Small is the new Big

With the aviation ministry and aircraft operators going gung-ho over the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), UDAN, the potential of smaller aircraft and helicopters to connect remote regions in India has become apparent. With their increasing involvement, it has become increasingly imperative to address the safety issues associated with these aerial vehicles.

Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) conducts safety seminars for all Non Scheduled and General Aviation Operators (NSOPs) twice a year. And, for the 4th edition of BizAVIndia Safety Seminar held in the Capital in March this year, there was a special focus on the safety concerning helicopter operations. As Group Captain Rajesh Bali, MD, Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) Business said in his welcome address, “With the BizAVIndia Safety seminar series, we are keen to take a fresh look at strategies that bring safety efforts into the business framework of BA/GA aviation operations in line with the international standards prescribed by ICAO and IBAC.”

SAFETY NOW

Apart from the operators participating in UDAN, the awareness is more crucial for NSOPs. Capt. Pankaj Chopra, leading BAOA’s SMS & Safety Workshop Committee, also stressed on the same, saying, “Nonscheduled airlines are as much, or sometimes more at risk of accidents as scheduled airlines. NSOP face hazards which are unique to them. Hence, safety management system becomes so much more important.”

Keeping that in mind, the seminar had outlined clear objectives that included making operators aware of the need for a robust Safety management System (SMS) for safe operations for both big or small operators, highlighting the challenges in implementing the SMS amongst Non Scheduled and General Aviation Operators vis-à-vis scheduled operators (airlines) as well as explaining the regulatory requirements of SMS implementation.

“UDAN is a great opportunity to build heliports and push the helicopter safety infrastructure environment in India,” — Air Commodore T.A. Dayasagar, Executive Director, Pawan Hans

The expert panel drove the point home by citing specific cases, accidents, incidents that highlighted the importance of SMS. Helicopters are a cause really close to BAOA President Rohit Kapur, who served in as a helicopter pilot in the Indian Army till 2003 and has a Commercial Helicopter Pilot’s Licence.

Kapur has made no bones about their dismal progress in the Indian aviation scene. In an earlier interview with SP’s, he had said, “Why do you think the helicopter industry has been stagnant in this country for years? When BAOA was formed in 2011, we had predicted that their number would increase to 800. Today, we have further reduced from 300 to 270 helicopters. The growth hasn’t happened because the regulators consider seaplanes and helicopters like Airbus 320s and Boeing 737s.”

IF SAFETY IS A JOKE, DEATH IS THE PUNCH LINE

Attended by general and business aviation operators, DGCA officials and aviation experts, the half day workshop discussed key safety issues in the small aircraft and helicopter operations, global trends and best practices for Business Aviation and General Aviation in India. Training Manager, Global Vectra Helicorp, Capt. K Pathak, delivered the presentation on the safety concerns in helicopter operations in India and shared practical examples of reactive, proactive and predicative organisational approach to safety risks.

R.S. Passi, Deputy Director, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau took SMS managers through accident/incident investigation guidelines and gave insights on the observed trends in aviation safety.

While speaking on safety management implementation systems (SMS) in helicopter operations, Air Commodore T.A. Dayasagar, Executive Director, Pawan Hans Limited, said, “Air Safety culture in organisations begin with introspection,” adding that UDAN is a great opportunity to build heliports and push the helicopter safety infrastructure environment in India.

NEED OF THE HOUR

In a country with a bustling rural regions, some that may prove inaccessible due to lack of infrastructure, helicopters are a great option. However, the sector remains largely under-utilised. Kapur agrees, “Today helicopters are only used to carry passengers from A to B, religious pilgrimage and certain areas for air ambulance. Meanwhile, globally helicopters are being used for emergency medical services, they can land in the middle of a road and take a patient, for powerline cleaning, traffic-control, aerial photography etc.”

However, that may soon change with as many as 17 routes being awarded for helicopter services in the second round of bidding under the RCS, including the 11 won by Pawan Hans. So far, five states have been shortlisted to face the flurry of helicopter activity and ports - Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. In such a scenario, precautionary measures and awareness becomes more important.

With rumours rife of seaplanes also finding a spot in the ambitious UDAN scheme, the pressure is on for the regulatory body. For starters, they need to treat the helicopters or seaplanes as a separate aerial entity from the commercial airliners. Kapur says, “The DGCA has a very commercial airliner mindset. When they think of aviation they only think of Indigo, Air India, Vistara and SpiceJet, and not beyond that. BAOA has been working closely with the DGCA and everyday is a fight. My fear is that if their mindset doesn’t change, seaplanes will go the same way. They are definitely not commercial airlines, they will be used for mainly commuting making them more akin to general aviation. And for regulations...you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just look at the global practices and follow them.”

Many other industry veterans seem to be on the same page. Kanika Tekriwal, founder, JetSetGo echoed the same thought while sharing the details about the inclusion of helicopters in her charter company. She says, “India is a very phobic nation as far as single engine helicopters are concerned. I personally believe that the sector is very overregulated and behind the facade of safety...we are actually not looking at safety at all. So, I don’t think Indian skies are very safe, to be honest.”

So what needs to change? “Well, the biggest change that needs to be brought about is to have more professionals in the regulatory authority rather than bureaucrats because you need to have a knowledge bank that understands what the aviation industry is going through and bring about change. This is just a general macro-level view,” she says.