A similar strategy struck a Nepali pilot Captain Bed Prasad Upreti’s mind, who moved on to create Nepal’s first such aviation museum out of a plane that crash-landed at the country’s only international airport two years back.

Airbus 330, a Turkish Airlines plane that was carrying around 224 passengers, had skid off the runway and crash-landed at the Kathmandu Airport in March 2015.

Luckily, the crash did not harm any of the passengers on-board. But, the airport had to remain shut for almost four days till the removal of the crash-landed plane.

Eventually, the plane was parked aside at a corner of the airport where it remained exposed to open environment rusting for almost two years.

Here is where Upreti’s initiative to create the country’s largest aviation museum began.

“It is unfortunate that the aircraft had an accident and was grounded, but I saw a perfect opportunity,” says Upreti.

A Struggle Behind

Upreti’s efforts to turn the crashed plane into an aviation museum began with bringing the crashed plane 63 meter from airport across the road to the museum lot.

As a process, Upreti recalls a similar experience he had in transporting an abandoned Fokker 100, half the size of Airbus A330, 500 km to Dhangadi of Nepal’s far west to set up a museum on a smaller scale than the present one.

“Transporting that plane across districts was much easier than relocating the Airbus meters away from the airport,” adds Upreti.

He has changed the interior of the plane by removing the entire seating set up and made it spacious.

Upreti invested USD 600,000 and also acquired Rs 20 million aid in loan from the Everest Bank to build the museum.

“As per the contract, if we are unable to run the aviation museum after 10 years from now, all the parts of this museum will be sold to junkyards. I hope that won’t happen,” says Bed.

An Inspiration to Youth, A Must for Tourists

                 (Bedi Prasad Upreti)

Upreti was hopeful that the museum will be an inspiration to youngsters towards pursuing careers in pilot and engineering courses.

“Passers-by are already peeking to get a glimpse,” adds Upreti with confidence over huge public attention to the museum.

The museum-turned plane features a model of the world’s first aircraft of Wright Brothers’ in the business class section and a café in the in the tail part.

“The museum will give a chance to some Nepalis who might never fly to step into a plane,” says Shyam Rauniyar (22), an engineering student who was part of the team that prepared the model of the Wright Brother’s plane. 

Besides, the museum also features more than 150 miniature display planes that illustrate the world’s aviation history and also the story of Nepal’s flying industry.

The museum offers free entry for the students of Grade IX-XII across Nepal provided they have an official letter endorsing the visit from their schools and all the students with IDs get 50 percent off.

“It is not possible to give free tickets to all the students, but we are trying discounts. We are also encouraging students to pursue higher studies to make their career in aviation field,” says Upreti on offering free tickets to the students.

The museum also displays 86 photographs of Upreti’s journey to 80 countries so far. The captured displays include historical and cultural monuments of Nepal in an aerial view and also the underwater captures of various seas all over.

Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft with 208 feet in height and 55 feet in width.

For a Social Cause

Besides driving the youth towards careers in aviation sector, the museum planned under the Bed Upreti Trust also stands for a noble social cause.

“The Bed Upreti Trust is a non-profit organization that has already set up an aviation museum in an abandoned Fokker 100 in Dhangadi. The revenue from that project goes to assist cancer patients. The museum in Kathmandu is a sequel to the Dhangadi venture for which the Trust has partnered with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN),” informed Upreti.

In Response to Cause for Global Aviation

         Model of crash-landed Airbus A330 aircraft

This aviation museum is part of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s efforts to address a severe shortage of pilots across the world.

In this regard, ICAO has started a Next-Generation Aviation Professional program and has called on its partner organizations across the globe to implement the same.

“CAAN has responded to this call by starting its own campaign to get students interested in the aviation sector in Nepal. This aviation museum is a part of that effort and a result of cooperation between CAAN and the Bed Upreti Trust,” says Birendra Prasad Shrestha, Deputy Director, CAAN.

According to a recent survey, the global aviation industry will need 350,000 new pilots and 450,000 aeronautical technicians within the next decade.

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This system called Mode S Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) stands far beyond the primary and secondary surveillance radar at the Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), in terms of efficiency and advancement.

With this system in place, now Nepal’s ATC department can track any aircraft flying in Nepal’s air zone, the entire Himalayan region and parts of Indian airspace, along with safety and efficiency in areas that lacked radar coverage so far. 

 “The MSSR coverage will be extended to the entire eastern, southern and Himalaya regions, and up to Surkhet (250 nautical miles or 463 km) in the west,” says Sanjiv Singh Kathayat, Chief of the Project.

Following an inspection by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Bombardier Challenger 600 Jet on November 20, 2017, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is planning to resume commercial operation of the new radar system on February 1, 2018.  

Efficiency and Accuracy Need of the Hour

The existing surveillance system at TIA was built in 1997 with the Japanese assistance, following two major crashes in 1992 that raised the need for air surveillance systems.

“As TIA is situated in a valley surrounded by hills, the coverage of the existing radar does not extend beyond 50 nautical miles (90 km),” says Kathayat.

Despite Nepal’s dramatic growth in domestic and international air traffic, greater efficiency and accuracy remain a challenge for the country’s ATC officials.

Kathayat was hopeful that the new next-generation RADAR system would provide increased efficiency and enhanced surveillance. Allowing the visibility of almost all air routes across Nepal, the new radar system will make the ATC’s job easier, he adds.

According to Kathayat, radar surveillance of the new system will grow five-fold after it is resumed for commercial operations on February 1, 2018.

He further informed that more than 40 air traffic controllers have been trained on operating the new radar system, which also address the key problem of congestion at airports.

FAA’s detailed report is expected in another 15 days and the total process of completion would take 57 days, Kathayat informed.

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