Licensing

The Sri Lankan Department of Civil Aviation will issue a validation letter for an ICAO licence to allow local private flying. The DCA is a ten-minute walk from the Hilton Hotel, in the centre of town, and is open from 0900 to 1200 and 1300 to 1700. I was told the letter was valid for six months from the date of the last medical, but when I said I expected to be in CMB every month, the lady changed it to twelve months!

She will need to see:

• Foreign licence, including medical certificate
• Passport
• Logbook
• Photocopies of the relevant pages of the above documents

You will have to pay 5.50 Rupees (yes, US$0.11) and return an hour or two later to collect the letter. Pick up a flying map while you're there - they seem to be in the "state secret" category at the airfield...

Where to Rent

All light aircraft flying originates from Ratmalana Airfield, 6nm south of the city. Take an Ace or Kangaroo cab - it's a 30 minute, 400 Rupee trip. On the way is the Noritake shop (Lanka Ceramic, 696 Galle Road, so you can kill two birds with one stone!). There were three flying schools with aircraft to rent when I visited (rates are in US$ per hour, telephone from overseas: +94-1 etc):

• Sky Cabs (PVT) Ltd (Capt Suranjan de Silva), tel: 633332/635575 Fax: 635575, aircraft: C152 US$44, C177 US$92, Aztec US$325  
• Asian Aviation Centre (K. Wickramasinghe), tel: 622622 Fax: 652002, aircraft: C152 US$41, Seneca US$220  
• Ratmalana Flying Club (Capt Ramabahu), tel: 635337 Home: 507139, aircraft: C152 US$48

I choose Sky Cabs (aka Asian Academy of Aeronautics) because Mike Vosper replied promptly to my faxes. They also have the best choice of aircraft - if you have passengers you can take the four-seat Cessna 177 Cardinal but with two of you the C152 will do.

The Check Out

A couple of stalls and steep turns, four circuits, total 45 minutes. Aircraft rental includes fuel, instructor, and landing fees.

Where to Fly

Some of the airfields are restricted due to the local security situation, leaving only five or six available to civilian light aircraft. All airfields require 24 hours' notice so the best thing is to discuss it with the instructor when you do the dual check and plan to fly the cross country the next day. If you plan to land away from Ratmalana you will need the names and passport numbers of your passengers for the flight plan.

We planned to leave Ratmalana at 0900 but waiting for the flight plan to be accepted took a few minutes and a bomb check by the Sri Lankan Air Force took a few more, so it was nearly 1000 when finally departed. We went due East into the hills to Adams Peak, a spectacular sight from 7,000 feet, particularly in the early morning. From there we flew South East to Wirawila, some 100 nm from Colombo, just inland from the coast. Wirawila is 5 miles from the temple site of Kataragama and there is also a National Park to explore if you wish. Minimal ATC, no other traffic, and wild monkeys in the trees by the side of the runway. After a coffee and a leg-stretch we continued West along the coast to Koggala. The airfield is a 10 minute walk from the Koggala Beach Hotel, a very nice getaway charging US$34 a night for a double room. A couple of miles down the beach we found the Hotel Club Lanka; a little more rustic, but clean and tidy nonetheless, and only US$12 a night!

The flight back to Ratmalana from Koggala took only 45 minutes despite a brisk headwind. Total flying for the day, including a few circuits at Wirawila, was 3:15 - total cost 6,500 Rupees / UKL40 / US$60 each!

Conclusion

Although the number of airfields open to general aviation is limited by the security problems in Sri Lanka, light aircraft flying is simple and inexpensive. If you've been meaning to try puddle-jumpers again, but have perhaps been put off by the high charges elsewhere, why not try it in Sri Lanka?

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© C J Parker