Civil Aviation Development & Discussion

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 19 Jan 2011 08:17

the first mover - Jet seems to be fading away a little bit...one hears nothing new good or bad from them anymore...

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 19 Jan 2011 08:50

Gagan wrote:I was in New Delhi T3 recently. Have to say much impressed by the infrastructure.

All the announcement speakers - there are like a zillion of them are all 'BOSE' ! (naam hi kaafi hai!) Everything used is top of the line.

Spoke to a CISF security officer.
The Jawans carry MP-5s and the officers carry Glock pistols.

Minor correction...They carry MP-5Ks hooked to their belts so that they can quickly swing it up and fire.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 19 Jan 2011 13:51

Singha wrote:the first mover - Jet seems to be fading away a little bit...one hears nothing new good or bad from them anymore...

here's some....

Jet Airways plans to add 49 aircraft: report

Jet Airways is planning to add 49 aircraft over the next three to five years, according to a report.

Naresh Goyal , chairman, Jet Airways has reportedly said that new aircraft will be added from the next financial year.

The airliner has a debt of 13,000 crore of which 3,000 crore is non-aircraft loans, adds report.

Jet Airways' board had approved leasing of 10 Airbus A330s earlier.

Apparently Jet's announcement went largely unnoticed in the wake of the historical IndiGo order.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 19 Jan 2011 13:55

And here's an interesting blip that is just being reported in the news now....

Domestic airlines carry record 50 lakh passengers in Dec

For the first time in the history of Indian aviation, domestic airlines carried more than 50 lakh passengers in a month.

The latest data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) show that airlines carried 52.13 lakh in December, up from 44.87 lakh passengers in the same period of the previous year, reporting a growth of almost 16 per cent.

During January-December, domestic airlines carried 520.21 lakhs as compared to 438.40 lakhs in 2009.

During the period under review, the industry paid close to Rs 1.26 crore as compensation to passengers of which almost Rs 1.10 crore was on account of providing facilities and compensation to those affected by delays and cancellation of flights.

In December alone more than 1.5 lakh passengers were affected by flight delays while 31,000 passengers had to put up with flight cancellations. In December, inclement weather conditions including dense fog affected operations of airlines.

grrr, b@stard Air India just sms'ed me about delaying my flight on friday by 4 hours. Goddamit I am so angry, I only took 3 days off for a small vacation and they've already eaten 4 hours of it.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 19 Jan 2011 16:00

Who told you to use Air Parasite?

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 19 Jan 2011 16:08

ha ha, good question. I am flying from Mumbai to Jodhpur, and Air India was actually the cheapest and convenient flight available at the time. Since Jodhpur Airport's just become functional, not a lot of options available.

I am hoping the new aircrafts being purchased by IndiGo/Jet/etc will increase connectivity to these smaller airports so I don't have to rely on Air P.

Not that Mumbai airport is without its problems. The last time I traveled, I was delayed by a couple of hours at the airport because of the work on one of its runways, thus leaving only one operational. For a financial capital of this country, its got the worst air connectivity ever!

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 19 Jan 2011 20:26

Dileep wrote:Who told you to use Air Parasite?

Long live Air Parasite, since it is the only one that can take me home at the cheapest price and shortest time.

Who cares about IT-Vity munnas who need a lap dance from the air hostesses or lounges and shopping malls at layovers to empty your wallets.

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 20 Jan 2011 05:39

Bade wrote: Who cares about IT-Vity munnas who need a lap dance from the air hostesses or lounges and shopping malls at layovers to empty your wallets.

On a trip to oirope et al, got caught in the Heathrow storm melee last month. The last leg was by BA and they were surprisingly decent to an injun. Got a visa-on-arrival issued with minimal fanfare and I stayed outside for almost two days on a good hotel booked by them. Cant believe I am saying this, but it is a far cry from the BA and LH of the 90s!!

But then when oirope shows respect, I would get scared due to listening closely during my history lessons. Means injuns are again rich and trade needs to happen

btw, Vayalar Ravi is the new CA minister. Kerala state govt are busy wiping egg off their face over "TIAL T3 inauguration borefest"

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 20 Jan 2011 10:03

hnair wrote:On a trip to oirope et al, got caught in the Heathrow storm melee last month.

Remember seeing a video clip on face book. The whole airport was covered with a layer of snow. And there was also a air plane parked on a run-way, and the crew putting their head out of the cock pit and waving at the TV team (who were on a helicopter).

