Uttar Pradesh chopper fleet best, says man who flies Mayawati

Lucknow: The man who often flies Chief Minister Mayawati and is a top bureaucrat in Uttar Pradesh says the state has the best fleet of choppers and the most experienced pilots in the country.
Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, 59, a pilot himself, said this following a close review of the state civil aviation department’s preparedness to deal with emergencies like the one encountered by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was killed in a Bell helicopter crash last week.
“I can proudly proclaim that Uttar Pradesh has the best fleet of aircraft as compared to any other state in the country,” says Singh, who is credited with grooming the state civil aviation department of which he is a former director and is popularly called “captain”.
The Uttar Pradesh government has two helicopters and three planes, and has 10 pilots.
“I can vouch for any of our 10 pilots to fly in the most adverse situations; and our helicopter pilots have sufficient experience in night-flying that enables them to conveniently manoeuvre their aircraft under heavy rain and thick cloud conditions like the one possibly encountered in Andhra,” Singh told IANS in an interview.
Uttar Pradesh too has helicopters manufactured by Bell. But the state has been particular in ensuring timely replacement of the old machines, claims Singh.
07/09/09 Sharat Pradhan/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Sep 2009