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SP's Aviation - ISSUE No 12-08

Issue Features

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  Business Aviation - A Cut Above the Rest
  By Group Captain (Retd) A.K. Sachdev, Mumbai

  The current economic downturn has not inhibited the growth of air charters to the same degree as the airlines. More and more corporate sector players are now venturing into the air charter business.

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  Environment - Greening the Airways
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

  Environmental responsibility needs to become a core business element of the aviation industry, rather than an add-on to impress politicians and appease the green brigade.

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  Technology - Brontosaurs Resurrected
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  Galloping technology and escalating fuel costs are fuelling interest in airships as fresh endeavours are made to revive the lighter-than-air behemoths.

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  Otto Lilienthal (1848 – 1896)
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

  On August 9, 1896, Otto Lilienthal was flying one of his own gliders when a heat eddy blew him off balance. He attempted to recover but the glider stalled and crashed.

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  CAS - Space-based assets essential force multipliers
  By SP's Team

  In the concluding portion of the interview of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal F.H. Major, Editor-in-Chief Jayant Baranwal and Senior Visiting Editor Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia.

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  Operation - Apportioning Airspace
  By LeRoy Cook, Missouri, USA

  It is important to begin airspace design with the concept of shared use. No one operator type—be it military, airline, aerial work, government, recreation or business aviation—should be allowed sole use of large sectors of a nation’s airspace.

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  2008—A Turbulent Flight
  By Group Captain (Retd) Joseph Noronha, Goa

  India rallied around daunting adversities even as the country’s aviation industry struggled to retain its cheer amid the gathering gloom.

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

  In 2009, let us resolve to adopt concrete measures that will restore integrity and establish synergy. Overcoming our fears and setting aside all prejudices and hypocrisies, let us delve deep into our reserves of resilience and perseverance to emerge stronger than ever.

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  Fly a Shrink to the Rescue
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  On a Friday morning, in the second week of December 2008, a Chennai Air Traffic Controller (ATC) snapping shut up to an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot drew gasps from at least 15 pilots flying in the sector. It led to a sharp exchange, with the pilots questioning the language used by the controller, who in defence clarified that he was under tremendous pressure. Senior officials warned and counselled the controller, but no disciplinary action was taken.

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  Jostling for Space in Goa
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  A Moscow-bound Trans Aero Jumbo aircraft and a UK-bound Iber World chartered plane brushed against each other at the Dabolim airport, Goa on November 16 last year. The incident occurred at around 1.30 pm. The collision affected 10 of the scheduled 35 flights as their wait for a parking bay was delayed by 30 to 45 minutes, stranding hundreds of passengers.

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  Pockmarked & Perilous
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  The 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai laid bare the inadequacies of the country’s intelligence agencies—the utter lack of speed, centralised control, cohesion and coordination.

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  Advantage Islamabad
  By Air Marshal (Retd) V.K. Bhatia

  Once it had been ascertained that Pakistan was involved in the Mumbai atrocity, some concrete action should have been taken immediately to launch precision aerial attacks against the terrorist camps.

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  Dead Till the Next Attack
  By Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey

  The Indian government’s response to 26/11 was embarrassingly defensive and devoid of the slightest hint of capability or intention of resolute action beyond a bland all options open syndrome.

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  The Year that WAS