Tag: #helicopter

  • Two brothers from Peshawar make Pakistan’s ‘first’ ultralight helicopter

    Two brothers from Peshawar make Pakistan’s ‘first’ ultralight helicopter

    Two brothers from Peshawar, Qazi Sajjad Ahmed and Qazi Tufail Ahmed have built Pakistan’s ‘first’ ultralight helicopter.

    The two brothers, who belong to Landhi Arbab, a village on the outskirts of the provincial capital, have demonstrated its capability through a successful lift-off.

    Talking to a private news outlet, Qazi Sajjad Ahmed said, “I had watched a James Bond film in 1978, which inspired me to design an ultralight aircraft.” 

    “In 2005, I had submitted a request to the [then] prime minister for financial assistance for accomplishing the feat, which was forwarded to the Pakistan Army. I received a letter from the ministry of defense production and was subsequently interviewed by a major.”

    Sajjad told that the helicopter has been built at a cost of over Rs 1.5 million and can fly up to 6,000 feet. 

    He further said that it can also be used for aerial spraying. While the government acquired special aircraft from Turkey to spray pesticides on locust-infested areas, his helicopter can do so at a cheaper cost.

    The aircraft has been registered with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCCA). Tufail, who is a professional pilot, has requested for government support to bring further improvements to their aircraft.

  • Punjab spends Rs8,600,000 on Buzdar’s helicopter trips

    Punjab spends Rs8,600,000 on Buzdar’s helicopter trips

    The Punjab government has spent Rs8.6 million in 16 months — from August 2018 till November 2019 — on the helicopter flights of Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, including 14 flights to his hometown and constituency, Punjab Information Commission has revealed.

    According to data released by the commission, CM Buzdar made his first visit to Mian Channu and Pakpattan from Lahore on August 28, 2018, on his official helicopter soon after assuming the office.

    In September 2018, the helicopter was used twice for local flying in Lahore. Interestingly, the helicopter was used five times in October out of which Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan used it thrice to visit Punjab Governor’s House during his visits to the provincial capital.

    In November 2018, the official helicopter was used 14 times — thrice to Dera Ghazi Khan, which is also the constituency of the Punjab CM. The official chopper was used to visit Taunsa Sharif, the hometown of the provincial chief executive, during the same month.

    In February 2019, Buzdar paid a visit to Multan, Rajanpur and DG Khan while in the same month he also went to Taunsa via helicopter.

    In April 2019, the Punjab CM made 28 trips on his official helicopter of which five were made to Taunsa. In May 2019, he made 27 visits, eight in July, 13 in August, 10 in September, 14 in October, and 11 in November, of which two trips were to DG Khan.

    He also made several visits to Pakpattan on board his official helicopter during this period.

    The Punjab government helicopter made a total of 164 flights and remained air borne for 119 hours and 30 minutes during this period.

  • PTM lawmakers travel to Kabul on Afghan army helicopter

    PTM lawmakers travel to Kabul on Afghan army helicopter

    Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) lawmakers Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir on Monday got a free ride on an Afghan National Army helicopter from the Pak-Afghan border crossing to Kabul to attend the oath-taking ceremony of President Ashraf Ghani, Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported.

    Mohsin Dawar thanked Afghan President Ashraf Ghani for delaying his oath, because of the two Pakistani legislators who were barred by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from flying to Kabul for being on the Exit Control List (ECL).

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday gave one-time permission to the two Pashtun legislators to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Afghan President Ghani.

    Mohsin Dawar, in his tweet after reaching Kabul, said, “Wanted to express my gratitude to President @ashrafghani for delaying his oath-taking for the arrival of @Aliwazirna50 and myself.”

    The Afghan government specially dispatched a military helicopter to rush the two parliamentarians to the ceremony from Torkham.

    Mohsin Dawar, in another Twitter post, from Kabul said, “Overwhelmed by the welcome we have received here. Wishing a peaceful future for Afghanistan and the region.”

    Dawar also shared some pictures showing them travelling in an Afghan army helicopter.

    According to Afghan media, before reaching Kabul, the PTM leaders also briefly visited some officials in eastern Nangarhar province.