Karnal Aerodrome and Flying Club | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Civil Aviation Department, Haryana | ||||||||||
| Operator | Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation | ||||||||||
| Location | Karnal,Haryana | ||||||||||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 253.51 m / 829 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 29°42′51″N77°02′15″E / 29.71417°N 77.03750°E /29.71417; 77.03750 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||
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Karnal Aerodrome is operated as apilot training institute owned and operated by theHaryana Institute of Civil Aviation (HICA) under the guidance of the Civil Aviation Department,[2]Government of Haryana. The flying school covers an area of 104 acres and is situated about 3 km east ofKarnal in the state ofHaryana, India.[3]
Karnal Flying Club was established in 1967 by the Civil Aviation Department of Haryana and is one of the bases of HICA. The airfield is also used by the Haryana Government as well as VIP charter aircraft and helicopters.
In 1948, first airstrip was built in Haryana whenAmbala Air Force Station was established. In 1967, Karnal Air Strip was set up.[4] The Karnal Flying Club has been running at this airfield since 1967.[5]
In 2012, The(DGCA) approved the Haryana state government's plans to develop the Airport to operate Domestic Passenger Services in August 2013. Karnal Aerodrome small runway, just 3,000-feet-long and 150-feet-wide, will be extended to 4,500 feet in the first phase and then up to 6,000 feet to accommodateATR Turboprops and jets. Installation of Runway lighting was taken up by the State Public Works Department after the DGCA gave approval for night flying in July 2012.[5]
Karnal Aerodrome is spread over an area of 104 acres which includes a runway strip of 3000'×150', an administrative block, one hangar of size 100'×75', a class room, library, a VIP Lounge, a hostel and two residential quarters for the officers and staff.[6] As of 2018, it had two four-seaterCessna-172 R and two two-seaterCessna 152 FA aircraft.[6] The apron area can easily accommodate 10 - 12 small aircraft at any given time. HICA at Karnal also has twoflight simulator, one IPT-ATC 710 single engine and another Elite S712 single- & multi-engine Simulator. It also has two designatedhelipads. There are no radio navigational aids available at the airfield, the runway orientation is 130° – 310° (13–31). Currently, the airfield is only limited to Day operations but no night operations. The ATC is uncontrolled and is operated at the frequency of 122.5 MHz. Installation of runway lighting was taken up by the State Public Works Department after the DGCA gave approval for night flying in July, 2012.[5] The airport has day andDGCA-approved night-landing facilities.[citation needed]
Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation (HICA) is one of theDirectorate General of Civil Aviation (India) approved Flying Training Organizations (FTOs) in the country which provides pilot training to the trainee pilots. The institution conducts flying training and preparation courses leading to the award ofStudent Pilot License (SPL),Glider Pilot License,Private Pilot Licence (PPL),Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL),Flight Radio Telephony Operator License (FRTOL),Flight Instructor Rating (AFIR/FIR),Instrument Rating (IR) and apprentice internship for allBE/BTech students.
Currently, the Deputy Chief Flying Instructor of Pinjore Flying Club is Capt. Sunil Gill. The CPL costs approx. INR 25,00,000 and requires a minimum of 200 hours' flying experience. The Government of Haryana provides training subsidies to natives ofHaryana, who must apply for them using aHaryana Domicile Certificate.[7][8] As of January, 2021, over 45 students are currently enrolled at Karnal Aviation Club for the flying training of Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and Private Pilot License (PPL).
Currently, HICA operates twoCessna 172s and twoCessna 152s on this airfield with the following registrations -
| Aircraft | Registration |
|---|---|
| C-152 | Unknown |
| C-152 | VT-EMZ |
| C-172 | VT-ACW |
| C-172 | VT-HRC |
Captain Abhimanyu, Finance Minister of Haryana, while presenting theGovernment of Haryana 2018-19 budget in March 2018 announced that the funds have been allocated to extend the existing 3000 feet runway to 6000 feet and parking hangar for the spillover aircraft fromIGI Delhi airport will be constructed.[9]