The first flight in Madras took off on February 15, 1911, with Pilot J. Tyck Bleriot attempting the feat in unfavourable weather. “Back then, eight men held the plane till the engine attained full speed and rose,” said K.R.A. Narasiah, historian and former consultant to the World Bank, while talking of the history of civil aviation in Madras.
The first flight deck chief of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Mr. Narasiah spoke about his relentless research that led him to the skeletal remains of one of the earliest planes in Madras today.
“I found a reference about V. Ram. Avadaiappa Chettiar, who owned the earliest plane, in the records of Madras Flying Club. A friend told me that the plane purchased by Chettiar in the early 30s is still in the city. It was like looking for a needle in the haystack but I eventually found it in Aavanna Gardens, owned by the family of Avadaiappa Chettiar,” he said.
Madras Flying Club was incorporated on March 4, 1930, by G. Vlasto, a pilot, with the aim to expand the air-mindedness in the country, he said. He vividly recollected the time when, in September 1963, The Hindu began to fly its planes to distribute copies in the southern region.