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 21 Jan 2011 01:10

^^^ yeah was pretty bad! And Heathrow T5 sucks ass in more ways than one! Finally latched on to a Virgin flight via T3 (though choked up, a much better terminal). Branson-janaab definitely knows how to slap a gubmintish airline around

Good thing was the heavy snow fall worked out at the final destination, made my vacation.... giggity

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 22 Jan 2011 01:26

Mahindra's to launch its first indegenously built aircraft, to be 20% cheaper than Cessna.

Mahindra & Mahindra, the tractors to information technology conglomerate, will launch its first indigenously built aircraft before March, at a price at least 20 per cent cheaper than an equivalent aircraft of Cessna, the market leader, said a senior executive of the company.

Mahindra Aerospace, arm of Mahindra Engineering Services, will take the aircraft on its maiden flight perhaps next month. The Mumbai-based company has been developing the small aircraft in partnership with the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).

Hemant Luthra, president, Mahindra Systech, said, “We would fly our first indigenously-built aircraft in Q4 (present quarter). We have to make sure the aircraft is certified to get the FAR Part 23. It should be about 20 per cent cheaper than a Cessna.”

FAR or Federal Aviation Regulations Part 23 contains air-worthiness standards for planes in the normal, utility aerobatic and commuter categories. It dictates the standards required for issuance and change of type certificates for airplanes in these categories.

The six-seater, turboprop-engined, Stationaire model from Cessna carries a price tag of $533,400 (Rs 2.4 crore), according to its website. It is the cheapest model from that company, with similar seating specifications.

Mahindra Aerospace is developing a five-seater version of their small plane specially for the Indian market and a larger version which could seat eight to 10 passenger. The plane will be powered by turboprop engines. The executive refused to divulge details of cost of development.

The aircraft, known as NM5-100, is designed to be converted for training or cargo operations purposes.

M&M will commercially produce the aircraft at its facility in Bangalore after NAL flight-tests it and it is later certified.

According to reports, M&M is also looking at a Civil Aviation Safety Authority certification in Australia, where the demand for such aircraft has been found to be encouraging.

M&M had acquired majority stake in Australian general aviation manufacturer Gippsland Aeronautics and Aerostaff Australia, a component and assemblies manufacturer.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 28 Jan 2011 10:15

Kingfisher to add to fleet by Oct; sees FDI rule ease

Kingfisher Airlines, plans to add eight leased aircraft to its fleet by October this year to expand capacity in the wake of growing air traffic, the firm said in an investor presentation made earlier in January.

Of the eight aircraft, six will be narrow-body Airbus A320 models and two will be the wide body Airbus A330s, the presentation said.

Kingfisher currently has a fleet of 66 aircraft, including 34 Airbus A320s.

Kingfisher is second in market share in India along with IndiGo, according to government data, with identical market share of 18.6 per cent. The Jet Group is the largest Indian domestic carrier with 25.4 per cent market share.

India's domestic passenger traffic grew 18.7 per cent through January to December last year led by a burgeoning middle class in Asia's third largest economy.

State-run Air India also announced plans in January to lease 40 new planes from Canada's Bombardier and Airbus.

Kingfisher , controlled by United Breweries Holdings Ltd, also expects the Indian government to open up the domestic market to foreign carriers.

"FDI (foreign direct investment) policy is expected to allow foreign airlines to take equity stake in domestic carriers in the near future," it said in the presentation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has moved a proposal in 2009 to allow foreign airlines to acquire 25 per cent equity in local airlines, it added.

chackojoseph · Post by **chackojoseph** » 09 Feb 2011 09:30

Bell Helicopter Delivers First 429 Into India

manish · Post by **manish** » 09 Feb 2011 10:15

And finally some movement on the vexed IGI Shiv Murti issue...
Shiv Murti to be lowered by digging ground below

NEW DELHI: Science and faith may soon join hands at Delhi airport to ensure that the Shiv Murti near the newest runway remains towering enough for devotees without remaining an impediment to aircraft taking off and landing next door.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has offered help for digging the ground to lower the statue by taking technical expertise from construction giant L&T. This offer came as members of the trust running the statue met officialsof AAI,DirectorateGeneral of Civil Aviation and aviation ministry on Tuesday.

AAI had issued legal notice to the trust some months back, asking it to either reduce the 263m high statue to the allowed 252m or relocate it

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 13 Feb 2011 07:41

What in the world is AI doing!

Air India domestic ran with 22% flyer load

Atrocius doesn't even come close to describing this!

