Udupi: People from Udupi and Manipal had a whale of a time watching the airshow held as part of “Aerofest 2008” on the Malpe Beach here on Saturday.

The event was organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, in association with the Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) and National Institute of Technology – Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal. Its aim is to attract the youth to aviation and flying.

Though oppressive heat and the humid weather made the people sweat, it did not dim their enthusiasm anyway. They waved and clapped every time a microlight aircraft passed closed to the ground.

The fest comprised a flypast by microlight aircraft, powered hang gliders, and flights by paramotors from the Para Regiment, Bangalore, thrilled the people. The flights of powered hang gliders and paramotors were also appreciated.

Women pilots Audrey Maben, Vinitha and Roopa Almeida flew microlight aircraft. Ms. Almeida, an alumna of MIT, who is working as a software business analyst in the United Kingdom, said: “I learnt flying at Mysore Aero Sports. I got my licence to fly four years ago. I was happy to fly here. I am sure the youth will love flying.”

Ms. Vinitha said: “It is a wonderful opportunity to fly. It was fun to land the plane on the beach. We want youngsters to take to aviation.” Ms. Maben said: “We want people to feel encouraged to take flying as a hobby.”

Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University Rajasekharan Warrier, who flagged off the airshow, said that the university was planning to have a tie-up with NAL. “Such programmes show the commitment our university has to science and technology,” he added.

An exhibition showcasing the contributions and achievements of NAL was held on the sidelines of the airshow.

There was also a display of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) that can carry audio and video sensors. MAVs will be useful in times of floods, tsunami and controlling forest fires.