Bahadur Chand Gupta and Nirmal Jindal run an aero-museum for kids in Delhi

 
Ever thought of walking your grandchildren into the cockpit of an aircraft and letting them sit on the pilot’s seat? Well, your wish can now be fulfilled at Aeroplanet, an aero-museum in Bagoda village in Dwarka, Delhi, which houses an Airbus A300 and Bombardier CRJ200. Run by Bahadur Chand Gupta and wife Nirmal Jindal since 2004, it offers free joyrides to poor children and educates them about flight protocol. “I hail from a small village in Haryana,” says 60 year-old Gupta, who was an aircraft maintenance engineer with Indian Airlines and Lufthansa. “I know how curious people from villages and small towns are about aircraft and flying.” In 2003, when the aviation industry was taking off after privatisation, the couple bought a damaged Airbus A300, lying idle at Indira Gandhi International Airport, with the intention of opening an aero-museum to educate those who can’t afford to fly. Later, they bought a Bombardier CRJ200. Open from 9.30 am to 5 pm, the museum aims to replicate flight experiences such as check-in, boarding and demonstrations on the use of the safety belt, oxygen mask and life jacket. “They even get to experience air turbulence,” says Gupta, who also gives a technical tour of the cockpit to those interested. His wife, a professor of international studies at the University of Delhi, lends a helping hand when large groups come calling. They have a 20-odd staff to help out with activities such as issue of tickets, safety demos and in-flight food distribution. Though poor children are given a free ride, others are charged a fee of ₹ 250 per person to help sustain the running cost. They also rent out the museum for film shoots. “It was a novel experience for our students,” says Sushil Singh Rathore, a government school teacher. “They couldn’t stop talking about it.” On a parting note, Gupta says, “I was clueless when I flew for the first time. I’m happy our modules help kids get over the phobia of flying.”

—Ambica Gulati

Photos: Himanshu Kumar
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
November 2017