After a long time, my dream of going on a chartered flight had finally come true. After winning a radio contest through Fever(91.9FM) in Chennai, I was given a prize of taking a chartered trip/joy ride over the city of Chennai in a beautiful Cessna 172S. The Cessna flight ride was organized by Kunal Air Charter Pvt Ltd.
About the Flight: The flight is a Cessna 172S and a four-seater plane. Also called as a Cessna SkyHawk, it has one engine with a fixed high wing and one of the best airplanes for training. With a range of 1185KMs, it can touch a top speed of 302Km/Hr and a cruising speed of 226 KM/Hr. The Cessna 172S is predominantly used for every basic and advanced flight training sessions . It also gives you the ability to do some stunts and maneuvers in a far easier manner.
The Cessna Flight Ride
Our joyride consisted of a 30 min light ride, starting from Chennai International Cargo Airport over the city of Chennai. We got to flew over Koyambedu Markets, the old World War II runways, Puzhal prison and Puzhal Lake. Sometimes you also get to fly over Pulicat lake but we didn’t get to do it this time. The Air traffic controller allowed us to fly at 1000 ft and at a speed of 250-300 Km Hr.
On our way back, the pilot also did a couple of maneuvers, which seemed to be the highlight of this trip. Of course you need to have a stomach for it to bear those deep dives and sharp left turns. But if you are a thrill seeker, this is definitely the one for you. Being a small flight, you could communicate to the pilot and also hear what the air traffic controller was communicating to the pilot, through a pair of headphones.
Despite going on several passenger flights to different destinations, this flight ride was so much different and definitely one of my most memorable experience of the year. Cos , how many times you can actually get to open the window of your seat and see outside, while flying 🙂
Kunal Air also offers private chartered jets for business and personal use on a daily basis. If you want to go on one such joyride, contact them here for pricing and other details.
I managed to capture the landing of the Cessna flight here.
I assume that vast green expanse is the Puzhal lake. Must have been a thrilling experience and at such a height you can actually see much more !