Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews March 31, 2014 Talk of innovation. No matter how crazy it sounds, somebody is using their grey matter at budget Scoot. And as always, a ' first' gets attention, as does the world's first inflight hot yoga class  that will be available to guests on the daily flight TZ 220 from Singapore to Hong Kong starting 5th April. Space, apparently, is there on the  widebody Boeing 777-200 which offers extra leg (and elbow) room to perform the half-moon pose! Nothing in the world of budget airlines is free as we know.  Scoot is introducing MaxYourSpace - for a small fee – that the seat next to yours will be empty... so you'll be free to strike whatever pose takes your fancy! As for the yoga class- I'm a still hazy how they'll manage to hit it off. I nstructors Maria Chan and Jezeral Heng from Bikram Yoga Katong will be on hand "to assist, guide – and untie – if needed." The yoga area is physically separated by bulkheads, which means the Bikram ...

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha paying his last respects to the Crew of C-130J at ceremonial function held at Air Force Station Hindan on Mar 29

Neelam Mathews March 28, 2014     As a stunned military views the crash of the IAF tactical transporter, C130-J, 75 miles west of Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh , killing five, the Chief of IAF is said to have ordered an inquiry on the possible cause related to the mishap. While this is unprecedented, it shows the shock generated following the crash. “This cannot happen to a C170J, thought it was a cruel joke,’ an IAF official told AerospaceDiary. Recent crashes of the C170 were in Norway and Italy. Understandably, there has been no comment  from Lockheed Martin as yet. While speculation would be out of place at this point, the C-130J that has an infrared detection set that permits precision low-level flying, could have suffered a failure of aerostructures that could be one or many of the following- in the wing, airframe or cockpit, said an engineer to AerospaceDiary. “This could lead to a failure in the fly-by-wire and other critical systems.” Aerospac...

Neelam Mathews March 26, 2014 Pix Credit-Deccan Chronicle As India enters the final phase of elections carried out in phases over five weeks starting April 7, regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued strict guidelines to helicopter and small fixed wing operators and warns non-compliance could lead to suspension of licenses and Air Operators Permits. The circular comes in the background of DGCA reeling under a cloud of FAA having downgraded India's aviation safety rating in January. DGCA acknowledges: “An analysis of earlier accidents and incidents…….has revealed laid-down instructions were violated time and again and safety was jeopardized.” A shortfall in supply with over 31 helicopters sold in the past year and a half, and politicians wanting to campaign at 4-5 remote villages in a day, have created logistics and safety problems. “Most landings in remote areas are dusty. Hovering blades create a dust storm and ground handlers need to spray wate...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Now leasing a pair of Embraer E170s, Air Costa became Embraer’s largest-ever Indian customer in February, when it placed an order for 50 of the company’s planned E2s. (Photo: Air Costa) March 24, 2014, 3:15 PM Five-month-old Indian regional airline Air Costa plans to start international operations once India lifts its rule that limits new carriers to domestic services during their first five years of operation. Ahead of that revision, the carrier, which  ordered a mix of 50 Embraer E190-E2s and E195-E2s at the Singapore Air Show  in February, has applied for a national permit to fly pan-India, Vivek Choudhary, chief commercial officer and vice president of corporate finance of parent company  LEPL  Projects Ltd., told  AIN . He noted that the range of the E2s would allow the carrier to fly to neighboring Southeast Asia and Middle East countries. “We will also look at code shares with [...

Neelam Mathews March 23, 2014 It is now nearing two years since the ICAO team alongwith Indian General Aviation (GA) experts sat down and through 3 months of painstaking work, worked on a draft of the GA policy. Where is it? The 45-day model code of conduct seems to have become an excuse for putting down pen and paper or rather laptops. AerospaceDiary addressed the buried policy at the Hyderabad air show to a senior government official. The question was not even understood, giving an inkling on how little focus there is. And, that in the background of the FAA downgrade, which sadly started with issues related to GA. The answer, we got, by the way, related to the draft aviation policy- which is another issue festering in the cobwebs of India's aviation history. As a nation we should by now, matured enough to understand that, yes GA is for those who can afford it, but, it also helps in productivity and efficiency of industry that gives employment to thousands who are ultimat...

20 March 2014 - 11:13 by  Neelam Mathews  in New Delhi India has received its first batch of 19  Mi-17V5s  as New Delhi continues to clash with Italy over the  termination of its deal  to purchase  AW101 helicopters . India’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the government will file an appeal against a Milan court order rejecting India’s plea ... Subscribe to get the full article and a whole lot more from Shephard Plus

AINALERTS  »  MARCH 20, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 20, 2014, 2:55 PM Previously mandated cash transactions at India’s general aviation airports will now give way to credit cards as part of Airport Authority India’s ( AAI ) attempt to provide hassle-free operations for business aircraft operators. This follows the installation of a cellular-data-enabled electronic transaction facility this week at the last of India’s 93 domestic airports, Hyderabad Begumpet Airport. In the past, India’s air traffic controllers had to count wads of notes and ensure there were no counterfeits, while  AAI  workers routinely transferred cash of up to $16,000 by riding to banks on local public buses.

