Advertising professional Ramesh Rao’s adventures in the air has, in the past, led him to a near-death instance.
On October 7, 2013, his two-seater aircraft crashed in the rocky terrain of Ballari. Mr. Rao was flying from Kolhapur to Bengaluru in the aircraft when it developed a technical snag, leading them to crash. However, he and his passenger escaped without injuries.
But on Saturday, luck evaded him when his plane stalled on a go-around while attempting to land in a grass airstrip at Kodagu.
Having taken to flying in the early 2000s, Mr. Rao founded the Bangalore Flying Club as well as the Aircraft Owners’ and Pilots’ Association-India (AOPA). He is the owner of two aircraft, Zenair 701 and Zenair 601, based in Bengaluru.
“Mr. Rao had been flying microflights regularly. He was actively promoting aerosports in the country. He was very experienced and this is an unfortunate accident,” said Javed Hasan from Albatross Flying Systems, who is a close friend. In Mr. Rao’s last message posted on AOPA’s website, he says that the organisation had met Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and urged him to look into the needs of the glider aviation community.
The organisation even met the Director-General of Civil Aviation to formulate Sports and Recreational Aviation regulations as well as a policy to encourage skydiving in the country.
