Wings Of Desire
COST OF CESSNA 172: RS 40 lakh

OPERATING COST: RS 2,000/hour

PARKING CHARGES Rs 2,000-3,000/month

MAINTENANCE CHARGES RS 70,000-1 lakh/month

Kolkata-based Aerotech Aerospace Services is selling this dream. Says managing director Partha Pratim Datta Majumdat: "Those who think aircraft cost the earth and sky and thus, keep them out of their list of aspirations, should think again."

According to Majum- dar, a second-hand US-made Cessna 172 would cost as little as Rs 40 lakh. About 50 of these airplanes are already in operation in India currently, he says, adding, "In . the US, many doctors use these aircraft"

What about operating ' costs? Avgas, the highoctane aviation fuel that these aircraft (and racing cars) use, costs Rs 80 a litre, and could get cheaper post-budget. Parking charges, in Kolkata, are between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 a month. Third party main- tenance is relatively expensive at Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month - still insignificant before the snob value planes offer And you can obtain a private pilot's licence in several cities if you fulfil requirements.

Majumdar has already sold no fewer than 16 aircraft over the past five years, and is about to sell at least one plane and two helicopters in Kolkata this year.

He says, "If aircraft aren't selling by the dozen, it is only because of the lack of awareness." He is now planning a seminar with high net worth individuals to spread the lure of the sky