Aircraft built by a Mumbai man on terrace gets license to fly

MUMBAI:  Serving as a huge example for Make in India, commercial pilot Amol Yadav who made a full-fledged aircraft on the terrace of his residence, has been granted registration by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Captain Amol Yadav met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday who formally handed him the DGCA certificate. Yadav thanked the CM for his support and intervention in helping him get past the hurdles. When Yadav had faced obstacles in getting his prototype aircraft registered with the DGCA, Fadnavis had written to Narendra Modi and also discussed the issue with the Prime Minister.

Yadav built his prototype plane on the rooftop of his house in suburban Kandivli in 2011. "The aircraft was displayed during the Make-in-India week in Mumbai. Yadav, through his company, will build aircraft manufacturing industry in Maharashtra," a statement by Maharashtra CMO said.

He has reportedly named the aircraft after PM Modi and CM Fadnavis.

Yadav is presently a Deputy Chief Pilot with Jet Airways. Working virtually single-handedly, he built the six-seater aircraft on a residential building terrace in Kandivali suburb, north-west Mumbai.

"Encouraging efforts... Great example of @makeinindia! Captain Amol Yadav gets the certificate of registration from DGCA, meets CM @Dev_Fadnavis to thank his efforts and follow up with Hon PM @narendramodi & Government of India It is 1st Indian private company to get this certificate!," the Chief Minister`s Office tweeted in a congratulatory message.

The DGCA certification implies that Yadav can now undertake further tests and fly the aircraft in the open skies.

At the event in February 2016, Civil Aviation Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Fadnavis saw his aircraft, appreciated the efforts and had assured him all help to make his venture a success.

"The terrace atop my three-BHK flat is spread over around 1,600 square feet and served as my workshop for this aircraft which I created in the past over six years," Yadav said.

He said the inspiration to assemble a full-fledged plane came to him after he witnessed aviation buffs in the US buying phased-out aircraft and remodelling them into customised six-seater or twelve-seater flying machines.

Presently parked on an airstrip in Dhule, Yadav's aircraft Yadav can fly upto heights of 13,000 feet, climbing at 1,500 feet per minute, achieve top speeds of 185 knots with a range of 2,000 kms, and a capacity to carry six people.

The Maharashtra government plans to allot a 155-acre plot in Palghar, adjacent to Mumbai from where Yadav intends to build upto 20-seater passenger aircraft over the next few years through his venture, Thrust India Company.