A private gliding club has acquired the services of silver-haired motor-gliders Didieo Debaque and Alain Maynjovet who expressed confidence to successfully undertake this unique relief operation - the first ever in the world.
"I and my colleague Maynjovet held a demonstration at Shinkiari region on Sunday and we feel highly confident that we can run this relief mission through para-gliding and motor-gliding which otherwise is a sport", Debaque told reporters at a press briefing after a second demonstration. The demo was held at Fatima Jinnah Park, just round the corner from Margalla-Towers building, which also collapsed in the wake of October 8 earthquake.
"The motor-gliding flights can be successfully operated to send medicines, tents, blankets etc plus doctors and paramedical staff door-to-door in portions of the earthquake-affected, high-altitude areas where even the choppers are unable to land", said the Hawk Gliding Club Chief Executive Major Syed Hamid Raza (Retd).Hamid, along with his chief instructor Imtiazul Hassan, will also be part of this relief mission through motor-gliding flights, which can rise up to 8,000 feet.
He said each motor-gliding machine could run 20 to 25 flights a day, depending on fair weathers. "Good weather is necessary for running these flights", he said. "We can reduce the load of choppers by half (50 per cent), he said adding that each flight could carry a load of maximum 220 kilogram.
Hamid, a former karate instructor, said a motor-gliding flying machine costs nearly rupees one million.
He said the Frenchmen would take 500 Euros a week in this humanitarian mission while otherwise they charge this amount for a single day from their clients in Europe.
Former NAB Chairman Lieutenant General Munir Hafeez (Retd) said he had known Hamid who had come to him for guidance in running relief mission through motor gliding.
"I watched the demonstration at Shinkiari and I think it can greatly help the relief work. Doctors can also be sent to remote areas through motor gliding", he said appealing to private donors to help in acquiring more motor-gliding machines for the relief work.
General Munir, who also heads an NGO "Zindagi", said donations for motor gliding relief mission could be channeled through his organisation for the sake of tax rebate.