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SP's Aviation - ISSUE No 01-08

Issue Features

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  Acquisition: C-130J gets the NOD
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, Bangalore

  Sources close to the industry confi rmed to SP’s that the contract for six Super Hercules from Lockheed Martin was inked with the US Government on February 7.

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  Airlines: Afloat at What Price
  By Group Captain A.K. Sachdev, Bangalore

  What drives the economics of an airline and what decides whether it will survive through a crunch phase in the industry.

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  Business Aviation: Shifting Fortunes
  By Phil Nasskau, London

  The economic case for VLJs has been under close scrutiny and, while a new—more direct—market has opened, those who jumped on the VLJ bandwagon now fi nd themselves teetering on wheels that are defi nitely buckling.

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  Flight Safety: Clear & Present Danger
  By Group Captain A.K. Sachdev, Bangalore

  Greater the impetus to aviation more should be the attention paid to safety, but in India, cut-throat competition and relentless market forces are inexorably pushing safety concerns into a corner.

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  Pilot Training - Wanted: Capable Hands
  By Air Marshal P.K. Mehra

  An imperative on fl ying academies is to introduce a rigorous selection process, perhaps on the lines of air forces worldwide, and also improve the training methodology.

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  Case Study: Advancing in Reverse Gear
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey, Bangalore

  Induction of the MMRCA fl eet may take over two decades. By then, the current Fourth Generation combat aircraft may no longer be useful or relevant.

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  Case Study: The Super Six
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  The heady mix of contenders, with similar as well as differing characteristics and performance figures, calls for discerning analysis. Selectors need to penetrate the gloss and read the fineprint.

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  Modernisation: Wings for Maritime Patrol
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  The IN, having accepted the already upgraded IL-38SDs as interim solution, may be looking for a long-term solution to enhance its maritime reconnaissance and attack capabilities. This is where Boeing’s P-8I and EADS’ Airbus A319 step in.

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  Diplomacy: The French Connection
  By Air Marshal (Retd) P.K. Mehra

  The traditional bonhomie between the two countries was on display when India invited French President Nicolas Sarkozy to be Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade on January 26.

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  Diplomacy: Dassault in the Lead
  

  We are very happy to know that our customer is serious.

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  Operations: Supervising the Skies
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V. Patney

  The Future Air Navigation System addresses the key aspects of surveillance, navigation aids and communications.

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  Charles A. Lindbergh (1902–1974)
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

  On May 21, 1927, over 33 hours after departure and flying 5,790 km on a single-seat monoplane, Charles A. Lindbergh arrived at Le Bourget at 10.21 pm Paris time. Thousands welcomed him. A legend was born.

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  A Word from Editor
  By Jayant Baranwal - Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

  From this issue on, SP’s Aviation will reach you every month. Smartly packaged, we look forward to your feedback on the new, sleek design. Better still, come speak your mind at the SP’s cote in Defexpo 2008.

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  New US pilot law clouds Indian skies
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  A new US federal law passed mid-December 2007 may make it difficult for airline companies in India to recruit retired expatriate pilots to meet perennial shortages. The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act allows both the pilot and the co-pilot on a domestic flight to be up to the age of 65 years.

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  Dreamliner a distant dream
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  Boeing having confirmed a delay in the delivery of the 787 Dreamliner, Air India is considering leasing up to 10 to 15 aircraft this year in order to meet the shortage. Chairman and Managing Director V. Thulasidas, National Aviation Company of India Ltd, said: Due to Boeing 787 delays and phasing out of older aircraft, we are looking at leasing 10 to 15 aircraft.

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  Kaveri in a spin again
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  India’s efforts to develop a combat aircraft engine have hit yet another air pocket. For entirely different reasons, both the Russians and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are reportedly unhappy with the Technical Evaluation Committee’s (TEC) decision to elect French engine house Snecma as Gas Turbine Research Establishment’s (GTRE) partner to co-develop the long delayed Kaveri engine.

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  Another feather in ISRO’s cap
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  On January 21, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched an Israeli spy satellite aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C10). The launch, from the Sriharikota test site in southeast India, marked the seventh successful orbital insertion for the four-stage PSLV and the first cooperative satellite launch between Israel and its principal export customer.

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  Botched Deal Raises a DIN
  By Lt General (Retd) Naresh Chand

  In the Eurocopter deal, astonishingly the wrong machines were tested, posing the question that if middle-men were involved, what were the overseeing agencies doing? Or was there some extraneous pressure?

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  The Silver Lining
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  A combined order of 317 helicopters for the army and the air force would harness several advantages, foremost being leveraging India’s position as a buyer in terms of unit costs because of the increased numbers.

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  Turn Private To key Prosper
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  What Air India needs is a young and dynamic individual in the CMD’s chair. But even if such a stalwart were to be found, it is doubtful whether he would be able to turn the airline’s fortunes around.