Bengaluru: Jawaharlal Nehru's favourite Dove is right here in Bengaluru, parked in a hangar at a private aerospace training college. The luxury aircraft, a De Havilland 104 Dove used by the late prime minister and other VIPs like former President Dr Rajendra Prasad, former defence minister VK Krishna Menon and Sardar Vallabhai Patel, was acquired by Agragami VSM Aerospace AME Training School. At the college campus in Yelahanka New Town, some faculty and students have cranked it into flying condition, but the Dove can't take off because it doesn't possess an airworthiness certificate. The luxury craft, with a capacity to fly 10 passengers, including two crew members, was lying idle at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, till it was acquired in 1993 from the Border Security Force in Yelahanka. "The aircraft was getting old and the Indian Air Force had to pay huge amounts as airport user charge fee, so it was brought to the city, and the aviation institute bought it for a song as it wasn't in working condition," chairman of the institute and inventor HR Satishchandra said. Students and faculty worked on the aircraft for three years, slowly bringing it to life.
10/12/14 MK Madhusoodan/Times of India
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10/12/14 MK Madhusoodan/Times of India
