Aerospace Diary

RH - Rotorhub 29th August 2017 - 03:08 GMT |  by  Neelam Mathews  in Delhi There is reassuring news for India’s fledgling helicopter industry with the Ministry of Civil Aviation .........

RotorHub Neelam Mathews Apr 10, 2015 The first two of eight medium lift   Mi-17 V5   helicopters were inducted by the Indian homeland Border Security Force (BSF) Air Wing inducted on 9 April. However five of six earlier Mi-17 IVs bought in 2003 remain festering in a hangar for lack of spares and training as a result of a turf war between the BSF and  Indian Air Force  (IAF). With a maximum takeoff weight of 13000kg the new V5 aircraft will provide a boost to the starved capability of the force that operates in arduous and inhospitable conditions of rebel-invested areas and on India’s vast northeast, west and eastern borders. However, the buy has brought in a reminder of the acrimony between services and which assumes responsibility for the helicopters.                            (Pixs by Neelam Mathews (Copyright)) Deliveries will be completed by the end of the year and BSF Direct...

Opinion Neelam Mathews Nov 6, 2014 Theoretically, it’s a great concept. Let Indian companies be the prime bidders in partnership with OEMs for mega defense projects like the Avro replacement and now Army/IAF helicopters for which an RFI has been released. However, the practical aspect is far behind. The feeling I’m getting is there isn’t too much enthusiasm by the Indian industry that had opposed the higher FDI limit in defense. Reasons? Unless there is accountability by an OEM, how can the industry take responsibility for the quality of the end-product? As far as the OEM goes, how will it feel comfortable in committing delivery to its partner with little say in the supply chain if it has no ownership and zero confidence in the capability of an industry that is in its infant stage? So, is there a solution? Many are advocating a return to DPP 2011, that allows bids to go to OEMs despite unattractive offsets. By the way, the new government really needs to ensure offs...

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...

Neelam Mathews Dec 1 2013 India's Border Security Force enters its 49th year today. The last year has been full of challenges says the Director General, Subhash Joshi. The govt has sanctioned a 5 year modernization plan worth approx Rs 4200 crores alongwith infrastructure and new units. It is raising 3 battalions this year and air and water wings being upgraded.  Biggest challenge for the BSF is border infiltrations.To a query whether forthcoming elections would pose a problem on borders, he said fencing on the western border was almost complete and on the Bangladesh border some issues on the fencing re landscape were involved. BSF is also building an   embankment , "an old project",  a 179-km stretch of the border in Jammu to prevent ceasefire violations by Pakistan. "It was felt we need better defenses in this sector...the land is being acquired...when handed to BSF, the construction agency will be requested..., " said Joshi. "We were told it...

Neelam Mathews RH- Jun/July 2013 India’s civil helicopter sector is hamstrung by cultural attitudes,regulatory hurdles and a lack of suitable infrastructure and trained personnel. Mike Meyer, CEO of MRO provider Indocopters, talks to Neelam Mathews about present-day realities and future prospects.India’s civil helicopter sector. In India, general aviation is often equated with elitism and is not recognised as a fundamental tool for business or useful in situations where time is of the essence to speed up point-to-point access to remote areas. However, the country’s largest helicopter sales and maintenance company, Indocopters, is trying to reshape this impression. While the restrictive mind-set, reinforced by a downturn in the economy in the past year, may have hit the helicopter business hard, for Indocopters this has been a time for reflection, coordination and steady expansion. The company is the commercial partner and autho...

Paris Air Show  »  2013 by  Neelam Mathews The AS350 B3e is ideal for passenger transport, EMS, aerial work, law enforcement and disaster management. June 14, 2013, 1:10 PM India’s small-but-strategic South Asian neighbors, including Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, will procure around 30 helicopters in different categories in the next five years, according to an internal study conducted by Sikorsky. While Indian military helicopter procurement plans are for more than 1,000 helicopters by 2020, including light utility, attack, Mi-17 medium transport, heavy-lift and multi-role platforms, even as its GDP grew by over 6 percent last year, Bangladesh has the largest budget for procurement in the Indian periphery. With no helicopters of its own, the disaster management and...

Neelam Mathews April 30, 2013 The AgustaWestland issue is bound to stall acquisitions planned in the near future and one hopes it reaches its conclusion- either way. One might have spoken on cue even as the Italian public prosecutor has called today for a quick trial of former chief of Finmeccanica, Giuseppe Orsi, following the completion of the investigation into allegations of bribery to win India's VVIP helicopter deal. A final decision, papers report, is to be made by a judge in a few days on whether there's enough evidence to try those in accused of wrong doing. AgustaWestland was super quick in releasing a statement following the move to trial in Italy today. " Noting the developments in Italy today, AgustaWestland are unable to comment directly on the ongoing investigation, but wish to stress that none of the allegations have yet been tested in court. In the meantime AgustaWestland International Ltd (as the formal “Seller”) has formally sought bilater...

