Joyrides a huge hit with tourists

MYSORE: Mysoreans and others are enjoying joyrides over Heritage City. With a rise in the inflow of tourists following the suspension of the Cauvery agitation, the popularity of rides has gone up. The two aircraft -- Cessna 152 and Cessna 172 - took off on Tuesday. Many tourists went back home disappointed due to the limited number of rides.

"It feels great to fly the city at 1,000 ft and because there's no air traffic, it's easy to land and take off," said assistant flight instructor Madhurima Mukherjee who flies the Cessna-152.

She added: "The four-seater Cessna-172 obviously can take more people at a time. Those who've come on the ride enjoy every moment of his journey and families prefer the Cessna-172. The rush was overwhelming from Day 1." Till Thursday evening, 120 persons had gone on the joyride. But seven had to return disappointed on Thursday.

Satish M Gowda, who waited for two hours at Mandkalli airport here with his family, said, "It was wonderful to fly around the city with my mother and wife." His 52-year-old mother Sumithramma said, "I've seen planes fly overhead but this ride made my day."

Queries about Cessna flights also stole the show at the official Dasara website (www.mysoredasara.gov.in) and 203 persons (till October 17) booked tickets online. Tourists can buy tickets at the airport too and they need identity proof like a driving license, voter ID card or PAN card which must be carried during the flight.

 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com