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 13 Feb 2011 10:37

After much farce over inauguration (courtsey the State govt), the Trivandrum T3 terminal has finally been thrown open by Dr MMS. Well sort of

some links from SSC posts
link1
link2
link3
link4
link5

TRX T3 was lying like that since March 2010 (nearly 11 months) because State Govt wanted to position it right before the next state election guidelines kick in. The current govt must be the biggest customers for iodex this month in in India, due to burns on their inaugural scissor holding fingers

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 13 Feb 2011 10:53

In one of the photos I see Arrivals/Departure digital board..... all but one internashnul flight are going to middal yeast. ..... one which is not (going to middal yeast) is going to Maldives.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 13 Feb 2011 14:44

are those plastic chairs for MMS inaugral ceremony only or meant to be permanent ? unless these marriage hall type chairs are glued to the floor will soon be in gross disarray as people will push and rearrange them around.

hnair · Post by **hnair** » 13 Feb 2011 22:09

inaugration event chairs. The real ones are sort of like the AAI std ones in new terms

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 14 Feb 2011 12:47

hnair wrote:The current govt must be the biggest customers for iodex this month in in India, due to burns on their inaugural scissor holding fingers

VS Achu and the brigade of commies are not pleased with the recent two events. The inaguration of T3 at Thiruvanathapuram, and the Vallarpadam port. Achu in his speech clearly indicated his displeasure in the way the Central Govt. tried to put up a claim that every thing happened because of them only (Achu and commies were out of it).

PS: Com. VS spoke in Malayalam, and some central ministers had criticised him. Achu's complaints against the central govt. could not be understood by the PM so he can give a befitting reply. Achu how ever shot back saying he spoke in his mother tongue, and the P.M had ways to get his speech translated. I liked him for that

.

arun · Post by **arun** » 21 Feb 2011 20:50

Airports Council International (ACI) 2010 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) rankings released:

1. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), ranked first in the 5-15 million passenger category

2. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport ranked second in the 15-25 million passengers category.

3. New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) ranked fourth in the 25-40 million passengers category.

From here:

Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai airports on a different plane

Purush · Post by **Purush** » 26 Feb 2011 10:10

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/woman ... ome-Cities

New Delhi: A Mumbai-bound flight was delayed by one-and-a-half hours at the Delhi airport Friday morning -- first by fog and then by a passenger who did not want to travel on a plane piloted by a woman.

Passengers on board had a curious story to tell as to why Indigo flight 6E 179, supposed to depart at 8.10 a.m., could not take off before 9.40 a.m.

"First the flight was held up by a slight fog. Then, just when we were about to fly, the doors were opened again at around 9 as a middle-aged man seated a couple of seats away from me objected to a woman piloting the plane," co-passenger Partha Guha told IANS.

The man apparently turned jittery after the customary flight announcement was made, giving the pilot's name - it was a woman.

"The man first started grumbling to co-passengers, 'Marna hai kya? Ghar nahi sambhalta, plane kya sambhalegi?' (I don't want to die! She can't take care of the house, how will she take care of a plan?)

"He called the airhostesses and objected to the woman pilot. Ground staff were called and they took him out of the plane. This situation did not change for nearly 40 minutes even as other passengers became restless and upset."

The man relented only after he was told he would be taken off the plane -- with his check in baggage.

An airport official admitted that there was a "mentally unsound" man on board the plane.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 28 Feb 2011 02:23

Today i thought i got a good idea, the idea was to tow a full aircraft to the launch place on the runway from the gate. This would lead to great fuel savings for airlines while they are waiting to start the take off run. Google chacha then told me it has been thought for a long time and Branson thought about doing this however, boeing and airbus said their front landing gear is not adequately strengthened to allow towing of a full aircraft for such long distances. Can the NAL design team add this in as a requirement for the the regional jet concept or are there other reasons not to do it ?

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 28 Feb 2011 08:36

Recently, DGCA caught women pilot who used wrong technique to land Airbus 320 few times. This only came to light when front wheels were used for landing and got damaged. Upon investigation it was found that pilot had acquired license using fake documents.

Few newspapers reported this. Name of the pilot was Parminder Kaur or something.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 28 Feb 2011 09:21

Gaurav_S wrote:Recently, DGCA caught women pilot who used wrong technique to land Airbus 320 few times. This only came to light when front wheels were used for landing and got damaged. Upon investigation it was found that pilot had acquired license using fake documents.

Few newspapers reported this. Name of the pilot was Parminder Kaur or something.

Every one else is scamming the country, why not Parminder?

And no one seems to have noticed when she was "nosing" around in the cockpit.

http://www.asianage.com/india/lady-pilo ... icence-988

Lady pilot flew with fake licence
Feb 27, 2011 |

Feb. 26: The director-general of civil aviation (DGCA) has lodged a complaint with the Delhi police against a woman pilot for allegedly flying a commercial airliner on a fudged licence.

