Hadapsar Gliding Centre

Hadapsar Gliding Centre, also known as Gliding Centre Pune,^[1] is a gliderdrome^[2] situated at Hadapsar in Pune, Maharashtra. It is owned by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)^[3] and used by the Gliding Centre of the DGCA. The gliderdrome is spread over 230 acres^[4] It consists of a one-km-long unpaved airstrip, a couple of hangars housing the gliders used for daily flying exercises and an administrative block.^[3]

Hadapsar Gliding Centre
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Private
Owner	Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)
Operator	Gliding Centre
Location	Pune, India
Elevation AMSL	1,885 ft / 574.5 m
Coordinates	18°29′33″N 073°56′27″E
Map
Hadapsar Gliding Centre Show map of Maharashtra Hadapsar Gliding Centre Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 09/27 3,568 1,087 Un-Paved
Frequency 136.0, flight plan zzzz Radial 165 PPN 5NM. Contact Pune ATS for further details.

History

In 2011, Government-owned helicopter service company Pawan Hans (PHL) was assigned the task to develop a Helicopter Training Academy cum heliport at Hadapsar. The project was approved by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA released Rs.10 crore for the purpose. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed with the DGCA for the utilisation of land and other infrastructural facilities. However, in 2017, the Government of India approved the privatization of Pawan Hans^[5] following which PHL formally backed out of the project in 2019, stating that it does not want to continue any business association with respect to such facility.^[6]

The Gliding Centre was a brainchild of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru^[4] to train youngsters for glider pilot licenses. It is the country's only operational facility of its kind under the DGCA.^[3] The centre carries out about 3,000 flights a year, the majority of them on Sundays when the club is open to enthusiasts from the city.^[4] The Gliding Centre operates a fleet of LET L-23 Super Blanik Sailplanes. The flying season starts from October and continues up to May or early June. The airfield is not operational during the monsoon.^[7]