Govt bus driver’s daughter flies high with pilot licence
Ananth.MK@timesgroup.com
Madurai:19.07.2018
It was a moment of pride for V R Ravikumar, 58, a TNSTC bus driver, when his daughter Kavya made her first visit to the city on Wednesday after securing a commercial pilot licence (CPL). Their small rented house on Irulappasamy Koil Street at Palanganatham was crammed with visitors who came to appreciate the 22-year-old and her thrilled parents.
For Kavya, the dream of becoming a pilot happened after an incident with a toy plane, when she was barely five years old. “A family friend leaving for a foreign country asked me to pick my choice from a heap of toys belonging to their son. I picked a plane not knowing that it was damaged. My father got it repaired seeing which the aunt took it back and gave it back to her son,” she recalled. That was when she thought about flying a plane that everyone would see. “I did not know who to approach and where I could study until I saw an article in a newspaper when I was in Class X. It was about a flying school in Bengaluru,” she said. That was when her parents realized she was serious about her ambition.
She was all the more excited on coming to know that all she needed was a Class XII pass with 50% marks. Paying the huge fees was the next hurdle which the parents crossed by pledging jewellery and taking loans of ₹6 lakh. But that was just enough for theory classes and to complete fewer than 35 hours of flying at Government Flying Training School (GFTS), Bengaluru.
Due to insufficient funds, she had to wait close to the runway and watch others fly while she could not complete the mandatory 200 hours of flying to complete the course. Her attempt to apply for a scholarship for Scheduled Caste students in Tamil Nadu too did not yield results. At last, help came from the Centre which awarded her a scholarship of ₹20 lakh. “I am confident of handling even a flight with an engine failure,” she chuckled.
Two weeks ago she became the first student from GFTS Bengaluru to get a CPL in 21 years. “I am disproving claims that there is no life without obtaining a degree. I want to fly and teach. There are many options before me like flying chartered flights and for airlines,” she added. Kavya’s mother Kalpana, 46, a homemaker, said she used to regret not having a son but only two daughters. “I am sure a son would not have made me so proud,” she added.
Ananth.MK@timesgroup.com
Madurai:19.07.2018
It was a moment of pride for V R Ravikumar, 58, a TNSTC bus driver, when his daughter Kavya made her first visit to the city on Wednesday after securing a commercial pilot licence (CPL). Their small rented house on Irulappasamy Koil Street at Palanganatham was crammed with visitors who came to appreciate the 22-year-old and her thrilled parents.
For Kavya, the dream of becoming a pilot happened after an incident with a toy plane, when she was barely five years old. “A family friend leaving for a foreign country asked me to pick my choice from a heap of toys belonging to their son. I picked a plane not knowing that it was damaged. My father got it repaired seeing which the aunt took it back and gave it back to her son,” she recalled. That was when she thought about flying a plane that everyone would see. “I did not know who to approach and where I could study until I saw an article in a newspaper when I was in Class X. It was about a flying school in Bengaluru,” she said. That was when her parents realized she was serious about her ambition.
She was all the more excited on coming to know that all she needed was a Class XII pass with 50% marks. Paying the huge fees was the next hurdle which the parents crossed by pledging jewellery and taking loans of ₹6 lakh. But that was just enough for theory classes and to complete fewer than 35 hours of flying at Government Flying Training School (GFTS), Bengaluru.
Due to insufficient funds, she had to wait close to the runway and watch others fly while she could not complete the mandatory 200 hours of flying to complete the course. Her attempt to apply for a scholarship for Scheduled Caste students in Tamil Nadu too did not yield results. At last, help came from the Centre which awarded her a scholarship of ₹20 lakh. “I am confident of handling even a flight with an engine failure,” she chuckled.
Two weeks ago she became the first student from GFTS Bengaluru to get a CPL in 21 years. “I am disproving claims that there is no life without obtaining a degree. I want to fly and teach. There are many options before me like flying chartered flights and for airlines,” she added. Kavya’s mother Kalpana, 46, a homemaker, said she used to regret not having a son but only two daughters. “I am sure a son would not have made me so proud,” she added.
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