Captain Parminder Kaur Gulati had allegedly repeatedly failed the test for her pilot’s licence but managed to get a licence by transposing her picture on the marksheet of a successful candidate. Her deed came to light when the DGCA launched an investigation into her “rough landing” of a passenger aircraft at Goa international airport on January 11.

“The DGCA has investigated. I have revoked her (Ms Gulati’s) licence with immediate effect. We have also lodged a police complaint,” Mr E.K. Bharat Bhushan, DGCA, told this newspaper.

The DGCA investigation of the Goa landing showed that Capt. Gulati had used the fragile nosewheel just under the cockpit for the touchdown instead of adopting the normal practice of using the main-landing gear (MLG), which comprises two sets of sturdy rear wheels capable of taking the weight of the aircraft at great speed.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Feb 2011 10:48

Gaurav_S wrote:Recently, DGCA caught women pilot who used wrong technique to land Airbus 320 few times. This only came to light when front wheels were used for landing and got damaged.

I have seen pilots doing both types of landing using nosewheel undercarriage touch down or main undercarriage touch down.

So AFAIK there is nothing wrong in using nosewheel to land , it appears like a steep landing when viewed and military pilots generally tend to do it .

So there is nothing wrong in the technique of using nosewheel undercarriage , what i can make out from this news is she has the proper lic to fly the bird but her old certificate (school/college ) could be forged

Gaurav_S · Post by **Gaurav_S** » 28 Feb 2011 11:30

Austin wrote:
Gaurav_S wrote:Recently, DGCA caught women pilot who used wrong technique to land Airbus 320 few times. This only came to light when front wheels were used for landing and got damaged.
I have seen pilots doing both types of landing using nosewheel undercarriage touch down or main undercarriage touch down.

So AFAIK there is nothing wrong in using nosewheel to land , it appears like a steep landing when viewed and military pilots generally tend to do it .

So there is nothing wrong in the technique of using nosewheel undercarriage , what i can make out from this news is she has the proper lic to fly the bird but her old certificate (school/college ) could be forged

But as per this report pilots are required to use main landing gear for landing and not nose wheel. Probaly its only used on military aircrafts which are lighter then commercial aircrafts.

DGCA sources said the pilot while flying the private Indigo airliner made a rough landing at Goa airport on January 11 using the nose wheel instead of the rear landing gear.
Investigations have revealed that she used the wrong technique several times, the sources said.

According to DGCA, to obtain airline transport pilot license, one needs to fly 1,500 flying hours and also required to complete an examination.

The sources said the pilot while landing needs to use the aircraft's rear wheels to touchdown as the nose wheel is not equipped to take the plane's heavy weight.

Link

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Feb 2011 11:47

Gaurav_S wrote:But as per this report pilots are required to use main landing gear for landing and not nose wheel. Probaly its only used on military aircrafts which are lighter then commercial aircrafts.

Pilots are free to choose the way they would like to , its quite common to use both types , unless this is India specific rules then she has erred. But the fact that the passengers and landing was done safely proves the point.

But i feel she was caught that way , nose landing DGCA gets into action does a background check find some fraud.

negi · Post by **negi** » 28 Feb 2011 11:55

^ That is not true Austin, if you would closely look at the way landing gear wheels are arranged on a civilian AC as against a MIL transport like IL-76 you would know that former was never meant to land with nose wheel touching the airstrip first. Touchdown attitude, landing approach speed are AC specific and hence pilot has to operate within those limits. You are mistaking an AC's ability to land on a nosewheel without any incidents for a 'recommended procedure for an AC type' and pilots can and in fact should get grounded for not adhering to the latter.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 28 Feb 2011 13:18

negi wrote:^ That is not true Austin, if you would closely look at the way landing gear wheels are arranged on a civilian AC as against a MIL transport like IL-76 you would know that former was never meant to land with nose wheel touching the airstrip first. Touchdown attitude, landing approach speed are AC specific and hence pilot has to operate within those limits. You are mistaking an AC's ability to land on a nosewheel without any incidents for a 'recommended procedure for an AC type' and pilots can and in fact should get grounded for not adhering to the latter.

There are very rigidly set procedures for landing and take off.

Airline operations is not a "democratic" set up with independent crew members exercising their fundamental rights of expression in the cockpit. They jolly well follow set procedures or it's the highway for them.

The nose wheel may withstand the shock of a nose wheel first touch down in some unavoidable isolated and / or mistaken instances but by design, it is not meant to be used as such. The FDR will give a clear indication of how the landing was made.

