Following DGCA refusal to renew club's licence two months ago after it was found violating regulations and faking logs, the latter has not yet answered to clarify its stand
Following DGCA refusal to renew club's licence two months ago after it was found violating regulations and faking logs, the latter has not yet answered to clarify its stand
The offices of the Bombay Flying Club have been gathering dust for the past two months. The elite club is yet to respond to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, after a special audit by the aviation watchdog revealed grave irregularities in the club's operations, following which it was barred from operating.u00a0 
Tacit acceptance? Training and other operations have been in limbo
at BFC, as it is yet to respond to the charge of having breached DGCA
guidelines. FILE PIC
DGCA officials, who earlier said that the irregularities run into volumes, said that the BFC has not even formulated a reply to any single irregularity in the two months since its flying licence was suspended.
DGCA chief EK Bharatbhushan confirmed that BFC has not submitted its reply. "We sent a detailed letter to the BFC based on the irregularities we found, seeking clarification and a detailed reply on the same. Till date, we have not received the reply from the club. Any decision related to permission will only be taken after the reply," Bharatbhushan said.
Another top official added, "This is not about just a reply, but a satisfactory reply, without which the permission for operation cannot be renewed."
The BFC become the first Indian academy to have the renewal of its flying licence rejected. MiD DAY had reported earlier how the aviation regulatory body had put on hold the renewal of the club's licence after it expired on July 12 ('Bombay Flying Club in trouble over fake logs', August 5).
The DGCA's special audit report revealed grave irregularities on the part of the club, such as misrepresentation of flying hours, fake logs, overshooting the flying limit of aircraft, empty fire tenders, and absence of snag registers.
For now, there seems little hope left for the prestigious club, considering its reticence in responding to the allegations of gross violations of guidelines, sources say.u00a0
Despite MiD DAY's repeated calls, Mihir Bhagwati, president of BFC, refused to answer.
About BFC
The Bombay Flying Club, one of the oldest flying clubs in the country, was founded by JRD Tata in 1929. The institute is located at the Juhu aerodrome. In 2009, the BFC moved a chunk of its training operations to Dhule. The school has 28 students.
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