Neelam Mathews  March 20, 2014 Gulfstream is confident the Indian business aviation market will rebound and to show it means business, it flew the G650, the ultra high-speed, ultra long-range business jet that took off from the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, US on March 10 with two passengers and four crew members on board to Mumbai.  Thirteen hours and 49 minutes later, the aircraft landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, giving it an average cruise speed of Mach 0.85 for the 7,115-nautical-mile/13,177-kilometer flight. The G650’s ability to link these two key business destinations reinforces its utility as a vital tool for corporations to advance their economic interests around the world,” said Jason Akovenko, regional vice president, Sales, Asia-Pacific, Gulfstream. "The speed and range of the G650 are just two of the many reasons why this aircraft is in such high demand.” Pending approval by the U.S. National Aeronautic Assoc...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS A KPMG report suggest India needs more service to secondary markets, such as that SpiceJet now provides with its Bombardier Q400s. (Photo: Bombardier) March 18, 2014, 10:33 AM India’s next government needs to press ahead with the development of domestic air routes, according a new report published by consultants  KPMG  last week. India’s Five-Year Plan for the period from 2012 to 2017 included a policy to improve flight connections between second- and third-tier cities, but progress all but stalled due to the political inertia that has gripped government ahead of elections to be held in April and May. At the same time,  the recent downgrading of the country’s aviation authorities to Category 2 by the  U.S.   FAA  has compromised India’s ability to develop further international air service. According to the  KPMG  report, “Enhancing Air Connectivity,” high fixed co...

Neelam Mathews March 19, 2014 The hauling up of budget SpiceJet by DGCA yesterday following its holi(y) flights and suspension of two pilots, doesn't auger well for an industry in the throes of an FAA safety downgrade and in the background of the MH370 disappearance, the cause of which has not been determined as yet. I'm not sure if this adds to FAA giving more blackmarks to the DGCA in its book, but the fact remains, we in India tend to look at mistakes after we commit them. Time for us to be proactive. What is happening to training? Didn't the pilot have a basic grounding not to leave the cockpit? Can somebody explain to the passengers please? We had pasted this link below in 2012 when Finnair congratulated India on its Rebublic Day from which SpiceJet may have taken inspiration from. No issues on that. But just a quick thought. Sometimes we might need to align our marketing actions with a cultural sensitivity. Not sure whether all the attendants were really enj...

Neelam Mathews March 16, 2014

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Indian company OIS has developed a 3-D radar for tracking bird strike threats. [Photo: OIS] March 13, 2014, 4:49 PM Large flocks of birds around many Indian airports continue to threaten aircraft that are constantly under threat of strikes particularly during takeoff and landing. Data compiled by Airports Authority of India for Chennai International Airport, for example, shows bird strikes increased from 38 in 2012 to 50 in 2013. The problem affects military operations as well, and in an attempt to deal with it, the Indian Air Force has issued a bid for 45 3-D bird-detection radars for military airports. Trials have been completed and commercial bids are set to open this year. This is also expected to set the trend for procurement by civil airports facing the menace. Delhi-based company  OIS , one of the three vendors participating in the  IAF  tender, is offering its indigenous 3-...

AINALERTS  »  MARCH 13, 2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 13, 2014, 1:55 PM Infrastructure and regulatory issues continue to stifle general aviation in India, and for the first time in a decade the industry contracted by one percent last year, according to Rohit Kapur, president of the country’s Business Aviation Operators Association ( BAOA ). Kapur told a press conference at this week’s India Aviation show in Hyderabad that 13 aircraft were imported into the country last year and 19 were sold. The  BAOA  estimates the inventory values of  GA  aircraft in India to be around $2 billion. Noting that there has been a decline in industry projections, Kapur said, “In 2011 we predicted there would be 786 aircraft in the inventory [by 2013]. Unfortunately, we have not reached even half that number.” Calling for a roadmap for general aviation, Kapur stressed the need for regulations that do not lump  GA ...

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS March 13, 2014, 3:32 PM Bombardier Business Aircraft is confident India’s general aviation market will revive following national elections in India that are to be held during April and May. Nilesh Pattanayak, Bombardier’s Asia-Pacific regional vice-president said there has been a big change in the regulatory environment and infrastructure since 2007, when he first came to India. Despite the country’s recent economic setbacks, he told  AIN  at this week’s India Aviation show in Hyderabad that he remains optimistic about further growth in private aviation. “We believe there will be a revival at the end of the 2014 elections [to be concluded on May 12] and that 2015 is going to be a very strong year for business aircraft in India,” he said.  “There is a high level of activity and interest in our products. Traditionally the larger cabin aircraft, such as our Global aircraft, have been the most...