Just last week another lady touched down on the nose wheel at a peripheral airport in the south and broke the nose wheel.Many passengers must have crapped their pants.

Parminder is not the only one who is flying the Indian skies with cooked up documents, there are many parminders in India, more male than female!

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 28 Feb 2011 13:20

Austin wrote:
Gaurav_S wrote:But as per this report pilots are required to use main landing gear for landing and not nose wheel. Probaly its only used on military aircrafts which are lighter then commercial aircrafts.
Pilots are free to choose the way they would like to , its quite common to use both types , unless this is India specific rules then she has erred. But the fact that the passengers and landing was done safely proves the point.

But i feel she was caught that way , nose landing DGCA gets into action does a background check find some fraud.

On nose landing pilots, the only check that needs to be done is a IQ check!!!

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 28 Feb 2011 13:37

From what I understand, in airplanes with tricycle landing gear configuration, nose landing is avoided as plane can trip forward. The plane lands on MLG until it slows down to speeds which are safe enough for nose wheel touch down. probably the only exception of beefier NLG might be with carrier based platforms (I think)! here is a Beechcraft King Air NLG crash in Reno

[youtube]Rr5RAwzy6t8&feature=fvwrel[/youtube]

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Feb 2011 14:11

Negi , Chetak you folks are right , I confirmed it and as I have been told nose landing is not recommended or done for big aircraft ,else it runs the risk of breaking/damage to nose gear.

The lady was flying an A-320 , this friend of mine was telling me that when you land a A-320 at 100 ft AGL it automatically does a pitch down -2 degrees and then the pilot is suppose to pitch up 3 degrees , probably you need to disengage the autopilot before you do that.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 28 Feb 2011 14:12

chetak wrote:Airline operations is not a "democratic" set up with independent crew members exercising their fundamental rights of expression in the cockpit. They jolly well follow set procedures or it's the highway for them.

That was too good

joshvajohn · Post by **joshvajohn** » 28 Feb 2011 17:09

For them, it was traumatic experience in Tripoli

His ordeal continued even in the airport. “Even as Chinese embassy officials were checking only the passports of their countrymen for permitting them board the flight, Indian embassy officials were concerned mainly about checking whether the people gathered figured in a list they had. It took more than four hours for them to process the list but the Chinese boarded the flight in 30 minutes,” Mr. Silvester.

“I was among the first to reach the airport. Other Indians started gathering later. I was asked to go to the embassy and get a certificate permitting me to board the flight. As I heard gunshots, I was scared to go to the embassy. But the Indian bureaucracy turned my request down thrice even though I showed my passport. They were busy checking the list they had with them. I broke down in tears,” he added.

“The Indian embassy officials did not understand that there is no need for paperwork during an emergency. Saving lives is more important. They could have just checked the passport for permitting us board the flight,” said Mr. Silvester, who ultimately made it to the aircraft with an airline official's help.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/28/stories ... 681400.htm

India needs to get rid of bureaucracy that is the major hindrance for development

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 28 Feb 2011 22:09

It's rather easier to tell a Chinese apart from an Algerian than an Indian...

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 28 Feb 2011 22:52

Suraj wrote:It's rather easier to tell a Chinese apart from an Algerian than an Indian...

We also have to worry about other similar nationalities. Paki & Bangladeshi in particular. Good that they keep lists and check them.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Mar 2011 17:30

Civil aviation in infancy or infants in civil aviation??

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed ... 68528.aspx

Passenger boards aircraft with month-old boarding pass

New Delhi, March 02, 2011

In a security breach, a passenger was allowed to board an aircraft of a private airline at the IGI airport here on the basis of a month-old boarding pass. The incident took place on February 10, when a passenger went past the security check, manned by CISF personnel, at the Terminal-3 of the IGI air
port and was allowed to board a Kolkata-bound Kingfisher flight.

It was only when the passenger was inside the aircraft, it was found that another traveller was occupying the seat allotted to him.

On closer inspection, it was found that he was carrying a computerised web check-in boarding pass dated January 10 which went undetected till the passenger had boarded the aircraft.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 05 Mar 2011 10:57

Is there a thread for the National Civil Aircraft Development?

Livefist reports: http://livefist.blogspot.com/2011/02/ne ... ndias.html

Little birdie told me it is advancing well, and vendor selection is going on.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 08 Mar 2011 08:59

Great planning and thinking displayed by AAI here
Flight operations disrupted due to computer blackout

Computer monitors at the ATC were shutdown for their replacement with newer ones at about 3.30pm, officials said.