Growth of Civil Helicopter Fleet In India >>
Helicopters in both civil & military have been in service of the nation
for over 50 years. It was 54 years ago that Capt Rustom Captain CHPL
1 flew the first civil helicopter in the country. While the first
flight of civil registered helicopter flew, as early as in 1953 in
India, the growth of the Industry has been modest
First
Commercial Helicopter Flight Capt. R. Captain in Hiller UH
12B in Nov’1953
From 1953 to 1986, the commercial use of helicopters in India was
limited to small Aviation companies who were involved in communication
and crop spraying roles. In the early years of Oil & Natural Gas Corporations
(ONGC’s) oil and Gas exploration work it was supported by the IAF
and foreign-charted helicopters. The formation of Helicopter Corporation
of India by the Govt in 1986 (later named Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited)
with a fleet of 42 helicopters provided the first boost to the Industry
in the country. Since then, the growth of civil registered helicopters
has been very modest
