Two men from the tool and die-making trade in the city have turned aircraft restorers after they were serendipitously contracted to refurbish several ageing display aircraft at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
The aircraft had been languishing in poor shape for years. One is a British-made Hawker Hunter fighter-bomber acquired in 2009 from the Indian Air Force and a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Pushpak light trainer part of the Insitute’s own air fleet which was engaged in active flight until the 1990s. A third aircraft, a HAL HT-2, is pending restorative work and could be completed by January, IISc officials said.
