Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Arakkonam /Chennai Call me unconventional but I have concluded one thing after a longish career in writing. If the rest of the hotel industry could function with the perfection that Central Industrial Security Force does, I can personally guarantee the world would be a more efficient and hospitable place. By the way they don't lock rooms here! Given their guest house at the Arakkonam regional training center is run with the finesse of a 7- star hotel I am not surprised to find how in-depth and close to perfection training of young recruits here is. I'm here to learn how training is conducted on security.  Who would have thought the tough looking guys in uniform screening you whom we have no time to even look at, could be so multi skilled, dexterous and even have a heart! This,I discovered during a cultural entertainment show where their diverse skills could put TV talent shows to shame. Arakkonam is a few hours from Chennai, and the RTC  is spread a...

Neelam Mathews Feb 12, 2016 The Airports Authority of  India  (AAI) Civil Aviation Training College (CATC) in Allahabad has completed a six-week training course for Afghan civilian air traffic controllers. The course was funded by the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS). Seven Afghan controllers were trained in airport safety management systems and meteorological services. The course also included two weeks of on-the-job training at Varanasi International Airport in Babatpur. A further 10 Afghan controllers are receiving two weeks of practical training in meteorological services in Lucknow. ANALYSIS Conflict-riven  Afghanistan  has ...More in Janes Airports Review (Subscription) 

SINGAPORE AIR SHOW  »  2014 by    NEELAM MATHEWS ATR’s EASA-approved training center in Singapore located at Seletar Airpark offers programs that include flight-crew type rating through recurrent training in an ATR 600 full-flight simulator that enables training for both ATR 44-600s and ATR 72-600s. February 12, 2014, 11:50 PM As demand for aviation in Asia Pacific continues to grow, so does the requirement for training. In addition, infrastructure in the region’s growing economies has not kept pace with expansion, creating colossal challenges for airlines–as confirmed by  Boeing’s Pilot  &  Technician Outlook  on Asia Pacific, which states that demand for pilots in the region will increase by 7 percent in the next two decades. The accelerating growth of  Asian budget carriers , with large fleet orders depleting the pool of trained pilots and maintenance engineers, is making many companies look ...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Nov 22, 2013 Starting Aug 29, training commenced at the CAE Simulation Training P.L. centre in Delhi, India's National Capital Region. The training centre is a joint venture between CAE and Interglobe. The centre currently houses two full-flight simulators providing training for airlines in India and the neighbouring region.  With its six simulator bays, the centre will be able to train over 5,000 professionals per year, at full capacity. "CAE is happy to continue meeting the growing needs of India's civil aviation community by bringing the National Capital Region a world-class training facility. We have developed excellent relationships with the leading carriers in India and have been expanding our presence in the region to offer an extensive range of aviation training solutions," said Nick Leontidis, CAE Group President, Civil Simulation Products, Training and Services. "Pilots and aviation professionals from the region now hav...

Neelam Mathews Nov 22, 2012 ATR's newest flight training center in Singapore is now officially approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and is ready to start training courses shortly. The center will provide a high level of training programs from flight crew type rating through recurrent training to differences courses. Strategically located in the Seletar Aerospace Park, a major hub for the Singapore aerospace industry, the center will officially be inaugurated mid-December this year. The EASA certification of the new ATR Training Center in Singapore gives way to a long term operational approval of the flight training equipment. It covers the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) for ATR -600 series, the maintenance/flight simulation training devices (MFSTD) and a brief/debrief station. This FFS is the second for ATR's -600 series program. The very first one is located at the main ATR Training Center in Toulouse, France, along with a Full Flight Trainer (FFT) fo...

Neelam Mathews Nov 5, 2012 Defense Minister A.K Antony has told a consultative committee that included the IAF to complete all pending Court of Inquiry proceedings into air accidents especially for category-I aircraft accident as early as possible. Category-I accidents are those in which the aircraft is destroyed, damaged beyond economical repair, missing or if the cost of repair, excluding damage to aero-engines, exceeds 50% of the total cost.  Antony said an inspection of helicopters detachments was carried as there was “an unusually high number of accidents and incidents on helicopters,”, while operating away from their parent base.  The inspections resulted in highlighting several shortcomings for which “action is being taken on these shortcomings on a priority basis.” Training standards of the younger fighter aircrew, is a focus, said Antony. The basic flying training is being shifted from HPT-32 to Kiran aircraft.  “To make up for the deficiencies of ...

