A Zlin aircraft. Telegraph picture

Ranchi, Nov. 6: The state civil aviation department has initiated the process of recruiting three pilots and a gliding instructor to use the three Zlin aircraft and two gliders — a motor (power) and another normal.

“The last date to respond to the advertisement for the posts of assistant gliding instructors and pilots is November 15. There are total four vacancies,” said Animesh Mukherjee, a senior pilot with the state civil aviation department.

Mukherjee, who doubles up as the spokesperson of the civil aviation department, conceded that state government’s recent decision to allow students to enjoy the experience of gliding prompted the department to initiate the process of recruitment of gliding instructors and pilots. Soren is slated to inaugurate the gliding facilities for school students on November 10 from Dumka.

The state human resource department recently decided to avail the services of civil aviation department and extend the experience of gliding to students to ensure that the dropout rate plummeted in primary and middle schools. However, in want of pilots, the noble scheme cannot be extended to more number of students at present.

At present, the only flying instructor available with the state government is captain S.P. Sinha. The two pilots — chief pilot Ajay Kumar Shrivastava and senior pilot Animesh Mukherjee — remain busy with ferrying VVIPs.

The erstwhile Madhu Koda government purchased three Zlin aircraft from a Czech Republic-based company in August 2007 for training aspiring pilots and ferrying non-VIPs. But a year on, they are lying unused. Thus, purchasing Zlin aircraft and power gliders at a whopping cost of over Rs 3 crore proved to be a futile exercise.