during the election campaign. The company is also exploring the possibility of offering helicopters on a fractional ownership basis that would allow those who buy time to use the machine when required. "We are actively looking at starting fractional ownership of helicopters in India. The proposal could take off this year itself," Bell officials said. India, which currently has 70 Bell helicopters operating in its skies, is the largest market for the company in South Asia. The company, which reported sales of $20 million last year, has estimated that India would require more than 600 aircraft in the next 20 years, valued at more than $4 billion.
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