Neelam Mathews April 19, 2013 We're told Augusta Westland AW 101s VVIP helios contract is ‘on hold’. Interestingly, the contract does not have this clause and there is no laid out document that describes the two deadly words! Incidentally, also on hold are ten containers from AW lying in the customs for weeks containing spares, tools, consumables. What is the guarantee that water leakage is not happening already or that the heat may affect solvents etc that might be in the containers? Can there be some sanity to the idiom ‘on hold’ here? Who will pay for this ultimately, one wonders? Not difficult to fathom! A definition on the net describes ‘On Hold’ –“ to stop all activity or communication with someone” and also “to postpone something; to stop the progress of something,” and I can bet a wager there are hundreds more. So while India might consider it to mean ALL its dealings stop in the interim, AW might not. Word has it they are sticking to the schedule for delivery...

Neelam Mathews Dec 4, 2012 Its great to hear so much discussion on traffic snarls and VIPs particularly as our few beautiful days of winter, once the Asean meet starts, will be sullied by noise polluting, loud sounding sirens and cars that move at a speed of summer lightening. Lets face it. Nobody cares as the people who will be affected will be just us- the aam admi, to use Kejriwal's favorite phrase. With elections around the corner, why doesn't the government pretend as it normally does, to show that it cares? Why not round up all our VIPs that live close to Safdarjung airport and use helicopters from there to fly to Palam straight onto to their VIP mode of air transport? Believe me, people will applaud you! This recommendation comes from one of our regular readers, Ashok Singh. Thank You Ashok! Can somebody bell the cat please!? Let us remind ourselves that helicopters, and if I may add, business aviation, are no longer an elitist mode of transport in ailing economi...

 Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 30, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQe6oQNW6As&list=UUef1-8eOpJgud7szVPlZQAQ&index=5&feature=plcp

Aviation International News » May 2012 by  Neelam Mathews Maintaining rotorcraft in India, such as this AgustaWestland AW139, is challenging since maintenance providers are not permitted to own an inventory of parts and customs duties for spares are onerous. May 3, 2012, 4:50 AM   Operators flying some 300 helicopters in India say regulatory issues are stifling an industry that has enormous potential for expansion. Suffocating restrictions, say operators, hound them at every step, starting with brutal import taxes. India’s rules require separate certification for every model type, so the lack of commonality and a mix of fleet types creates additional obstacles. For example, “Maintenance providers are not permitted to own a pool of inventory of spares, which could bring in efficiencies,” according to Sanjeev Choudhary, senior v-p of sales...

Dear All, This is an update. There has been confusion in government circles on the offset guidelines policy validity. We are now hearing- India's new revised defense-offset guidelines will be applied to all RFPs released after 1 January 2011. As reported earlier, the MMRCA,  MMRT, army helicopters, as of now, remain under the RFP they were notified on.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Sept 5, 2011 Even as the military gets eco-conscious and one hopes to see similar efforts in India, Pratt & Whitney has completed its first EcoPower engine wash on a U.S. Navy SH-60 Seahawk helicopter at Naval Base Coronado, California. The first EcoPower helicopter engine wash signifies that EcoPower services are now available for military helicopters, in addition to large commercial and military aircraft, says P&W. “Helicopters operating in harsh environment with salt and sand need to be washed after almost every flight to maintain performance. EcoPower engine wash is the first environmentally sound solution for washing helicopter engines,” said Lou Quattrocchi, Pratt & Whitney Product Line Management vice president. “The closed-loop system of the EcoPower engine wash uses pure water and no harsh chemicals, making the whole process safe and environmentally responsible. Helicopter engines can now be washed anywhere on the flight line with Eco...

 - Neelam Mathews Asian Defence and Diplomacy (Singapore) Date Posted: 26 May 2011 The last date for India’s first ever Request for Proposal for eight dry-lease (wheel-type) helicopters has another fortnight left to close. The RFP released in Dec. last year by the Indian Coast Guard is expected to set a trend in outsourcing by introducing the concept of wet-leasing of aircraft in the military and will reduce complexity of an already varied fleet, say analysts. In India, the Coast Guard is a military unit resembling a naval coastal defence force. It has responsibility for search and rescue, enforcement of maritime law- smuggling, immigration and shipping regulations- and protecting the country's maritime and offshore resources. The contract for the dry-lease is for five year...

Regulatory/Legislative Aviation Daily Jul 01 , 2010 , p. 20 Neelam Mathews India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed a route segregation exercise for helicopters over Delhi and Mumbai that officials hope will lead to more efficient operations and significantly reduced delays. Delhi and Mumbai are home to two of the most congested airports in India. Currently, helicopters are handled like fixed-wing aircraft in terms of approaches and takeoffs, which makes the aviation system inefficient. The DGCA also approved four heliports in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The effort is an outgrowth of discussions held between Bell Helicopter and the DGCA in March 2008 as part of the Aviation Cooperation Program, a public/private partnership of FAA, the U.S Trade and Development Agency, U.S. aviation companies and the Indian government. The Helicopter Aviation Safety Technical Assistance program will address helicopter safety by training both DGCA and Indian military pers...