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Soaring high into the sky

It was a unique freezing, confusing and exciting experience that culminated in gaining practical knowledge of flying, finds out G. RAVIKIRAN

PHOTOS: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

TAKE-OFF The real thrill of flying is while taking off

Her heart began to pound as she nervously bit her lip and clenched her fingers into tight fists.

"Are you okay? Shall we fly?" the pilot asked Sabah Fatima, the lone girl cadet, who struggled to put up a brave front brushing aside the butterflies in her stomach. Trying to keep cool, she fastened the seat belt, placed the headphones on ears and took a deep breath as the propeller picked up momentum. The Microlite Aircraft gently moved on the runway before taking off.

Fatima was a different picture when she returned from her maiden sortie. Her face glowed with a unique joy that knew no bounds. "Will I get a chance of flying in the cockpit except in NCC? I will now strive hard to get selected for a pilot's career," she declared with a steely resolve.

The exhilarating experience of lifting oneself high from the ground to soar and explore the new horizons has strengthened her resolve to make flying her career. Fatima is pursuing B.Sc first year in Maris Stella College and feels that she has already take the first step towards achieving her dream.

Other cadets like I.J. Prakash Reddy, M. Rajesh, Ch. Sumanth Raj, V. Naveen Kumar and Ch. Bala Kirit Singh of Andhra Loyola College, and N. Anantha Kumar Singh of Satavahana College echoed similar experiences.

Heady high

Though they did not fly the Microlite on their own, the mere experience of finding a place in the cockpit and racing with the wind was an out-of-the-world experience for most of them.

Up there, at 700 feet above the ground level, their bodies became implausibly light and an unknown fear gripped them as they found themselves dangling mid-air. When the carrier is a Microlite Aircraft that wobbles menacingly in cross currents, your heart is bound to miss a beat before you can actually regain confidence. The eight cadets of 8 (Andhra) Air Squadron NCC, Vijayawada unit, woke up to a morning of endless thrill and wondrous excitement. Marking the day as a red-letter day in their lives, the cadets made the best of their maiden sortie under the guidance of Commanding Officer A.S. Rao.

For once, the mid-air passengers had their adventurous spirit fully satiated with a heavy dose of awe, enthusiasm and practicality. The pilot's skilled hand movements ensured a smooth take-off, but that did not help much the first-timers in preventing a shiver from running down their spines. The shaky movements and the little manoeuvres required to balance the aircraft provided them a peek into the niceties of flying skills.

Taking to the air

GUIDING SPIRIT Briefing finer details to the uninitiated ones

The Air NCC unit has acquired a new Microlite from Zen Air to train its cadets and heighten their soaring spirits. It would bring flying experience closer to the students of both schools and colleges in and around Vijaywada city.

The 8 Andhra Air Squadron has enrolled 1,100 junior division (school) cadets, who would get a chance to have one sortie each before conclusion of their course. Senior cadets from degree first and second year will however, be allowed to undertake several sorties.

A batch of students who just finished their first year of training in the senior category, were given an opportunity to experience their maiden sortie.

Starting their day early, they were off their beds by 4 a.m., rushed through their daily chores and assembled at the training venue by 6 a.m.

And what followed at the training ground for a stretch of three hours has completely transformed their lives. They are now able to redefine life and its many facets. After all, touching the sky and achieving a new glory is not alien to them.

Brainstorming sessions of meticulous planning preceded the sorties for the young ones. From keen observation of the weather patterns to the movement of birds, the cadets were constantly reminded of the need to be alert and alive to the surroundings. Commanding Officer Rao made it a point to test the mood of every cadet before taking off lest they might feel jittery mid-air.

In between, he kept passing instructions to his staff - Warrant Officer Ram Bahadur and Sergeants Vijaya Kumar and J.K. Prasad.

Rao says solo flight for the NCC cadets can be allowed only when the cadet was fully confident. "Aviation is unsparing. We cannot afford to entertain any ifs and buts. So, we need to take all precautions," he says decisively.

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