The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : When an ‘idiot' rekindled a hobby

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Saturday, Oct 23, 2010
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Karnataka - Bangalore

When an ‘idiot' rekindled a hobby

Chavi Kaul

The Aamir Khan film has caused imaginations to take flight too

— File photo

VERSATILE:These gadgets are not just toys but can be developed into urban applications.

BANGALORE: When lakhs of fans watched Aamir Khan's collegian protagonist in 3 Idiots design and fly a miniature plane with an on-board camera, their curiosity also soared along with the aircraft. Is it that simple to make and fly a plane, they wondered.

Indeed, hobby clubs and workshops on model airplanes have seen a spike in wannabes keen on building and flying these mini planes.

Hands-on experience

There are workshops being held in the city where hobbyists build and fly micro air vehicles' (MAVs) where each participant can have hands-on experience under the tutelage of experts. These workshops also include demonstrations of world-class MAVs, which are fitted with a camera with wireless telemetry.

“Ever since Aamir Khan was seen flying an MAV in the film, [young people] have taken to building miniature aircrafts in a big way,” says U. Chandrashekhar, Additional Director, Gas Turbine and Research Establishment, who conducts periodical workshops.

He points out that these gadgets are not just toys but can be developed into urban applications. For example, during accidental fires they can fly in and out of building interiors and basements to give real-time information.

This time, the workshop is being held at the Reva Institute of Technology and Management. It concludes on Saturday. For details, contact S. Vinay (95352-92328) or Sandeep Agre (99161-23668).

Aero modelling

In Mysore, two engineering students — Shreyas of Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering and Ananya of National Institute of Engineering — have taken up the initiative to give a platform to the youth interested in pursuing the hobby of aero modelling.

Their project, Aero Dreads, with support from Rotary Mysore Adventure Corps and International Academy of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (IAMAS), aims at imparting the art of designing and flying unmanned aircrafts. For this, workshops are held for students of all ages for eight months on weekends.

“Aero modelling can be either a non-powered, uncontrolled, free-floating glider or a multi-engine, fuelled, radio-controlled aircraft having wingspans of six feet and more. Many people start off by building a free-floating glider readily available as a kit and progress to advanced models as they improve their skills,” explains M.M.P. Kumar, a retired NCC officer.

Air shows

Air shows are also conducted as part of the course where hobbyists showcase what their mini planes can do.

For details on the course, contact IAMAS Directors Shreyas K. on 96206-08102/ 98451-16835 or Ananya B. on 96639-30777.

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