Neelam Mathews Sept 3, 2012 Pawan Hans has released a tender for the purchase of two brand new (1 Pilot + minimum 1 passenger seat) Ultra Light Helicopters, (Piston Engine)  for onshore operations  mainly for training purposes. The last date for closing of bids is Sept 28. The helicopter should be fitted with Dual flight controls.It will be used mainly at a helicopter training school to train helicopter pilots who have no previous flying experience. The helicopter shall also be utilized for surveillance of oil pipelines. The range required is 175 NM ISA+20 degree centigrade at sea level.

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 16, 2012 Embraer Defense and Security has delivered the first EMB 145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) class of aircraft to the Government of India at Embraer’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The delivery follows successful completion of ground and flight tests of the aircraft which met operational targets established by both Embraer and Center for Airborne Systems (CABS) of Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO). Later, the aircraft will be delivered to the Indian Air Force after integration of missions systems of DRDO by CABS in India. “The collaboration with DRDO in such a complex program strengthens the ties between Brazil and India”, said Luiz Carlos Aguiar, President & CEO of Embraer Defense and Security. “We are very proud to meet the expectations of our clients in providing CABS, DRDO with this platform.” “This EMB 145 AEW&C features major capabilities such as in-flight refueling...

Neelam Mathews July 27, 2012 Now that the striking Air India pilots are being taken back, so much for the 'gutsy' minister of civil aviation who "refused to bend to the Air India pilots demands'! Aerospace Diary learns that the AI pilots may have got their way and it'll be back to training just Air India pilots and not the erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots on the 787s. Which, to most in the aviation sector, makes a lot of sense. It is also likely that all the Airbus-trained  (IA) pilots who trained on the 787, will return to where they came from. So much for spilt milk ...er ...I mean money. Why then, was this drama enacted? And for whom? Air India in the past two traumatic months of a country's lifetime, has managed to further lose its image in the international market and given its customers a treatment they hardly deserve for being loyal to the carrier. It certainly brought a smile on its competitors lips who saw their yields spiral as customers frown...

Air India Pilots Continue Brawl over 787 Flying AIN Air Transport Perspective » May 21, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews The first Air India Boeing 787 rolls out of the manufacturer’s Charleston, S.C., factory. Some 200 of Air India’s pilot have struck over the right to fly the new widebodies. (Photo: Boeing) May 21, 2012, 1:25 PM Cash-strapped national carrier Air India, beset by a two-week strike by more than 200 pilots, has canceled service to more than 20 international destinations and is suffering losses of approximately $2 million a day. The strike, which resulted in the termination of 71 pilots, has not affected domestic and short-haul international flights, said a spokesperson. An ongoing confrontation between the pilots of the former Indian Airlines, which flew domestic destinations until its merger with Air India, and those of the erstwhile Air India, which ...

EBACE Convention News » May 16, 2012 by  Neelam Mathews May 15, 2012, 1:30 PM   Mumbai-based charter start-up Invision Air , which has started to take delivery of 12 Phenom 100s and 300s it ordered from Brazil’s Embraer, has launched its Jet Card membership program, one of the first such offerings in India. While the program offers flexibility and a price advantage to regular fliers, it will benefit owners of private aircraft while their own aircraft undergo maintenance, according to company co-founder Vinit Phatak. “Using a Jet Card provides all the primary benefits of owning a jet....

DTI David Walsh Bethesda, Md. Neelam Mathews New Delhi Simulators enhance training without risk Play Hard, Fight Smart Militaries are redoubling efforts to improve the realism of training, while reducing the potential for injury or death to trainees, and cutting costs. An important way of doing this is by using commercial gaming technology in advanced multiplayer (MP) mission-simulation systems. The result is simulators with high data fidelity that give personnel—whether recruits or seasoned operators—exposure to realistic battle scenarios. The axiom that soldiers should train as they fight and fight as they train is becoming as true in virtual reality as in real life. Leslie Dubow, project director of the U.S. Army ’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumention (STRI), says intense interactive training has value. “Multiplayer games are inexpensive enough to train every soldier in the Army,” she remarks. “Simul...