Aeromodelling calling young enthusiasts

Shreyas and Ananya holding a miniature plane they have built together before setting it on flight.

One of the most popular events organised regularly as part of Dasara every year is the Air Show at Bannimantap Parade Grounds which draws huge crowd. As the spectators keep waiting with baited breath, scanning the blue skies overhead for the big metal birds from the Indian Air Force to make their appearance, what keeps the crowd mesmerised for a few moments is a miniature remote controlled aircraft that darts all across the sky, performing loops and somersaults and sometimes even flying barely over their heads.

The curious among them, especially college and high school students, would have dreamt of building such miniature flying models on their own and watch it fly. They can now realise their dreams, thanks to two enterprising and budding engineers.

Though the city already has several amateur hobbyists as well as professionals building racing bicycles, bikes and designer cars on their own, there is no one who ventured to build miniature aircraft and also teach others, except maybe for K. Shreyas and Ananya Balasu-bramanya, Directors of International Academy of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (IAMAS).

"I had avid interest to take on to wings but couldn't fly due to optical constraints. So I thought why not fulfill our dreams by doing aeromodeling," says Ananya, an engineering student of NIE. After she met Shreyas of SJCE, both joined hands together to initiate the process of opening the miniature wings to the young enthusiasts of city.

Though both are students of two different Engineering Colleges in city, they have teamed together and taken the initiative to give wings to the flying aspirations of the youth.

Say the duo, "Aeromodelling is the art of designing and flying unmanned aircraft. The aircraft is usually a scaled down version of an actual aeroplane or one designed specially by the hobbyist. Ours is a joint initiative of Rotary Mysore Adventure Corps (RMAC), an undertaking of Rotary Mysore and IAMAS."

"Basically aeromodelling is of two types. It can be either a non-powered, uncontrolled, free-floating glider, or a multi engine, fue-lled, radio controlled aircraft having wingspans of six feet and more. Many people start off by building a free-floating glider readily available as a kit and progress to advanced models as they improve their skills," says M.M.P. Kumar, a retired NCC Associate Officer, who will be the guide for the youth who wish to give life to their designs.

Rtn. K.G. Venkatraman, President, Rotary Mysore, avers that this innovative hobby will imbibe self-confidence and stimulate interest among students to nurture and fulfill their aspirations while doing things differently.

Disclosing the details about the course, Shreyas informed that it is open for all students in the age group of 12 to 20 years and the class will be held twice a week, on Saturdays and Sundays at Rotary High School, KRS Road. Admission is restricted to only 20 students and registration will be done on a first- cum-first-serve basis.

For details, contact Shreyas on Mob: 96206-08102 /98451-16835 or Ananya on Mob: 96639-30777 between 5 pm and 9 pm. Those interested can register their names with Mahesh, Rotary Mysore Secretariat, Rotary Centre, JLB Road. Rtn. D.S.D. Solanki is the Advisor to RMAC.